Andrew McDermott 
Fulham’s revival stalled prior to the international break and we expect Aston Villa to add to their relegation worries on Sunday. The 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds last time out was a third loss in four matches and means they start the weekend still in the drop zone.
It is first against second in Ligue 1 on Saturday as the French title race builds towards a thrilling conclusion. Defending champions PSG returned to the top of the table prior to the international break but are only above Lille on goal difference while Lyon are just three points further back.
The international break came at a good time for both of these teams and they will be looking to get their promotion bids back on track in Friday’s clash. Barnsley’s 12-match unbeaten run ended with a derby defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, while Reading have gone three matches without a win.
Brentford head into their final nine matches of the season trailing both Watford and Swansea in the race for the second automatic promotion place behind Norwich. After two successive draws and just three wins from nine matches, the pressure is on if they are to avoid having to go through the play-offs again.
Northern Ireland produced an encouraging performance against Italy on Thursday night but could be forgiven for easing off against the United States in Sunday’s friendly. The main focus for Ian Baraclough’s men will be their second World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria on Wednesday so the hosts are unlikely to be at full strength.
As the football season enters its final stretch, Europe’s top clubs will already be preparing their transfer plans for this summer. While there will undoubtedly be fierce bidding wars for the continent’s top talent, some of the biggest signings could well be free transfers.
Wales will have one eye on Tuesday’s crucial World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic when they host Mexico in an international friendly in Cardiff. Wednesday night’s 3-1 away defeat to Belgium was a disappointing start to their campaign, although it gave us three winning betting tips including an 11/1 correct score prediction!
Chelsea are on a high after reaching the last eight of the Champions League and it would be a major upset if Sheffield United are the ones to end their unbeaten record under Thomas Tuchel. The Blues face an exciting end to the season due to their form since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard.
Southampton have a welcome distraction from their poor Premier League form when they face south coast neighbours Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Saints have lost 10 of their last 12 league games but should still have too much quality for a Bournemouth team sitting outside the play-off places in the Championship.
As this season’s tournament reaches its final stages, we have looked back over Champions League history to see which nations have dominated it in various ways.
Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiacos last season despite winning the first leg so will be hoping lightning does not strike twice at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are in control of their round-of-16 tie after a 3-1 win in Greece last week and their confidence was further boosted by Sunday’s derby victory against Tottenham.
Tottenham hold a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb and should reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League without too much fuss. Harry Kane’s brace proved decisive in the first leg last week and another solid defensive display would see Spurs through.
Rangers battled back to claim a 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague last week and are now clear favourites to progress to the Europa League quarter-finals at Ibrox. We correctly tipped 16/5 for a score draw and 29/10 for both teams to score in the first half in the first leg so hopefully we can repeat that success.
If good things come to those who wait then fans of international football are in for a treat this summer at Euro 2020. The tournament was postponed due to the continent being in lockdown last year but on June 11 it is finally set to kick off. In anticipation we have looked back at how each of the 24 Euro 2020 teams qualified for the tournament.