As we head into the first weekend of May, domestic action across Europe is slowly coming to end as races heat up.
In England, the top-four race continues as six teams fight for four places, and a spot in next year’s UEFA Champions League. On Sunday, Arsenal welcomes Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium as both sides continue their fight for a top-four finish. Five points separate the sides in the table, with Manchester United in fifth and Arsenal in sixth. The visitors are coming off two consecutive league draws against Manchester City and Swansea City respectively. The Red Devils last league defeat came on Oct. 23 and they sit one point out of the top-four. As for Arsenal, they fell, 2-0, last weekend in a North London Derby against rivals Tottenham and will need a win to kick off the final month.
Elsewhere across Europe, West Ham United hosts Tottenham in a London Derby on Friday while Crystal Palace travels to Manchester City a day later. Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim duke it out in Saturday’s top match in the Bundesliga, while RB Leipzig travels to Hertha Berlin. A Turin Derby takes place in Italy on Saturday with Juventus hosting Torino. Barcelona welcomes Villarreal to the Camp Nou in Spain, while Real Madrid heads to Granada.
Here is a preview of all the weekend’s upcoming action across Europe:
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Round 36 in the English Premier League kicks off on Friday with a London Derby at London Stadium. Visitor Tottenham Hotspur would like to keep up with league-leaders Chelsea by earning their 10th league win in a row. Mauricio Pochettino’s side is coming off a convincing 2-0 victory over North London rivals Arsenal last weekend. Midfielder Dele Alli and striker Harry Kane have combined for 38 league goals so far, and will need to keep up their current run for Tottenham’s title hopes to continue. West Ham has drawn their last three league fixtures, and will look to inch away from the relegation zone.
Saturday’s action kicks off at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City welcomes Crystal Palace to town. The hosts hold a one point lead over Manchester United for fourth place, but will need to avoid slipping up at home. The Citizens are coming off back-to-back league draws, but will hope the return of forward Gabriel Jesus will spark the team to a win. Palace sits six points clear of the relegation zone, but could still see themselves sucked back in with a third consecutive loss.
Third-place Liverpool welcome Southampton to Anfield on Sunday looking for a much better performance at home than in their last home match. Jurgen Klopp’s men fell, 2-1, against Crystal Palace on Apr. 23 and will look for a win to bolster their chances for a top-four finish. Southampton sits in ninth place, but will look to snap a three match winless run on Sunday. The Saints have not defeated Liverpool at Anfield in a league match since Sept. 2013.
Friday
- West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Saturday
- Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
- AFC Bournemouth vs. Stoke City
- Burnley vs. West Bromwich Albion
- Hull City vs. Sunderland
- Leicester City vs. Watford
- Swansea City vs. Everton
Sunday
- Liverpool vs. Southampton
- Arsenal vs. Manchester United
Monday
- Chelsea vs. Middlesbrough
SPANISH LA LIGA
Round 36 in Spain’s top-flight kicks off on Friday with Sevilla welcoming Real Sociedad to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The hosts are coming off a 4-2 road loss at Malaga last Monday and will look to remain in the race for a top-three finish. Striker Wissam Ben Yedder leads the way with 11 league goals while Pablo Sarabia has chipped in eight assists. Real Sociedad has won their last three matches and know a win paired with other results could see them finish the weekend as high as fifth place. The visitors are sitting outside of the European places right now, but will hope a win on Friday could put them back in the race for one.
The marquee match in Spain this weekend takes place at the Camp Nou on Saturday as Barcelona welcome Villarreal to town. Luis Enrique’s side sits atop the La Liga table, holding off Real Madrid on goal difference. The hosts have won their last four league fixtures, pounding their opponents, 16-5, in that span. Villarreal is on a three-match winning run in the league and will hope to leave Barcelona with all three points. Cedric Bakambu leads the team with 10 league goals with Roberto Soriano is second with nine.
Real Madrid will look to complete a strong week, traveling to Granada in Saturday’s late fixture. Zinedine Zidane’s side used a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick on Tuesday to defeat local rivals Atletico Madrid, 3-0, in their UCL semifinal first leg. Los Blancos will look to remain in the La Liga title picture after three straight wins in all competitions. Granada has already been relegated to the Spanish second-tier for next season, but will hope to pull a major upset in front of their home fans.
Friday
- Sevilla vs. Real Sociedad
Saturday
- Sporting Gijon vs. Las Palmas
- Atletico Madrid vs. Eibar
- Barcelona vs. Villarreal
- Granada vs. Real Madrid
Sunday
- Alaves vs. Athletic Bilbao
- Valencia vs. Osasuna
- Deportivo vs. Espanyol
- Malaga vs. Celta Vigo
Monday
- Leganes vs. Real Betis
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
Round 32 in the German Bundesliga starts on Friday as Werder Bremen faces off with FC Koln at RheinEnergieStadion. The hosts are coming off back-to-back draws against Hoffenheim and Dortmund, and will look for their first win since April 4. Striker Anthony Modeste has been a one-man show for Koln this season, scoring 23 of their 43 league goals this season. Werder Bremen has been on a nice run of form, unbeaten in their last 11 matches with nine being victories. The visitors currently occupy the final European spot for next season and will look to keep hold of it with only three matches left to play.
In a battle of third vs. fourth, Hoffenheim travels to Borussia Dortmund in the premier match of this weekend’s action. Julian Nagelsmann’s side has already clinched a place in next year’s Champions League and would like to extend their current unbeaten run to four matches. Striker Andrej Kramaric leads the team with 12 goals while Sandro Wagner has 11. In domestic action, Borussia Dortmund is unbeaten in their last four matches. Despite a 0-0 home draw with Koln last weekend, Thomas Tuchel’s side will be the favorites at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Saturday’s late fixture comes from Berlin as Hertha Berlin welcome RB Leipzig to the Olympiastadion. The hosts are in fifth place, but surely would like to bolster their hopes for a Europa League spot with a home win. Vedad Ibisevic leads the team with 12 goals, and the home side will hope the Bosnian international can add to that tally on Saturday. Second-place RB Leipzig has already clinched a spot in next season’s Champions League and will look to make it seven consecutive matches unbeaten. Striker Timo Werner has 17 goals this season, while Emil Forsberg leads the top-flight with 15 assists.
Friday
- FC Koln vs. Werder Bremen
Saturday
- Bayern Munich vs. SV Darmstadt
- Borussia Dortmund vs. 1899 Hoffenheim
- Borussia Monchengladbach vs. FC Augsburg
- Ingolstadt vs. Bayer Leverkusen
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. VfL Wolfsburg
- Hertha Berlin vs. RB Leipzig
Sunday
- Hamburg SV vs. FSV Mainz
- SC Freiburg vs. Schalke 04
ITALIAN SERIE A
Italian leaders Juventus face a tricky fixture this weekend with local rivals Torino visiting the Juventus Stadium on Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri’s side is coming off a 2-0 UCL semifinal first leg win in Monaco on Wednesday. Gonzalo Higuain has 23 league goals this season and should be expected to play after scoring a brace on Wednesday. Torino is unbeaten in its last six matches and is searching for its first league win over Juventus since April 2015. Andrea Belotti leads the visitors with 25 goals this season.
Sunday’s must-watch match of the day comes from Milan as AC Milan entertains Roma at the Giuseppe Meazza. Milan is coming off a 1-1 draw with Crotone a week ago and will look to remain in the race for a European spot. They sit five points behind Atalanta for fifth place. Roma is in second place, but have seen their lead over third-place Napoli slip to one point. Luciano Spalletti’s side saw a nine-match unbeaten run snapped last weekend in their derby loss against Lazio, but will look to end the season on a strong note.
Saturday
- Napoli vs. Cagliari
- Juventus vs. Torino
Sunday
- Udinese vs. Atalanta
- Chievo Verona vs. Palermo
- Empoli vs. Bologna
- Genoa vs. Inter Milan
- Lazio vs. Sampdoria
- Pescara vs. Crotone
- Sassuolo vs. Fiorentina
- AC Milan vs. Roma
FRENCH LIGUE 1
League leaders Monaco face a tricky road match at Nancy on Saturday. After a UCL semifinal first leg defeat against Juventus on Wednesday, Leonardo Jardim’s side needs to focus on the task at hand. Holding a three-point lead over PSG in the race for the Ligue 1 title, Jardim’s side need to be ready to face a team scrapping for their top-flight lives. Nancy sits in 19th, but are a point from safety in the table. The hosts will hope for a better showing after getting trounced, 6-0, by Monaco back in November.
Sunday’s late showdown features Marseille welcoming third-place Nice to the Stade Velodrome. Marseille is two points behind fourth-place Lyon for the final European spot and will look to keep their eight match unbeaten run going. Florian Thauvin has been in fine form for Rudi Garcia’s side, scoring 15 goals this season, including five in this last three matches. Nice may sit six points back from league leaders Monaco, but the visitors will hope to sneak up on PSG for the second spot. Nice defeated PSG, 3-1, last Sunday, and have won four of their last five matches.
Friday
- Saint-Etienne vs. Bordeaux
Saturday
- Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bastia
- Nancy vs. Monaco
- Lorient vs. Angers
- Lille vs. Metz
- Toulouse vs. Caen
- Guingamp vs. Dijon
Sunday
- Rennes vs. Montpellier
- Lyon vs. Nantes
- Marseille vs. Nice