European finals, title races, relegation battles, promotion play-offs – This midweek has it all!

Next weekend will be the final matchday across all of Europe’s top leagues, but this midweek provides us just as much drama thanks to a wide range of matches, each with so much at stake! We have the Europa League final, we have games in hand in the Premier League before the final weekend, and we have the ever-chaotic Promotion/Relegation Play-Offs in the Bundesliga! If you thought you’d get some rest before the final weekend, then think again! With both silverware and league status on the line, there is so much unmissable action heading your way!

Not sure who to take a punt on? Then read our preview and place your bets wisely!

Contents:

1.       Europa League Final – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Rangers

2.       Premier League Title Race – Southampton vs Liverpool

3.       Premier League Relegation Battle – Everton and Burnley

4.       Bundesliga Promotion/Relegation Play-Off, First Leg – Hertha vs Hamburger SV

Europa League Final – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Rangers

After 9 months since the opening round of the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League, all the action has led us to this final stage, a showdown in Seville, between Frankfurt and Rangers. The two teams have only ever faced each other twice before, a two-legged semi-final in the European Cup way back in 1960. The aggregate score 62 years ago saw 16 goals (12-4 victory for Frankfurt), but surely we won’t see THAT many this time?

For Rangers, they are the first Scottish side to reach a European final since they themselves achieved it in 2007-08. This will be their fifth such final, as many as every other Scottish club COMBINED. That 2008 final ended in defeat, so this is their chance to right that wrong 14 years later. The Glasgow side had the worst possible start in this competition, losing the first two games, but the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November has certainly paid off, he has managed an incredible turnaround which has seen them eliminate the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig along the way. Midfielder John Lundstram, who scored the winning semi-final goal against Leipzig, had been playing in England’s third division only 5 years ago, and now he has the chance to be a European champion. What’s more, despite being a defender, captain James Tavernier is currently the TOP SCORER in the competition this season (7 goals), can he add to his tally in the most crucial of games?

Frankfurt will also be desperate to earn their first European trophy since the UEFA Cup triumph back in 1980. Their two appearances in European finals (1960 and 1980) currently see them at 1 victory and 1 defeat, so Oliver Glasner and his players have the chance to add themselves into Frankfurt’s record books. The team as a whole have already managed an impressive feat this campaign: they are only the third team in Europa League history to reach the final having been unbeaten throughout the whole competition, matching only Chelsea (from 2018-19) and Villarreal (from 2020-21). Their Japanese forward, Daichi Kamada, is currently on 5 goals and has a chance to catch Rangers’ Tavernier for the Golden Boot, and there are plenty of other talented players within the squad that can cause issues for the Scottish side. Namely, Filip Kostić: the Serbian winger has scored 3 goals and, more impressively, is the highest assist-maker in this year’s competition (5 assists), where he has shone in performances against the likes of Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

Finals are always so difficult to predict, but we can be certain that Wednesday night in Seville will live long in the memory for one of these teams. History will be made here!

Premier League Title Race – Southampton vs Liverpool

Liverpool fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief that Manchester City failed to win on the weekend against West Ham, a 2-2 draw with victory slipping out of Pep Guardiola’s grasp due to a missed penalty from Riyad Mahrez with 5 minutes remaining. It could have been even better for Liverpool, given that West Ham were winning 2-0 against Man City which would have given Jürgen Klopp’s men an even better opportunity of overtaking their Premier League title rivals. Nevertheless, a draw keeps a glimmer of hope alive for the Reds, but winning here against Southampton is crucial.

Liverpool are still chasing the quadruple having doubled their trophy count for the season last weekend, lifting the FA Cup thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory against Chelsea (which was exactly the same outcome in the League Cup final a few months ago). With a Champions League final and two Premier League games remaining, there is still a small belief that it’s possible. The one issue is that, even with a victory against Southampton, in order to win the league they need to hope that Man City fail to win their last game of the season against Aston Villa, who are managed by none other than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

Nevertheless, all Klopp can do is focus on his own team and, fortunately for them, they have an outstanding head-to-head record against the Saints: Liverpool have won 8 of their last 9 league games (1 loss) against Southampton. One thing to be very wary of: that one defeat came in this fixture last season, when Southampton won 1-0! Could Ralph Hasenhüttl be the one to hugely affect the title race?

Premier League Relegation Battle – Everton and Burnley

Even with only two games to go, we still have no idea who will survive, and who will be relegated from the Premier League! With Leeds only having 1 game remaining, this midweek is the perfect opportunity for both Everton and Burnley to use their games in hand to full effect. Burnley will travel to Aston Villa, whereas Everton will host Crystal Palace.

What a missed opportunity for Everton last weekend! All they needed to do was win against Brentford, and they would have been mathematically safe from relegation. Despite some dubious decisions from the referee, the Toffees were unable to hold onto their lead and eventually lost 3-2. Because of that, it means it’s absolutely crucial now for Frank Lampard and his players to win against Crystal Palace. If they do so, they are safe, and it eliminates any unwanted stress of going into the final matchday (against Arsenal) uncertain of survival. Everton have lost only 1 of their last 14 Premier League games against Crystal Palace (won 6, drawn 7). Not a bad record, but it is of great concern that they have already lost twice to Palace this season, once in the league and once in the FA Cup. It’s worth mentioning, however, that both of those losses were away from home. Their record at Goodison Park against the South Londoners is much better: in the last 4 meetings in their own home, Everton have won 3 and drawn 1.

As for Burnley, it was a frustrating narrow 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend, which was only made worse when Leeds scored a last-minute equaliser in their game against Brighton, which meant that Burnley dropped into the relegation zone! The Clarets are only 1 point behind Leeds (and 2 behind Everton), so even a draw on Thursday against Aston Villa would mean that Mike Jackson’s men overtake Leeds in the table due to a superior goal difference. It will be difficult for them, not least because they only played Villa less than 2 weeks ago, in their own stadium, and fell to a 3-1 loss. Now, they have to travel away from home for this one. However, based on past history, is that such a terrible thing? Burnley have in fact lost only 1 of their last 7 away league games against Aston Villa, winning 3 and drawing 3. Can they add to that record here, and lift themselves out of the relegation zone with one game remaining?

Don’t miss a single moment of this battle!

Bundesliga Promotion/Relegation Play-Off, First Leg – Hertha vs Hamburger SV

You thought the Bundesliga season was over? Think again! The relegation play-off, a match between the 16th-placed side in the Bundesliga, and the 3rd-placed side in the second division (Bundesliga 2), will have 2 legs to decide who will play in the top-flight next season, and who will play in the second tier. Will Hertha remain, or be relegated? Can HSV jump back into the Bundesliga, or will they have to try again next season?

Last Saturday was a nightmare scenario for Hertha: at one point they were winning 1-0 against Borussia Dortmund, only to eventually lose 2-1. That wasn’t disastrous, as Stuttgart at that moment were not winning their match against Kӧln. HOWEVER, in the final minutes, Stuttgart found a winning goal to leapfrog the Berlin side and jump to safety. Now, Hertha have it all to do over two-legs to remain in the Bundesliga! The numbers tell the story for their struggles this season: in the Bundesliga they had the 3rd-worst attack (only 37 goals scored) and the 2nd-worst defence (71 goals conceded), but now they have to try and forget about that and focus on HSV. There may not have been any meetings between the sides for four years, but Hertha’s head-to-head dominant record should still be highlighted: of the last 10 direct clashes, Die Alte Dame have won 8 (lost 2).

What a remarkable end to the season for Hamburg! Winning their last 5 games of the Bundesliga 2 season meant that they crept into 3rd place and earned this Promotion/Relegation Play-Off. To arrive at this play-off in such fine form can only inspire confidence in Tim Walter and his men, and they have the chance to return to the top-flight of German football for the first time in four years! It’s also worth remembering that HSV, who finished semi-finalists in this season’s DFB-Pokal, will have the crucial second leg in front of their home crowd. No matter the result of the first leg in Berlin, can they use home advantage in the second game, when it matters most?