B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, April 25-27
League and cup action dominates proceedings in the latest round of midweek football in Europe.
Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of English football and gives his verdict on the Premier League, with the highlight being the Manchester derby.
Spanish football expert Karl Matchett will look after La Liga, and German football authority Lars Pollmann will take you through the DFB-Pokal semi-final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea vs. Southampton
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Victory here will go a long way to clinching the Premier League title for Chelsea.
Days after booking a place in the FA Cup final with a statement win over Spurs, Blues manager Antonio Conte knows his side can kick their London rivals while they are down.
However, the Blues need to be wary as they will remember Southampton collecting a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge last season—and the Chelsea defence has been pretty open recently.
Chelsea have conceded in 10 consecutive league games, and worryingly Diego Costa has lost form at a crucial time, failing to score in his last five Premier League outings.
Saints have won three of their last four away games and have had 457 shots this season, that's six more than Chelsea. The problem is that they have only scored with 8 per cent of those attempts.
It's going to be a close encounter, but Chelsea have a mentality that should see them through, particularly as Eden Hazard was rested at the weekend.
First goalscorer: Eden Hazard
Prediction: 2-1
Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal
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Atletico Madrid's improvement across the second half of the season essentially boils down to this game; see off Villarreal and third place is almost certainly theirs.
It's not that the Yellow Submarine can catch them, but rather it's the final obstacle until a last-day clash against Athletic Club Bilbao, by which time fourth-placed Sevilla will surely be more than three points off the pace.
Atletico are relentless in their drive, energy and determination, and Villarreal mirror much of what is good about Los Rojiblancos—including stellar defensive work.
This is the matchup between La Liga's two best defensive records, so we're not expecting fireworks, but just the odd sparkler should get Diego Simeone's team all three points.
First goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann
Prediction: 1-0
Arsenal vs. Leicester City
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New life has been breathed into this Arsenal team since they managed to book a place in the FA Cup final.
Alexis Sanchez grabbed the winner at Wembley Stadium, and he remains the team's most valuable player, with 19 goals and nine assists this season.
The Gunners are seventh in the table and seven points away from a top-four finish. Manager Arsene Wenger saw his side dig in and show character at the weekend—a rare sight in this campaign.
Leicester City are in a good run of form. They have won six and drawn two of their last 10 games, and they are showing the traits that led them to last season's league title.
The Foxes did not play at the weekend so will also be better rested for this trip to north London.
Still, it's hard to put too much faith in this Arsenal team consistently producing results, so that character is going to prove vital again here.
First goalscorer: Jamie Vardy
Prediction: 2-2
Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur
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You have to wonder whether Tottenham Hotspur still lack the mentality to clinch major silverware, following the manner of their FA Cup defeat to Chelsea.
Last season we saw them collapse in the late stages of the season, and now that the pressure is on again, they need to show a stronger state of mind.
The football on show at Wembley was impressive, but Spurs were unable to display the ruthlessness in front of goal that had been so evident in the weeks beforehand.
Still, they will probably prove too strong for Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The Eagles have found a better run of form and managed to pick out Liverpool's flaws to record a good win at Anfield at the weekend.
But Spurs will dominate possession and have a better resistance at the back than the Reds. It is likely the four goals leaked against Chelsea were a one-off, as they had only conceded one from four matches before that.
First goalscorer: Dele Alli
Prediction: 1-3
Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund
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The fourth and final 2016/17 iteration of the game international media have curiously dubbed "Der Klassiker" (curiously, because no one in Germany calls it that) has by far the most on the line.
Wednesday's DFB-Pokal semi-final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will go a long way in shaping the perception of this campaign for both sides.
Hosts Bayern consider domestic success a given, and a season with only one trophy is borderline failure, while visitors Dortmund have not won any important silverware since the 2011-12 season.
It would be too easy to point to the last meeting at the Allianz Arena on April 8 and designate Bayern as overwhelming favourites after they wiped the floor with BVB in a 4-1 win, but that was also the last victory for Carlo Ancelotti's side across all competitions.
The Black and Yellows, like the Bavarians, dropped out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals, but they have won both Bundesliga matches in convincing fashion since that defeat to AS Monaco—despite having to deal with the aftermath of an attempt on their lives.
Bayern will be without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer but otherwise seem set to be close to full strength. Dortmund, on the other hand, have concerns over the availability of defensive stalwart Sokratis Papastathopoulos. In comparison to the meeting earlier in April, however, they have potential difference-maker Marco Reus at the ready.
Given the differing runs of form in the last few weeks, the semi-final should be a more competitive game than Bayern's stroll in the Bundesliga. They remain favourites, by virtue of playing at home if nothing else, but nobody should be surprised to see the game go beyond 90 minutes.
First goalscorer: Arjen Robben
Prediction: 2-1 (after extra time)
Manchester City vs. Manchester United
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At the start of the season, we expected this fixture to be a title clash, but neither side has come close to fulfilling expectations.
The good news is that the match still matters, as a fight for a top-four finish is still alive for both teams.
United are unbeaten in 23 Premier League outings but head into the Manchester derby with a lengthy injury list that manager Jose Mourinho cannot resist reminding us about.
The absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic opens the door for Marcus Rashford to finish the season with a bang, and that could prove to be a positive. He has been desperate for a chance to prove himself in a central role and has been impressing over the past couple of weeks.
The pace Rashford offers, as well as Anthony Martial, means United can adopt a better form of counter-attack than when Ibrahimovic is in the lineup. It's a tactic that could prove useful against City, as they soak up pressure and then break away.
Pep Guardiola's first season in England hasn't gone to plan. The FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal was simply further proof of the rebuilding job he has ahead of him this summer.
There are doubts over David Silva and Sergio Aguero for the derby, and their absence would have an obvious impact on the shape and pace of the game on Thursday. But when they won 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier in the season, it was Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho who were on target.
First goalscorer: Kevin De Bruyne
Prediction: 1-1
Barcelona vs. Osasuna
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After their incredible last-ditch win in El Clasico, Barcelona are top of La Liga and will be hellbent on staying there, given they're already out of Europe.
With the cup final to come against mid-table Alaves, domestic dominance could somehow once again be Barca's this term, despite the squad problems and low points along the way.
With that in mind, there's simply no way they will allow themselves to slip up in the next game—at home and against La Liga's bottom club.
Regardless of who plays, Luis Enrique's side should have enough talent to win, even if he rotates ahead of the derby against Espanyol on Saturday.
First goalscorer: Lionel Messi
Prediction: 4-0
Deportivo La Coruna vs. Real Madrid
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While Barcelona enjoy the league summit and the euphoria of overhauling their rivals, Real Madrid must live with the anxiety and pressure that comes with losing top spot so close to the end of the season.
After beating Bayern, the talk was all about whether they could be the first team to win back-to-back Champions Leagues; now it's on whether Zinedine Zidane's side will end the season empty-handed after leading for so long.
He cannot afford anything other than three points at Deportivo La Coruna, and he might be glad that the northern side have an eight-point buffer to the relegation zone.
It's a must-win for Los Blancos on Wednesday—not just to still be able to move top with their game in hand but also to quickly cleanse the negative feelings dredged up by the loss to Barca.
First goalscorer: Marcelo
Prediction: 1-3
