Weekend predictions: Will Tottenham or West Ham stay up?
Relegation beckons in the Premier League for either Spurs or West Ham, while there's a David vs. Golaith battle happening in Portugal. Julien Laurens makes his predictions.
Premier LeagueEnglish Premier LeagueTottenham HotspurEverton
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Every Friday, I pick for you the best or most exciting games not to be missed in the world of soccer each weekend. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers, to world-class players facing each other, or other interesting tactical battles -- there's something for everyone to enjoy.
This week, we take you to England, Germany, Portugal, France and Italy for not one, but three cup finals, one massive derby, a huge relegation battle, and even a Champions League final!
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Premier League survival on the line Tottenham vs. Everton | West Ham vs. Leeds
It all comes down to this (part 1). The last game of the season, the last 90 minutes for Tottenham or West Ham to stay in the Premier League.
Spurs need a point to save themselves against an Everton side that is 12th and needs a miracle set of results to sneak into eighth place and qualify for Europe. Yet for head coach Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs, there is still some work to do. Considering their home form this season in the Premier League -- only two victories in 18 games -- and the poor quality of football they are managing right now, plus all the injuries that have hammered the first-team squad, there will be a lot of nerves on Sunday afternoon.
After one of the toughest seasons in their history, Tottenham have their destiny in their own hands; they need to do the job and make sure they don't embarrass themselves, thereby slipping to a humiliating relegation.
West Ham, meanwhile, have to beat Leeds at home and hope that Everton do them a massive favor. Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo and his players were devastated after their 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United last weekend, and rightly so: they thought it was over. And while it is out of their hands, Tottenham's loss at Chelsea on Tuesday means that hope remains. They will give everything they have against Leeds, who have nothing to play for, and hope it is enough while they listen to the Tottenham game on the radio.
MY PREDICTION: Tottenham 1-0 Everton, West Ham 2-0 Leeds. Surely Tottenham will get a point on Sunday to make sure they avoid the drop. It will be tense, and the pressure is huge for the Spurs while West Ham are at home against Leeds. I can see a narrow win for Tottenham and a happy ending to the season; West Ham will win too, but will then suffer the heartbreak of relegation.
Lens primed to win first trophy in nearly 30 years Lens vs. Nice
What a season it's been for Lens. After pushing Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the league and finishing second in the table with their highest points total in club history -- nailing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League in the process -- they have a shot at winning their first French Cup. After three defeats in the final (1948, 1975 and 1998) before, Les Sang et Or have the chance to lift their first trophy since the Coupe de la Ligue in 1999.
Pierre Sage, the manager who arrived last summer, is doing a fantastic job. His side plays with intensity and great pressing, and has star players like Adrien Thomasson and Mamadou Sangare in midfield and Florian Thauvin in attack. They will be without Samson Baidoo, their best center back, which is a massive blow, but they are still huge favorites to win at the Stade de France.
The national stadium will have huge support for Lens compared to Nice, who come into this final amid difficult conditions. The team finished 16th in Ligue 1 and will play the relegation/promotion playoffs against Saint-Étienne over two legs after this final to stay in top flight. Their 0-0 draw at home against already relegated Metz on Sunday descended into chaos as their fans invaded the pitch and threw flares and objects in the direction of the directors' box. The scenes were horrible, but not unusual. A lot of Nice fans are also pondering whether to go to the final as there are also problems with available transportation to the capital.
Elye Wahi, who arrived on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, is their best hope of victory as he's been in great form despite often being isolated up front. It is very much David vs. Goliath, and they will believe they can cause one of the biggest upsets in French Cup history.
MY PREDICTION: Lens 3-0 Nice. Nice will try to defend for as long as possible and play on the counter to hit Lens, but I think Sage and his players have this final in the bag if they take it seriously. They have too much in terms of talent, confidence and momentum for a Nice side that is struggling at the moment.
Women's Champions League finale should be a humdinger Barcelona vs. OL Lyonnes
This is the final that everyone wanted: OL Lyonnes against Barcelona again, this time on Saturday in Oslo. After three superb finals already against each other (OL won in 2022, Barça in 2019 and 2024), we will get a fourth chapter of this European classic. The rivalry continues, and this weekend's installment will probably be the most intense ever.
Jonatan Giraldez, now the OL Lyonnes manager, will face his former club -- the team he built and earned great success with, including in Europe. The Catalans are aiming to regain their European title after losing the final to Arsenal a year ago in Lisbon. They are not invincible, but they are still incredible. Bayern gave them a good game in the semifinals, but you have to play the perfect game against them.
The big boost for the Spanish champions is the return of Aitana Bonmati from the injury she suffered in December, and she is expected to start in the final. With the Ballon d'Or holder in their ranks, Barcelona are obviously even stronger, but Lyonnes believe in themselves. They have a super-talented squad, with more depth than that of their opponents, giving Giraldez plenty of great options. They have a team that has everything: physicality, experience, pace, size, technical ability, defensive solidity and depth, which make them the perfect team to cause problems for Barcelona/
MY PREDICTION: Barcelona 3-2 OL Lyonnes. I think this will be a spectacular final. They are the two best teams in Europe and have had stellar seasons, too: I expect this to be another blockbuster, though I think Barcelona will edge it.
Can Bayern do the domestic double? Bayern Munich vs. VfB Stuttgart
It might seem hard to believe, but Bayern Munich last completed a domestic double six years ago, in 2020, during the pandemic, when they actually achieved the treble by winning the Champions League as well as the Bundesliga and the Pokal. For a club as dominant as Bayern through the years, their form in the domestic cup has been poor and this current squad and manager want to settle the score on Saturday. After being knocked out by PSG in the Champions League semifinals, they will want to finish with a domestic double and will be favorites heading to Berlin on Saturday.
Bayern have been incredible all season in Germany, losing only one game in the Bundesliga. They have scored 122 goals in their 34 league matches (3.6 goals per game), walking over pretty much everyone all year long. Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Díaz are one of the greatest front threes in club history and one of the best in the world right now, and the brand of football they play is very risky, but very attacking and very exciting.
To be fair to Stuttgart and their manager, Sebastian Hoeness, they are a "little Bayern" in the way they play and the intensity they bring to the pitch. Despite losing three times already against their opponents this season (2-1 in the German Supercup, 5-0 at home in the league and 4-2 away in Munich) and being outplayed in the two league matches, they believe in their chances. They will have to play a perfect game, but their transition play can cause a lot of problems. They will have to defend better.
MY PREDICTION: Bayern Munich 3-1 Stuttgart. Stuttgart's campaign, on top of qualifying for the Champions League next season, deserves a trophy, but Bayern will be too strong. Vincent Kompany and his players have been almost unbeatable domestically this season, and they will show it again on Saturday.
Juve's Champions League spot on the line Torino vs. Juventus
It is all coming down to this (part 2) -- a heated Turin derby to finish the season for Juventus with a place in the Champions League at stake!
The thing is, Juve don't even have their destiny in their own hands after their defeat at home against Fiorentina last weekend. They are sixth in the table, level on points with Como in fifth and two points behind AC Milan and AS Roma in third and fourth. So Juventus don't just need to beat their arch-rivals, Torino, who have nothing to play for: they also need other results to go their way.
Milan are at home to Cagliari, who also have nothing to play for, Como travel to Cremonese, who are fighting to stay up, and Roma are at already relegated Hellas Verona.
Ultimately, Juve only have themselves to blame. They were in a good position for a top-four finish at the end of April, after five wins and a draw in six league games, but two draws against Milan and Verona at home, coupled with the loss to Fiorentina, saw them drop to sixth in this super-competitive, end-of-season race for European places. Not qualifying for the Champions League would hurt Juventus massively financially, and could also raise question marks over manager Luciano Spalletti's future at the club.
Torino won't do them any favours, either. They've won only one of their last five league games, but would love nothing more than denying their hated neighbors a place in the Champions League.
MY PREDICTION: Juventus 2-1 Torino. Torino will be up for the fight and you would expect Juventus, who have to win, will be as well. I think Juve will take the three points, but it won't be enough to secure Champions League football given results around them, and the season will end in disappointment.
The weekend's real David vs. Goliath battle Sporting CP vs. Torreense
Finally, we have another David vs. Goliath story, even bigger than the Lens-Nice final in France.
Sporting, last season's champions and Portuguese Cup winners -- plus recent Champions League quarterfinalists -- face second-division Torreense in the Portuguese Cup final at the Estadio Nacional on Sunday.
It's been an incredible achievement for the second-tier side to get this far, and Sunday marks their fairytale moment. They last played in a final 60 years ago. After a great season, which could end with this trophy as well as promotion to the top flight -- Torreense are also playing in the promotion/relegation playoffs against Casa Pia -- they are in dreamland! It is the biggest game in their history, even bigger than their last final, which was against FC Porto.
The gap in resources between the teams is so much bigger it was than back in the 1960s, but the minnows have built a really interesting squad with talented young French players like Ismaïl Seydi and Mohamed Diadié, the experience of Cape Verde centre back Stopira (who is World Cup-bound), and the goals of Gambia striker Musa Drammeh. Manger Luis Tralhao has done a great job making this team a proper unit that plays with a lot of heart.
However, Sporting are huge favourites! They finished second in the league table, six points behind champions Porto, but their run in the Champions League (a top-eight finish and a narrow quarterfinal loss to Arsenal) made this a special season. They have one of the best strikers in Europe this season in Colombia international Luis Suárez (37 goals and eight assists in 52 matches in all competitions). Sporting have lost only two league games all season, one against Porto and one against Benfica. Unless they take this game massively for granted, they should not lose this final. But anything is always possible in football!
MY PREDICTION: Sporting CP 3-0 Torreense. I love a fairytale story and what an incredible achievement this would be if Torreense could beat Sporting, but I don't believe it will happen, not for one second. Sporting have been great all season, in all competitions, and there will be no suspense in this final.
