B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, May 5-9
After a thrilling round of midweek football, the focus turns back to league action around Europe.
Premier League matches dominate the headlines in England, with the clash between Arsenal and Manchester United on Sunday being the highlight. We also have league action in Spain, Germany and Italy.
Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of English football and gives his verdict on the Premier League, while Italian football guru Adam Digby weighs in on the big games in Serie A.
Spanish football expert Karl Matchett will look after La Liga, and German football authority Lars Pollmann will select his winners in the Bundesliga.
West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
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West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic is having a bad time after a run of one win from 11 games, and Tottenham Hotspur can rub his nose in the dirt on Friday night.
This London derby is likely to be a feisty affair, but even if West Ham put up a fight, it is hard to imagine Spurs not winning.
They are aiming to equal a club record of five clean sheets in the top flight, and they have been scoring for fun at the other end.
They have scored 71 times in the Premier League—just one fewer than top scorers Chelsea—and still have a faint hope of winning the title.
Expect Bilic to have to answer more difficult questions about his future after this one.
Prediction: 1-3
First goalscorer: Dele Alli
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
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Crystal Palace have lost all four matches they have played at the Etihad Stadium and are not in great form after back-to-back defeats.
A win on Saturday would go a long way to helping them avoid relegation, but even manager Sam Allardyce must be struggling to find reasons for optimism, having lost eight and drawn once in his last nine away matches against City.
Pep Guardiola has already managed to equal City's final points tally from last season, but he will realise that is not what he is being judged on.
He will want to make sure his team finish above Manchester United so fans at least have some reason to cheer this season after being left without silverware.
Kevin De Bruyne has failed to score in his last 10 matches, but this could be one of those games where he proves the difference.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Kevin De Bruyne
Atletico Madrid vs. Eibar
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Atletico Madrid's morale will be low after defeats in both La Liga and the Champions League of late, which have highlighted the gulf that has grown between Los Rojiblancos and Spain’s top two.
It will hurt, but they have to see out the job for this season: finish third, ensure group-stage qualification for the Champions League and at least remain well-placed to add to the squad and challenge again next season.
Saturday's match against Eibar won't be a walk in the park, though, and Atleti manager Diego Simeone will need all his influence over the team to convince them to raise their performance again.
Prediction: 1-0
First goalscorer: Fernando Torres
Barcelona vs. Villarreal
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This game represents the biggest obstacle left for Barcelona as they attempt to stay ahead of Real Madrid in the title fight.
There couldn't be more incentive for Luis Enrique's team on Saturday, but Villarreal have their own reasons for pushing hard: Three wins in a row leave them five points behind fourth-placed Sevilla, who haven't been consistent of late.
The final Champions League spot might just be up for grabs on the final day, but there's no margin for error.
This fixture is usually a fantastic match, with both teams playing attacking football while also having two of the three best defences in La Liga—though that's often put on hold when they meet. Expect the same again this time out, given what's at stake.
Prediction: 3-2
First goalscorer: Bruno Soriano
Granada vs. Real Madrid
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Confirmation of relegation can sometimes release a team, stop them playing with so much pressure and allow a positive result or two to end the season on.
Unfortunately for Granada, that's not likely to happen. That's partly because they've been atrocious all season and partly because of the chasm between themselves and Real Madrid, even taking into account Zinedine Zidane's likely changes to the team on Saturday.
It's full steam ahead for Los Blancos, who could be just six games away from near-immortality, the first team to retain the Champions League and a first Liga title in five years—which is an absolute age for a club as big as Real.
Nothing less than a hammering is on the cards here.
Prediction: 0-6
First goalscorer: Alvaro Morata
Juventus vs. Torino
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Fresh from a 2-0 victory away to AS Monaco that puts them in control of their Champions League semi-final, Juventus return to domestic action against crosstown rivals Torino on Saturday.
While not as popular as the derbies in Milan or Rome, this clash is always hotly contested, and the Granata love nothing more than causing problems for their neighbours.
However, having won their last 33 Serie A matches at Juventus Stadium and 11 of their last 12 matches against Torino in all competitions, it is difficult to see anything but another triumph for the home side here.
Prediction: 3-0
First goalscorer: Paulo Dybala
Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim
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Saturday's meeting between Borussia Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim is being widely touted as a final for third place.
There's some merit to that idea, seeing as fourth-placed BVB trail the visitors by one point with three matches to play and especially considering the two teams will both face FC Augsburg and red-hot Werder Bremen on the last two matchdays in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim proved their credentials in the fight for the final spot that guarantees an appearance in the Champions League group stage with last-minute goals against FC Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt, but they have won only once in 10 matches at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund seemingly ran out of steam at home against Cologne on the previous matchday, but they have looked at their best this season whenever head coach Thomas Tuchel had a full week to prepare his side for a game.
Given the Black and Yellows' remarkable home record, they ought to be considered favourites in this matchup—they have not lost a home league match in more than two years.
Hoffenheim, however, have nothing to lose, as a fourth-placed finish would still be a huge success for a team that battled against relegation last season.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Marco Reus
Bayern Munich vs. Darmstadt
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Bayern Munich clinched a record-extending fifth Bundesliga title in a row in style on the previous matchday, making light work of Wolfsburg in a 6-0 win.
They have little to play for after failing to advance in the Champions League and the cup, and thus they have no final to keep the intensity up for.
Robert Lewandowski aims to win the race for leading goalscorer for the third time in his career—and become the first player to score 30 or more goals in consecutive seasons since the legendary Gerd Muller in the early 1970s (he's sitting at 28 goals). Other than that, Bayern will not want to interfere with the relegation fight in the Bundesliga.
SV Darmstadt 98's hopes of top-flight survival are still alive thanks to an unlikely run of three wins that included their first away points of the entire campaign at Hamburg. But even if they somehow managed to win the final three matches, they would likely still drop down to the 2. Bundesliga.
Bar a miracle at the Allianz Arena, the Lilies' Bundesliga dream will end on Saturday.
Prediction: 4-1
First goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski
Liverpool vs. Southampton
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There is a four-point cushion between Liverpool and fifth place, and Jurgen Klopp's men can afford no slip-ups.
Southampton have proved a tricky side for them this term; the reverse fixture finished 0-0, and Saints knocked them out of the EFL Cup.
The Reds have been better away from home than at Anfield over the past five matches, and that could give Southampton reason to believe they can frustrate them again on Sunday.
Saints have scored 13 goals in their last six away league fixtures, but they often struggle when they travel to sides in the top six.
Claude Puel is coming under some pressure and could do with his side putting in a good display at Anfield.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Manolo Gabbiadini
Arsenal vs. Manchester United
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No wonder Arsene Wenger hates meeting Jose Mourinho—he is now winless in all 12 Premier League matches he has faced him in.
It's a horrible record that the Arsenal boss tries to avoid talking about for any length of time, but he will be fully aware he needs to end the trend.
If he is to beat the Red devils finally, then this could be timely. He would be denting Manchester United's top-four hopes while increasing his own chances of Champions League football next season. It could even help him move a step closer to a new contract.
This is the 50th Premier League meeting between the two clubs, but Arsenal have only won the fixture 12 times. It will be interesting to see whether they have recovered from that 2-0 defeat to Spurs last weekend.
Mourinho could rest players with the second leg of their Europa League semi-final in mind.
That's his priority right now, so he will send his side out to battle with a message to soak up the pressure and hit Arsenal on the break when possible.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Mesut Ozil
AC Milan vs. Roma
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If Juventus win against Torino on Saturday, then AS Roma will take on AC Milan on Sunday knowing that anything less than victory will hand the Bianconeri a sixth consecutive Serie A title.
They will be boosted by the knowledge they have won their last five away games and have not lost at the San Siro since May 2015, recording two wins and a draw in their last three meetings with the Rossoneri.
Manager Luciano Spalletti will also know that Milan are without injured defenders Alessio Romagnoli and Ignazio Abate, while Roma will have to overcome suspensions for Antonio Rudiger and Kevin Strootman.
Those absences should see both teams line up in a 4-3-3 formation in what promises to be a fine showcase of attacking football.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Mohamed Salah
Chelsea vs. Middlesbrough
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Diego Costa has the chance to write a bit of Chelsea history as relegation-threatened Middlesbrough head to town on Monday.
If the Spain international scores, he will become the third player to hit at least 20 Premier League goals for the Blues in multiple seasons. Didier Drogba and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink are the only other members of this club.
Costa has not been in his best form of late, though. He has two goals from his last seven games, but a move away in the summer seems likely, so he will want to end with a bang.
Chelsea will guarantee becoming Premier League champions for the fifth time if they take at least nine points from their final four matches.
Under Antonio Conte, they have won 18 of their 20 home matches, and only Liverpool and Crystal Palace have got the better of them. Meanwhile, it is possible Boro will be relegated if results go against them.
A home win is on the cards, and the only real question is how many goals Chelsea will win by.
Prediction: 3-0
First goalscorer: Diego Costa
