Sevilla vs Juventus

Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is the venue as Sevilla and Juventus go head-to-head in the return leg of their evenly-poised Europa League semi-final tie.

Federico Gatti’s 97th-minute equalizer held Sevilla to a morale-crushing 1-1 first-leg draw last weekend, yet Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men responded well, claiming a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid at the weekend. Since securing European qualification via league football, lifting a record-extending seventh Europa League title remains Sevilla’s only route into next season’s Champions League. History firmly backs ‘Los Rojiblancos’ for success here, considering they’ve never lost a two-legged tie in the Europa League knockout stages when playing at home in the second leg, progressing from all nine such contests. Indeed, the Spaniards have racked up an eye-catching 24 victories in their last 27 home outings in the Europa League proper (D2, L1).

In the meantime, visiting Juventus squeezed past Serie A minnows Cremonese 2-0 at home last weekend to solidify their top-four chase, but the Europa League crown is their only hope of avoiding another trophyless season. However, the odds are not kind to ‘I Bianconeri,’ who have only managed two victories in their last 17 away matches against Spanish teams in the knockout stages of a major European competition (D3, L12). It’s also worth noting they kept one clean sheet across those 17 fixtures, highlighting Massimiliano Allegri’s fear over leading Juventus into the first major European final since the 2016/17 Champions League title decider. Adding to his skepticism, the Turin heavyweights have only won once on their last six road trips in all competitions (D2, L3).

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Newcastle United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

St James’ Park forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Premier League showdown between Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

After three consecutive victories, Newcastle’s pursuit of a coveted top-four Premier League finish has suffered back-to-back setbacks (D1, L1), allowing fifth-placed Liverpool to whittle down the gap to a single point. Taking advantage of a game in hand is crucial as Eddie Howe’s side return to St James’ Park following a goal-glutted 2-2 draw at Leeds United, seeking a fifth triumph in six home league matches (L1). However, the ‘Magpies’ couldn’t have picked a worse opposition, considering they’ve only claimed one win in their 11 meetings with Brighton in the Premier League (D6, L4), courtesy of a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Howe must address his side’s growing defensive woes after overseeing just one clean sheet in Newcastle’s last 15 top-flight outings.

In the meantime, visiting Brighton stunned title-bidding Arsenal 3-0 on the road last weekend to bounce back from an embarrassing 5-1 home loss to relegation-fighting Everton. Consistency has not been Brighton’s strong suit away from home, as their last six league matches on the road have alternated between different outcomes (W3, D1, L2). Interestingly, three of the five games (won/lost) during that sequence yielded multi-goal margins, suggesting this could be a one-street affair that may go either way. But Roberto De Zerbi’s men have been an attacking force to be reckoned with outside the Amex Stadium this term, with only Arsenal (35) netting more away goals than Brighton (33) in the 2022/23 Premier League season.

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Manchester City vs Real Madrid

Etihad Stadium forms the backdrop for the return leg of an evenly-poised Champions League semi-final tie between Manchester City and Real Madrid (1-1).
Manchester City’s pursuit of a history-defining treble took a massive stride at the weekend as they thumped Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park to take advantage of Arsenal’s home loss to Brighton and move four points clear at the Premier League summit with a game in hand. However, landing an elusive maiden Champions League title remains at the forefront of City’s minds as they look to avenge last season’s semi-final exit and reach the grand final for the second time in three years. Pep Guardiola’s men boast a formidable home record in Europe, having racked up a jaw-dropping 23 wins in their last 25 Champions League outings at the Etihad (D2) since going down to Lyon in September 2018. But if you’re a fan of omens, they’ve suffered elimination in two of their three previous Champions League semi-final ties, bowing out to Real Madrid on each occasion.

Yet Real Madrid’s superior H2H record at this stage of the tournament could be the only silver lining for ‘Los Blancos.’ A narrow 1-0 home win over Getafe last weekend was in vain as Carlo Ancelotti’s side officially surrendered La Liga supremacy to arch-rivals Barcelona, leaving the Champions League trophy as the only saving grace. Despite going into this match-up as underdogs, ‘Los Merengues’ can draw confidence from collecting two wins in their last three away matches against English sides in the Champions League knockout stages (both this term). Against this backdrop, they’ve gone winless in all four previous visits to Man City in Europe’s most prestigious competition (D2, L2), losing the last two by an aggregate score of 6-4. Playing on the road has been the visitors’ Achilles heel lately, as they’ve lost back-to-back away games in the build-up to this trip by a two-goal margin each.

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Inter Milan vs AC Milan

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter Milan and AC Milan go head-to-head in the return leg of their one-sided Champions League semi-final tie.

Inter Milan’s blitzkrieg inside the opening 11 minutes of play fired them to a comfortable 2-0 first-leg win last week, helping them put one foot in the Champions League final for the first time since 2010. Simone Inzaghi’s side refused to rest on their laurels after holding Milan at bay in a third straight Derby della Madonnina for the first time in the 21st century as they trounced Sassuolo 4-2 at the weekend to consolidate their top-four bid in Serie A. Inspired by an eye-catching seven-game winning streak in all competitions, ‘I Nerazzurri’ come into proceedings full of confidence, especially considering they’ve registered four shutouts in five knockout legs in this season’s Champions League. Another clean sheet would see Inter go four consecutive meetings with Milan without conceding for the first time in history.

Achieving that unwanted feat would add insult to injury after Milan followed their first-leg disaster with an underwhelming 2-0 defeat at relegation-battling Spezia at the weekend, falling four points behind the top-four places in Serie A. However, ‘I Rossoneri’ must defy history if they’re to turn this tie on its head after netting only 15 goals in 24 Champions League knockout games as the designated away side, averaging 0.6 goals per match. With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that their last away win in the Champions League springtime fixtures came in 2007 (D4, L6 since). But if Stefano Pioli’s men can beat the odds, they could become only the second club in Champions League history to progress from a knockout tie after losing the first leg at home via a multi-goal margin.

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Espanyol vs Barcelona

RCDE Stadium forms the backdrop for a lopsided Derbi Barceloní as relegation-threatened Espanyol entertain runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona.

 

Espanyol can find motivation in their current three-point deficit from safety as they enter this La Liga (LL) round. Additionally, they can draw inspiration from the significant 51-point gap between them and their rivals Barcelona, marking the largest disparity in a 21st-century Derbi Barceloní. That should serve as a catalyst for Espanyol’s determination to perform better after suffering eight defeats in their last ten La Liga outings (W1, D1), including a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Sevilla in the previous round. However, ‘Los Periquitos’ have massively underperformed against their cross-town rivals this century, going unbeaten in their last 25 encounters against Barcelona in La Liga (D7, L18). If it’s any comfort, Luis Garcia’s side eked out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at Camp Nou.

 

That’s unlikely to change to the fact Barcelona are undefeated in their last 14 La Liga visits to Espanyol (W7, D7) since a 3-1 loss in 2007. But the visitors have gone winless in back-to-back away league matches in the lead-up to this trip (D1, L1) and could make it three on the trot in the competition for the first time under Xavi Hernandez. A lack of goals has been a massive issue for the ‘Blaugrana’ on their travels, as they’ve failed to score more than once in five of their last six away league games. But one goal may be enough to fire them to another win, considering 11 of their 26 top-flight victories this season have yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline, equalling an outright La Liga record for most such triumphs in a single campaign. 

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Monaco vs Lille

An exciting Ligue 1 encounter pits Monaco and Lille against each other at Stade Louis II this weekend.

When it looked like the wheels were falling off, a once well-oiled Monaco machine found the way to end a two-game losing Ligue 1 run with a 2-1 victory at rock-bottom Angers last weekend and preserve faint hopes of catching a third-placed Marseille. But with only four games left, ‘Los Monégasques’ cannot afford another slip-up if they’re to stand a chance of closing a six-point gap between the sides. Lille’s visit to the French principality doesn’t bode well, considering Philippe Clement’s men have failed to win four of their last five Ligue 1 H2Hs (D2, L2). On top of that, they’ve only accrued five points against sides starting this round in the top five this season (W1, D2, L4), fewer than any other European-pursuing team.

Visiting Lille slumped to a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat at Reims last time out, ending a decent-looking run of three unbeaten league matches (W2, D1) and probably destroying their hopes of securing a top-three finish. But Europa League qualification is still on the cards, as they trail fourth-placed Monaco by five points at the start of this round. Anything other than victory would likely curtail those aspirations too, but ‘Les Dogues’ don’t look capable of upsetting Stade Louis II. Indeed, Paulo Fonseca’s men have only won once on their last six Ligue 1 travels (D2, L3), netting under 1.5 goals four times in this stretch. Lille must strive for greater consistency in their away matches if they’re to secure a spot on the European stage next season. Their previous 12 top-flight away results have all varied from one another (W4, D3, L5), highlighting the need for stability and more reliable performances on the road.

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PSG vs Ajaccio

PSG and Ajaccio are set to trade tackles in contrasting Ligue 1 circumstances at the Parc des Princes.

Despite dealing with off-field turmoil, PSG thrashed Troyes 3-1 last weekend to bounce back from a 3-1 home loss to Lorient and maintain a comfortable six-point lead on second-placed Lens. With only four games left, ‘Les Parisiens’ are on course to win a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title, yet an underwhelming run of three defeats in their last four home league matches (W1) is a reason for concern. Ajaccio’s upcoming visit to Paris should provide manager Christophe Galtier with some comfort, considering his men are unbeaten in their last seven top-flight H2Hs (W4, D3), including a thumping 3-0 win in the reverse fixture. With Lionel Messi’s suspension canceled after his social media apology, the league’s most prolific attack (79 goals) should come at the third-worst defense (61) at full bore.

Anything other than victory in Paris will result in Ajaccio’s swift return to Ligue 2 after a dreadful run of nine winless league matches (D2, L7) left them a whopping 11 points adrift of safety. Scoring has emerged as the visitors’ biggest issue lately, as they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet in seven of their last nine top-flight outings, contributing to a league-low record of 22 goals scored in Ligue 1 this term. To better understand Ajaccio’s scoring problems, Kylian Mbappe alone (24) has netted more league goals than the entire visiting squad in 2022/23! It only gets worse away from home, where they’ve lost each of their last six league games by an aggregate score of 15-2, conceding precisely three goals on four occasions.

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