Man Utd play this week's League Cup final
Man Utd - Newcastle: 23:30 Sunday, February 26
The season is still long, but Erik Ten Hag is making Man Utd fans live in the clouds, most recently defeating Barca in the knockout round of the Europa League. The party will be even bigger if the "Red Devils" win against Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley. If they do, they will end the title thirst that has lasted since 2017, when Man Utd won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho.
Man Utd's optimism is well-founded. Although he has only worked at the club for the first season, Ten Hag has left a certain tactical mark. He helped striker Marcus Rashford reach his best form, built the certainty of the defense based on the central defender pair Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as well as promoting the ability of rookie Wout Weghorst - a player who seemed only suitable. with the play of small clubs.
Of course, Man Utd benefits from the stars they have. David De Gea is still excellent in the wooden frame. Above, Bruno Fernandes did a good job of creating an assist, while Casemiro proved the level of a player who has won all the club-level glory with Real. These factors make Man Utd more appreciated even though their opponents are also having a sublime season.
Losing Liverpool 0-2 last weekend is Newcastle's second defeat in the Premier League this season. That statistic shows how well Eddie Howe is doing his job. When facing Man Utd at Old Trafford in the first leg of the season, Newcastle also made it difficult for Ten Hag's teachers and students to draw 0-0.
Newcastle must overcome eight consecutive defeats at Wembley if they want to be crowned. The last time they won here was in the FA Cup final in 1955. Howe has the opportunity to become the first English manager to win the League Cup since Steve McClaren, who led Middlesbrough to the title in 2003-2004.
Ten Hag will be without the trio of Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial, but it is Rashford's injury that worries him the most. The England player's ability to play is not clear after suffering pain in the match against Barca. Meanwhile, Newcastle's biggest worry lies in the goalkeeper position when Nick Pope is suspended and Martin Dubravka is not eligible to play. Emil Krafth has not been able to return while Joelinton and Joe Willock have left open the possibility of playing.
Leicester - Arsenal: 22h Saturday, 25/2
Twice led by Aston Villa, but Arsenal still won 4-2 thanks to an own goal from "old man" Emiliano Martinez and a goal from Gabriel Martinelli, both in second-half injury time. This victory was even more meaningful to the "Gunners" when the championship rival Man City stumbled, drawing 1-1 at Nottingham Forest.
The flag went back to Mikel Arteta's teachers and students. At this moment, Arsenal are two points ahead of Man City and have played one game less. That psychological advantage will create momentum for them in the trip to Leicester, the team has just ended a three-match winning streak when losing 0-3 to Man Utd.
One problem Leicester need to solve is that they have dropped points too many times in the lead this season. Statistics show that the King Power Stadium team threw away 19 points when leading. Leicester also have emotional victories against Villa or Tottenham and Brendan Rodgers will hope his students reproduce that image when taking on the top team.
James Justin and Ryan Bertrand continue to be absent from Leicester's side while Jonny Evans is also unable to play because of a thigh injury. Arsenal lack Gabriel Jesus, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey need to wait for test results from the doctor.
Bournemouth - Man City: 0:30 on Sunday, February 26
The 3-1 victory over Arsenal seemed to be a display of Man City's prestige. But the winning machine under Pep Guardiola continues to show problems this season when he stumbles at Nottingham Forest. The 1-1 draw made Man City lose the advantage it had just won in the championship race. Followed by a 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
The next two matches are considered easy for Man City. After being a guest at Bournemouth, their team crushed 4-0 in the first leg, and Guardiola's teachers and students continued to play on the field of First Division Bristol City in the fifth round of the FA Cup. This may be the time for Guardiola to restructure the squad and help the pillars find inspiration. Among these, the most important is Erling Haaland, the striker has just lost two matches in a row and is questioned about his contribution to the Etihad Stadium team's play.
Bournemouth's hope in this match is likely to be placed on rookie Dango Ouattara, who is able to exploit the hole in the opponent's left wing. Despite being one of the most powerful clubs in the world, Man City has no real left-back qualified to play in this match and Guardiola is having to use attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva in this position. .
Man City cannot yet have the service of John Stones. The duo Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte could not travel to Germany midweek because of illness but could return. Bournemouth lacks David Brooks, Jefferson Lerma and Lewis Cook. Illia Zabarnyi, Jordan Zemura and Marcus Tavernier are unlikely to be able to play but Junior Stanislas and Lloyd Kelly will return.
Crystal Palace - Liverpool: 2:45pm Sunday, February 26
Many Liverpool fans believe that two consecutive victories against Everton and Newcastle signal the return of the home team after a series of poor performances. But a heavy 2-5 defeat to Real in the Champions League dashed that hope. It was a game where Jurgen Klopp's teachers and students started well with two goals in the lead, but consecutive mistakes in defense cost them.
Crystal Palace is ranked 12th, but has just gone through seven consecutive rounds without winning. Patrick Vieira's teachers and students can soon put themselves in the relegation race if they do not improve their performance soon. Palace entered this round after two consecutive draws. A victory will help them increase the distance with the group behind but Liverpool are like an injured animal, ready to rise up to regain face.
The first leg drew 1-1 at Anfield. That result helps Palace end a streak of 10 consecutive defeats against Liverpool, giving them more motivation before welcoming a strong opponent this weekend. However, Vieira's teachers and students have not won a match at Selhurst Park since October.
Liverpool have three injuries that can't play, including Thiago, Luis Diaz and Calvin Ramsay, while the return of Arthur, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez is unclear. Palace is missing Nathan Ferguson, Sam Johnstone, Wilfried Zaha and James Tomkins. Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward are unlikely to be able to play.
Tottenham - Chelsea: 20:30 Sunday, February 26
Tottenham are experiencing an erratic season, which is not new to them over the years. But after two consecutive defeats against Leicester and Milan, good news came to Antonio Conte's teachers and students when Newcastle lost 0-2 to Liverpool, creating conditions for them to rise to fourth thanks to a 2-0 win over West Ham.
Compared to rivals in the same city, Chelsea's situation is more tragic. After three consecutive rounds of draws, Graham Potter's teachers and students suddenly lost to the bottom team Southampton. This is the fifth match in a row that the Stamford Bridge team cannot win and the team that has just invested 398 million USD is shaken.
With Man Utd busy playing in the League Cup final against Newcastle, this is an opportunity for Tottenham to put pressure on the two teams above and below them. If they win, the gap between Spurs and the third team Man Utd is only four points. Conte's knowledge of Chelsea, acquired during his time in charge of the club, can help. But the head-to-head record of the Italian coach against the old team is not very positive.
Conte has not won a single time in his four meetings against Chelsea as Tottenham manager, including three defeats. Due to not having recovered from gallbladder surgery, the Italian coach will not directly direct this match but through his assistant Cristian Stellini. This can help Tottenham change its luck in the competition with rivals in the same city.
Tottenham's force did not have much change when Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ryan Sessegnon continued to sit out. Meanwhile, Chelsea's injury list has just added Cesar Azpilicueta, along with Armando Broja, Christian Pulisic, N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy.
Real - Atletico: 0h30 Sunday, February 26
This weekend's Madrid derby once again tests the home team's bravery. Real are not allowed to drop any more points, because the gap between them and the top of the table Barca is already eight points. However, recent good form and head-to-head record give Carlo Ancelotti's teachers and students reason to be optimistic.
After returning with the Club World Cup, Real won two consecutive La Liga matches against Elche and Osasuna, scoring six goals without conceding. Their spirit is more excited after winning 5-2 right at Liverpool in the first leg of the 1/8 Champions League round. Defeating Atletico will help Real build psychological momentum before the match against Barca in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-final on March 2. Ancelotti's teachers and students still have the opportunity to eat these three seasons.
Real have not lost a match at home in La Liga this season. As a guest at the Wanda Metropolitano earlier in the season, Real beat Atletico 2-1 thanks to two first-half goals from Rodrygo and Federico Valverde. Atletico only pulled back one goal from centre-back Mario Hermoso, who was then shown a second yellow card in stoppage time. When marching to the Bernabeu last season, Atletico also lost 0-2.
Diego Simeone's teachers and students do not have a position to compete for the championship this season, when they are 18 points behind Barca. Therefore, Atletico's goal is probably to preserve the position in the top four. They are only one point ahead of the fifth team Real Betis and two points behind the third team Real Sociedad.
Real did not have four players in this competition, including David Alaba, Mariano, Ferland Mendy and Aurelien Tchouameni and Atletico lost Rodrigo De Paul and Thomas Lemar.
Almeria - Barca: 0h30 on Monday, February 27
As a guest on the field of the Almeria relegation team, Barca has the opportunity to extend the winning streak in La Liga, thereby firmly building the top spot. With Real facing Atletico this round, Xavi's teachers and students have the opportunity to widen the eight-point gap with the second-place team.
Barca desperately need a win to restore morale, after losing 1-2 at Man Utd and being eliminated from the Europa League. This defeat not only caused the Nou Camp team to lose an economic amount from the European arena, but also made them doubt their own ability. This doubt needs to be ended for Barca to aim for the remaining two titles of the season - La Liga and the King's Cup, where they will face Real in the semi-final first leg on March 2.
Ranked 17th, but Almeria is only equal to 18th team Cadiz and is thirsty for relegation points. Last season, teachers and students Rubi won the Segunda Division to return to La Liga. But they have not stayed in Spain's number one league for two years in a row since 2015. Home form is what Almeria can count on when receiving Barca. Here, they won 19 points after 11 matches, accounting for most of the total 22 points Almeria has.
Almeria only lacks Alejandro Pozo due to a muscle injury while Barca do not have Ousmane Dembele and Pedri. The visitors welcome the return of Gavi after the suspension. Ronald Araujo was substituted in the match against Man Utd but is likely to still be able to play.
Milan - Atalanta: 2:45 a.m. Monday, February 27
Milan vs Atalanta is the most remarkable match in Serie A this weekend when it directly affects the race for the top four. The hope of defending the championship gradually left teachers and students of Stefano Pioli when the gap between them and the top of the table Napoli was 18 points. But in fourth place, Milan still needs to focus on the closeness of the teams behind.
One of them is Atalanta, the team has 41 points after 23 games, three points behind Milan. If they win at the San Siro, Atalanta will surpass Milan thanks to a better head-to-head record. However, Gian Piero Gasperini's teachers and students have not performed well recently when in two of the last three matches, they lost to Sassuolo and Lecce.
Milan's defense will be the focus of this match. After the World Cup, Milan's seven-game winless streak was blamed on defenders. This led Pioli to switch to a five-back formation and obtained positive results with three consecutive victories, all with a score of 1-0 against Torino, Tottenham and Monza. Atalanta will continue to challenge the new system that Pioli is building.
Milan cannot yet have the services of Ismael Bennacer and Davide Calabria. They may lose more Alessandro Florenzi but goalkeeper Mike Maignan can return. Atalanta is missing Mario Pasalic, Duvan Zapata and Hans Hateboer through injury and Merih Demiral is suspended.
Bayern - Union Berlin: 23:30 Sunday, February 26
After 21 rounds, there are three teams leading the Bundesliga with 43 points, including Bayern, Dortmund and Union Berlin. This is a scenario that surprises many people. Because Bayern has won the German championship for the last 10 years and no team is considered to be able to compete with teachers and students Julian Nagelsmann before the season begins. However, not only Dortmund and Union Berlin, the remaining three teams in the top six Freiburg, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are also capable of catching up with Bayern when the gap is only five points.
The defeat against the badass rival Borussia Monchengladbach in the previous round made Bayern caught up. That is the second defeat of the "Gray Lobster of Bavaria" in the Bundesliga this season. But they drew seven matches, just less than Cologne. After the winter break, Bayern won only nine of the maximum possible 18 points.
It is hard to imagine a team that has only played three seasons in the Bundesliga that can compete with Bayern for the title. But Union Berlin is making it happen. After being promoted in 2020, this club's Bundesliga record through the seasons is 11th, seventh and fifth respectively. Union Berlin won five games in a row before being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom team Schalke last weekend. But Urs Fischer's teachers and students are in good spirits after eliminating Ajax to enter the 1/8 round of the Europa League.
Andras Schafe was the only absentee on the Union Berlin side. Meanwhile, Bayern are without Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Neuer and Lucas Hernandez through injury while Dayot Upamecano is suspended.
Marseille - PSG: 2:45 a.m. Monday, February 27
The match Le Classique of French football attracts attention when the two clubs are vying for the Ligue 1 title this season. PSG won 57 points after 24 matches while Marseille were five points behind. Both teams struggled to win in the previous round. While Marseille won 3-2 at Toulouse, PSG scored twice in the last eight minutes thanks to Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi to beat Lille 4-3.
Marseille is motivated to win by each type of opponent in the French Cup earlier this month. But teachers and students Igor Tudor need to improve their home form, where they have only won three of the last eight matches. This form contrasts with the image of Marseille away from home. They won 29 points away from home.
There are worrying signs in PSG's play recently. They have not kept a clean sheet in the last seven matches and lack confidence away from home. Two recent kicks at Marseille and Monaco, PSG both failed. In fact, Christophe Galtier's teachers and students have only won an away match in 2023, against Montpellier.
PSG paid for the win against Lille with Neymar's injury. He along with Renato Sanches will not be able to play while Marquinhos, Nordi Mukiele, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi are unlikely to be able to play. On the Marseille side, Chancel Mbemba was suspended and Samuel Gigot left open the possibility of playing.
