10 Players to Watch in World Football This Weekend of May 23-24
Our Players to Watch feature usually takes in as many corners of the world as we can manage, but we're sticking largely to Europe this time around.
It's with good reason: Almost all the major leagues come to an end over the next few days, with vital points to be fought for to avoid relegation or sew up pivotal Champions League places. The one non-European league we look at is Mexico's Liga MX, since it has also reached a critical stage of the campaign.
Here are the 10 players to watch this weekend.
Victor Valdes, Manchester United
1 of 10
David De Gea could well have played his last game for Manchester United after he went off injured last time out, and could be off to Real Madrid in summer, per BBC Sport.
If he's not fit, then United will likely field Victor Valdes in his place on the final day of the Premier League season—so it will be Valdes whom Hull City will have to get past if they want to avoid relegation.
And former Manchester United keeper Raymond van der Gouw believes Valdes is an ideal man to fill the void for United.
"With what he knows about football and the way he is playing, he is perfect for United," the Daily Mail quoted Van der Gouw as saying.
Hull have to win at home to United and hope Newcastle United do not beat West Ham United at St James' Park.
Nils Petersen, Freiburg
2 of 10
Two matches take our focus in Germany, and both of those games are down at the bottom. As many as six teams are still fighting to avoid the drop, with the Bundesliga's two automatic relegation spots and one play-off spot yet to be filled.
Hannover host Freiburg in one of the vital games—15th against 14th in the 18-team league—and both teams know a win will guarantee their safety and that a defeat could well see them drop into the playoff spot at best.
Freiburg forward Nils Petersen has hit form at just the right time for his team, netting four goals in his last four games, including a late winner off the bench against Bayern Munich last time out. If he has done enough to start this game, he could prove to be the difference.
Christian Gentner, Stuttgart
3 of 10
The second crucial Bundesliga match sees Paderborn, bottom in 18th, host Stuttgart, in 16th—the playoff spot.
Two points separate the teams, so Paderborn simply have to win to avoid automatic relegation, though even that might not be enough if Hamburger SV get a result against Schalke.
For Stuttgart, Christian Gentner is the driving force in midfield and will captain the side to success or failure. He scored last time out, as Stuttgart gave themselves a chance by beating HSV, and they could really do with a repeat performance here.
A win will take Stuttgart to 36 points, giving them a great chance of leaving the bottom three while consigning Paderborn to the drop.
Felipe Anderson, Lazio
4 of 10
Over to Serie A in Italy now, where they will be in the penultimate week of action, Gameweek 37.
Monday night's game sees the capital-city derby, as third-placed Lazio host second-placed Roma. Both are fighting for automatic Champions League qualification—and to keep their distance above Napoli, who are still chasing hard to steal one of the spots.
For Lazio, it's pretty straightforward: beat your rivals and you're within touching distance of the runners-up spot and a successful season, despite the Coppa Italia final defeat to Juventus. They will need 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson to make the difference, driving the team forward from deep and providing the threat of goals and chance creation as he moves into the final third.
Lopo, Deportivo La Coruna
5 of 10
Now to Spain and back to a relegation battle, focusing on two teams of the four who can still join Cordoba in going down from La Liga.
Deportivo La Coruna are outside the bottom three heading into the final day, but they are set to face newly crowned champions Barcelona at Camp Nou and need to either win or hope results go their way to survive.
With two finals on the horizon, Barca could opt to rest a few faces, but veteran central defender Lopo is still likely to be facing individuals of immense quality. He has scored a couple of vital goals in the last two games, but this time around will be all about his concentration, resilience and timing as he leads Depor's defensive line against the best attack around.
Mikel Arruabarrena, Eibar
6 of 10
Elsewhere, Eibar have undoubtedly the easiest task of any of the four sides battling to survive, as they play the only Liga team already relegated, Cordoba.
However, any easy game comes with a huge caveat for Eibar at present, since they have won precisely one of their last 19 matches.
It's all or nothing for them now. In the bottom three on the last day, they need to beat Cordoba and hope results elsewhere go their way, with a potential two-, three- or four-way head-to-head comparison a possibility at full-time. Mikel Arruabarrena has consistently been Eibar's most dangerous attacking threat this season, and they desperately need the eight-goal attacker to be in top form and add to his tally this time out.
He netted the winner the last time they won—1-0 against Malaga in early April.
Andre-Pierre Gignac, Olympique De Marseille
7 of 10
Over to France now. Ligue 1 still has three sides hoping to achieve Champions League football next season alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon: Monaco, currently in third, Marseille in fourth and Saint-Etienne in fifth on goal difference.
If Monaco win at now-safe Lorient, there's nothing the other two can do about it, but Marcelo Bielsa's men have finally rediscovered form after a diabolical run during March and April. Three successive wins means they still have a slight chance of sneaking back into the top three.
Marseille face mid-table Bastia at home, a very winnable game, and with Andre-Pierre Gignac back in scoring form—he's got three in his last three—l'OM have to concentrate on getting their own job done before hoping Lorient pull off a shock.
Burak Yilmaz, Galatasaray
8 of 10
Just like Italy, Turkey's Super Lig heads into the penultimate weekend of action over the next few days.
Unlike Italy, however, the title isn't quite sewn up after a pretty crazy season, but Galatasaray could all but seal it with a win over third-placed Besiktas on Sunday. Their opponents can't take the title now after no win in three, but they are still seeking a top-two finish for Champions League football.
For Galatasaray, striker Burak Yilmaz will of course be the one they look to to make the difference, but he hasn't been in red-hot scoring form of late, netting in just one game (twice) in the last six. Gala, meanwhile, have done just about enough to clock up the points, winning four of their last five games 1-0.
Against these huge rivals, and with Fenerbahce only three points behind—though facing a tough game themselves against fourth-placed Istanbul Basaksehir—Galatasaray could really do with Yilmaz rediscovering his scoring touch.
Andriy Pyatov, Shakhtar Donetsk
9 of 10
There are just two games to go in Ukraine as well, and Dynamo Kyiv have won the title, but Shakhtar Donetsk still need one more result to get over the line and secure second place and the Champions League spot it brings.
They pretty much need to do it this weekend, too. They play third-placed Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk away from home, but a draw will keep their rivals at bay.
With that in mind, it's goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov who will be the man under the microscope. Pyatov is an established first choice and is experienced at the international level too, but there is no question he's capable of more than the odd flap or moment of madness. In such a high-profile match, Shakhtar will hope his quality comes through.
The last game for both teams was against each other in the semi-final of the cup—and it finished 1-1. The same again will do for Shakhtar.
Marco Fabian, Guadalajara
10 of 10
We finish in Mexico, where the Liguilla has thrown up a total surprise for the last-four stage: First place to fourth place from the Clausura are all out, while fifth to eighth remain in the semi-finals.
Guadalajara's 4-1 win at Atlas in the quarter-final second leg was notable, not least for the first-half hat-trick scored by Marco Fabian.
They play Santos Laguna now in the semis, and Jose Manuel de la Torre and his side will be hoping Fabian can inspire his team to even greater successes to end the campaign in the best way possible.
