Barcelona take on Villarreal, Real Madrid face Athletic Club ahead of La Liga's highly-anticipated MD 34
Tons of exciting games are on the way in La Liga. Atletico Madrid take on relegation-battling Mallorca on Friday with the aim of strengthening their grip on the third spot while Sevilla look to add to their four-point lead over Villarreal when they take on Eibar. Sixth-placed Getafe take on 11th-placed Osasuna in a bid to keep their Champions League hopes alive but the two most interesting games this round feature Spain's top two clubs: Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Los Blancos have increased their advantage at the top to four points, and given the form of Barcelona, Zidane's men are all but destined to win La Liga this season. Regardless, Ramos and Co. will be in for a tricky test this weekend, taking on Athletic Club at the San Memes. This Sunday showdown, live on beIN Sports and Fanatiz USA, will be no walk in the park for Los Merengues as their opponents have lost only once in their last eight league games. Oddly enough, that sole defeat came against the Blaugrana.
Speaking of the Catalan giants, they are facing off against Villarreal this weekend after their midweek disappointment against Atletico Madrid. If the 2-2 draw vs Simeone's side was a huge blow to their title defense, then failure to beat the Yellow Submarines would be the knockout punch. As mentioned earlier, Messi and Co are four points adrift of the table toppers with only five rounds remaining. For many, the title race is already over. Victory over Javier Calleja's side will keep their hopes alive until it is mathematically impossible to catch up with Real Madrid but on-the-pitch improvement will be required to beat Spain's fifth-placed outfit. Do not miss these showdowns.
Villarreal ace Paco Alcacer will face former club Barcelona. Will he deal the final blow to the Blaugrana's title hopes?
DFB Pokal and Frauen DFB Pokal finals take place this weekend. Will Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg complete the league and cup double?
With both the Bundesliga and the Frauen Bundesliga seasons being over, focus shifts to the DFB Pokal finals. The men's and women's finals will be taking place this weekend, with Wolfsburg vs Essen (Frauen DFB Pokal final) and Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (DFB Pokal final) taking place on the same day: Saturday, July 4.
Interestingly enough, the weekend finals could see both the men's and women's champions complete the league and cup double only hours apart from each other. Wolfsburg are the 2019/20 Frauen Bundesliga winners while Lewandowski and Co. were crowned the kings of the German top-flight for the eighth time in a row back in mid-June.
Die Roten's fixture will not be an easy one. They will be locking horns with Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion Berlin, live on ESPN for fans in the USA. While three defeats and a draw in Die Werkself's last seven league games saw them miss out on a Champions League spot, Kai Havertz and Co. were undisputedly one of the most exciting sides in the Bundesliga last term. Leverkusen did manage to beat Bayern Munich in one of their two 2019/20 encounters and will be looking to pull off another victory when they face off on Saturday.
Will the DFB Poakal title be returning to Leverkusen? Tune in on Saturday to find out
Elsewhere in Germany, the Bundesliga relegation playoff will come to a wrap on Monday. Heidenheim and Werder Bremen will lock horns for the 2nd and final leg, with a spot in the German top-flight next season going to the winners. Having drawn 0-0 in the first leg, everything will be decided on July 6.
Top headlines from world football
Leroy Sane completes Bayern Munich transfer
After months and months of speculation, Leroy Sane has officially completed his dream move to Bayern Munich. Having informed Man City of his desires to leave, Guardiola confirmed the German ace would be headed for an Etihad Stadium exit. On Friday, his switch to the Bundesliga champions was confirmed.
Sane's first statement after joining Bayern
Messi ready to leave Barca in 2021?
According to reports coming out of Spain, Lionel Messi has grown frustrated with Barcelona and is ready to leave the club in 2021. While the Argentine has been linked with a Camp Nou exit before only to remain with his boyhood team, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is said to be upset with the management, the lack of quality in the squad, and leaked media reports from within the club.
Top live games to watch on July 4-6, 2020
Saturday, June 4
10:00 AM ET
Man Utd vs Bournemouth (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3670662]
10:45 AM ET
Wolfsburg vs Essen (Frauen DFB Pokal Final)
[MATCH 3686912]
11:15 AM ET
Juventus vs Torino (Serie A)
[MATCH 3668922]
12:30 PM ET
Wolves vs Arsenal (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3670665]
12:30 PM ET
Utah Royals vs Sky Blue (NWSL Challenge Cup)
[MATCH 3666081]
12:30 PM ET
Lyon vs Nice (Club Friendly)
[MATCH 3686911]
2:00 PM ET
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (DFB Pokal Final)
[MATCH 3671194]
3:00 PM ET
Chelsea vs Watford (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3670660]
3:45 PM ET
Lazio vs Milan (Serie A)
[MATCH 3668924]
4:15 PM ET
Benfica vs Boavista (Liga Portugal)
[MATCH 3679442]
10:00 PM ET
Houston Dash vs OL Reign
[MATCH 3666082]
Sunday, July 5
7:00 AM ET
Burnley vs Sheffield (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3670659]
8:00 AM ET
Athletic Club vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
[MATCH 3666037]
11:15 AM ET
Inter Milan vs Bologna (Serie A)
[MATCH 3669659]
11:30 AM ET
Liverpool vs Aston Villa (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3671237]
12:30 PM ET
North Carolina Courage vs Chicago Red Stars (NWSL Challenge Cup)
[MATCH 3683624]
1:30 PM ET
Osasuna vs Getafe (La Liga)
[MATCH 3666043]
2:00 PM ET
Southampton vs Man City (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3671239]
3:45 PM ET
Napoli vs Roma (Serie A)
[MATCH 3669665]
4:00 PM ET
Villarreal vs Barcelona (La Liga)
[MATCH 3666045]
4:30 PM ET
Porto vs Belenenses (Liga Portugal)
[MATCH 3666130]
10:00 PM ET
Portland Thorns vs Washington Spirit (NWSL Challenge Cup)
[MATCH 3666084]
Monday, July 6
2:30 PM ET
Heidenheim vs Werder Bremen (2nd leg Bundesliga Relegation Playoff)
[MATCH 3686099]
3:00 PM ET
Tottenham vs Everton (English Premier League)
[MATCH 3670664]