Martin's Picks (1 Live)
This is a must-win game for Real Madrid. If Los Blancos fail to beat Espanyol, the Spanish league title will go to Barcelona. That means the Real Madrid players will be highly motivated for this game. Recent results have been poor, but they should still get the better of this struggling Espanyol team. Espanyol are winless in their last eight games, and Real Madrid's elite forwards could tear them apart.
Barcelona could potentially clinch the league title if they beat Osasuna this weekend. The Blaugrana are on a nine-game winning streak in La Liga, so the players should be full of confidence. They're 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table, with just five games remaining. If they beat Osasuna and Real Madrid fail to win their game, Barcelona will be crowned champions. Osasuna are having a good season, but they could be outclassed by this in-form Barcelona team.
Man United remain third in the Premier League table after beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last weekend. They've picked up eight wins from 11 games since captain Bruno Fernandes returned from a hamstring injury in early January. The Red Devils are full of confidence right now, and they have enough quality to secure a home win against Brentford. The Bees have drawn their last six games, but that run could finally come to an end on Monday, as Fernandes is in sparkling form right now.
Como should return to winning ways when they take on Genoa this weekend. Cesc Fabregas' side have slipped down to fifth in the Serie A table after losing their last two games - 4-3 to Inter and 2-1 to Como. They then lost 3-2 to Inter in the Coppa Italia semifinals on Tuesday, so they need to put that heartbreak behind them. They've been playing well in recent weeks, without getting the results they deserve, but things should finally click into place on Sunday. Genoa have nothing left to play for this season, and they could struggle against a team that has a point to prove.
Barcelona should be able to extend their winning streak to nine league games when they face Getafe this weekend. The Blaugrana are now 8 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table, with a game in hand. They're surging with confidence, and they should have too much firepower for Getafe to handle. Star player Lamine Yamal is injured, but the likes of Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford should still fire their team to victory. Barça have the best away record in the league this season, while Getafe have already lost six home games. They're in excellent form right now, but they haven't beaten Barcelona since 2020.
Aston Villa's players should be full of confidence after enjoying a six-game unbeaten streak. They're fourth in the Premier League table, and they could take a giant step towards qualifying for next season's Champions League if they beat Fulham on Saturday. Fulham have only won one of their last five games, and they're cruising towards yet another mid-table finish. The players may lack motivation for this game, and they could be outfought by this resurgent Aston Villa team. Villa have won their last six games against Fulham, which bodes well.
Heidenheim are bottom of the Bundesliga table, and that’s largely down to their dismal away form. They’ve lost 11 out of 14 games on the road this season. They’re unbeaten in their last three matches, but they’re still highly likely to be relegated. Heidenheim could struggle against Freiburg, who are strong at home. Freiburg have secured seven wins, four draws, and just three defeats from 14 games at Europa-Park Stadion this season. They’ve won five of their last six games in all competitions – the only blip was a 3-2 defeat to the mighty Bayern Munich – so they should outclass Heidenheim.
Aston Villa can seriously boost their chances of securing a top-four finish by beating Sunderland at Villa Park this weekend. Unai Emery's men are fourth in the table, but Liverpool and Chelsea are lurking ominously behind them. They need to win this game, and they have a strong home record this season: 10 wins from 16 games at Villa Park. Sunderland tend to struggle on the road, having lost seven of their 16 away games this season. Villa will be surging with momentum after thrashing Bologna 4-0 on Thursday, and they should get the better of Sunderland.
Roma will move 7 points clear of Atalanta if they win this high-profile game on Saturday. These teams are sixth and seventh respectively in the Serie A table. Whoever finishes sixth will clinch a place in the Europa Conference League next season, so both teams should be highly motivated. Roma are also just 4 points behind fourth-placed Juventus, so they still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. They have a terrific home record, with 11 wins from 16 games this season. Atalanta have only won five of their 15 away matches, so Roma should have the edge here.
This should be an entertaining game between two teams with poor defenses. Games featuring Wolfsburg have averaged 3.47 goals this season. Over 2.5 goals has paid off in 73% of their matches, as they’re strong in attack, but they struggle to keep clean sheets. Wolfsburg beat Union Berlin 3-1 at home earlier this season, but their away record is dreadful, so Union Berlin could gain revenge this weekend. Union’s games have averaged 2.86 goals this season, while their home matches have averaged 2.92 goals. For those reasons, over 2.5 goals looks like a great option in this game.
PSG cruised to a 2-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash last week. The Parisians really should have won by a higher margin, as they were completely dominant in that game. The action now shifts to Anfield for the second leg, but PSG should be the better team once again. They haven’t played since beating Liverpool last week, so they’ll be fresh. Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday, which should boost their morale, but they’ve still lost three of their last four games. PSG also beat Liverpool at Anfield last season, and they won’t fear a trip to Liverpool.
Man Utd have climbed up to third in the Premier League table after winning seven of their last 10 games. Captain Bruno Fernandes is on fire right now, and he should inspire his team to another victory over Leeds on Monday. Leeds are battling relegation, so the players will be fired up for this game, but they tend to struggle on the road. They have the third-worst away record in the Premier League this season, whereas Man Utd have the third-best home record.
Man City should be full of confidence after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup final and thrashing Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarterfinals. They're playing with real swagger right now, and they could outclass a struggling Chelsea team this weekend. Chelsea have lost four of their last five games; their sole victory came against third division side Port Vale in the FA Cup. The Chelsea defense looks weak, so Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo could fire the away team to victory here.
Mallorca’s players should be full of confidence after they beat the mighty Real Madrid 2-1 in their last game. That was their seventh home win of the season, and they typically excel when playing in front of their home fans. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano have lost nine out of 15 away matches this season, so they could be outgunned in this game.