The Final Weekend of the Season
A number of Europe’s top leagues have now concluded, so we are left with a final round of matches from England, Italy and Spain as highlights for the upcoming week. Let’s take a look at some of this weekend’s big matches!
The one with the most interesting finale is without a doubt the Italian one, where the league title has gone down to the final day, as has European qualification. The title itself will be decided tonight as the matches have been moved here, with Inter heading to Como and Napoli at home to Cagliari. It is Napoli who have the advantage, being one point ahead of Inter. Neither could take advantage of the other dropping points last weekend as both the top two could only manage a draw, making the final day an exciting one. The remaining teams with something to play for, Juventus, Roma, Lazio at the top end and Venezia, Empoli and Lecce at the bottom end will all play on Sunday evening.
In England, the league title was given to Liverpool weeks ago but there is still a big battle on to decide which teams will finish in the European spots. Arsenal managed to get the better of Newcastle last weekend, a result which guarantees that they will finish in second spot. Below them are three teams on 66 points and a further two on 65. All these teams will play in Europe next year but they all have the opportunity of finishing in the CL spots so they will all be fighting on the final day. Aston Villa travel to Manchester United, Newcastle host Everton and Manchester City travel to London to take on Fulham but the most interesting match is between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, with both teams in the top seven.
The Spanish league concludes this weekend too but there is very little to play for as Barcelona have been crowned Champions and second to sixth position cannot change. The only question remains whether Osasuna can crash the top eight and claim a European spot, they are one point behind Celta Vigo and equal on points with Rayo Vallecano. The final relegation spot will be between Leganes and Espanyol, both having home matches. Elsewhere, there are relegation playoffs in Holland and Germany.
Como vs Inter
Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Friday @ 20:45
Como have ended the season in excellent fashion and it was only last week’s 1-1 draw against Verona that ended a six match winning run. They have now guaranteed themselves a top half finish in their first season back in the the Italian top flight and it has been two months since they were last beaten in the league, a 2-1 loss at the hands of AC Milan.
This is a tough assignment on the final day however as Inter are desperately looking for a win to attempt to hold on to the title that they won last year. Como have tended to do well against top teams in the league, taking points from six of the current top eight teams, but Inter are one of the teams that they didn’t manage to take any form in the reverse fixture. Como are unbeaten in their last six home games, a further boost to their chances on the last day. They also managed to get the better of Inter’s rivals for the title, Napoli, not so long ago.
Inter head into the final day as underdogs to win the title, having given up the opportunity to overtake Napoli last weekend. They therefore trail the leaders by a single point and a playoff between the current top two to decide the title winner isn’t out of the question. Inter have only won two of the last five league matches, an unfortunate time of the season to have experienced a dip in form. Last weekend they could only manage a 2-2 draw against Lazio, not the worst result on paper but one that did prevent them from moving to the top of the table. Should they manage to win and retain the title, they will become the first side to do so since Juventus back in the 2009/10 season.
They might be somewhat distracted by their run to the CL final but they must take one step at a time as a potential dream double might end up being no trophy at all. Inter tend to do well on the final day of the season, only dropping points in one of the last eight league campaigns.
Napoli vs Cagliari
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Friday @ 20:45
Napoli have missed a couple of chances now to wrap up the league title, none more so than last weekend when they could only manage a goalless draw against lowly Parma. Thankfully for them, Inter also drew, meaning Napoli maintained a one point lead heading into the final weekend. Therefore, a win at home against Cagliari on Friday evening will guarantee their fourth Scudetto.
Should Napoli lose but Inter draw, then we face the prospect of a playoff between the two teams to decide the league winner. Antonio Conte might win the title with his third different club but he will not be in the dugout having been sent off against Parma last weekend. Napoli are unbeaten at home since early December and they have scored at least twice in each of their last five such matches.
Cagliari are safe from relegation but cannot finish any higher than fourteenth in the table, so the final game day for them is somewhat meaningless. Despite that, they warmed up for this important match with a comfortable 3-0 win over Venezia last weekend so they have proved that they mustn’t be taken lightly. They are on an eight game winless streak against Napoli so history is not on their side and have only won one of their last fourteen visits to Naples.
Add to that the fact that their recent home record has been a poor one, with only one win in their last nine away matches and it seems that they don’t stand much chance of causing an upset.
Fulham vs Manchester City
Craven Cottage, Sunday @ 17:00
The home side doesn’t have anything to play for other than guaranteeing themselves a top half finish but they will be well aware that they are one of the teams that will play a key role in deciding who finishes where in the top six in the league standings.
Fulham have two wins from the last five, including a 3-2 away win over Brentford last weekend. They are the lowest scorers out of the top ten and have the lowest goal difference (+2) but they have had a solid season under Marco Silva and fans will be content with their league season. Raul Jimenez is their top goalscorer but only has twelve to his name. The chance of Fulham beating Manchester City appears remote as the last ten meetings have all been wins for City.
Manchester City got back to winning ways on Tuesday thanks to an important 3-1 win over Bournemouth, a result which helped them to put the cup final loss behind them. They have won three of the last five overall and go into the final game week in third place with a two point advantage over the three teams below them. A draw will guarantee that they will be back in the CL next season, so they are definitely in pole position in that respect. Given the fact that Nottingham Forest must play against Chelsea, the odds are even more in City’s favour.
Whatever happens on the final day, there is no doubt that there will be some change at the Etihad with legendary player Kevin De Bruyne definitely playing his last game for the club and others such as Jack Grealish likely to be moved on.
Manchester United vs Aston Villa
Old Trafford, Sunday @ 17:00
This final match of the season is somewhat meaningless for the home side and they will be recovering from their trip to Bilbao to play in the EL final on Wednesday evening. A win on the final day might mean that United could finish as high as fourteenth, whereas a loss could take them down one place to seventeenth.
Other than the difference in prize money though, it is hard to see anyone associated with the club being bothered by the final match of what has been a season to forget. United are winless in the league since mid-March, a horrendous run that has only been masked by the run to the EL final. A win on the final day will at least leave fans with some positive memories and will give the chance for a few players to say farewell to the club in a positive fashion.
Unlike their hosts, Aston Villa do have a lot to play for on the final day of the season as they remain in contention for a CL spot. The top of the table is so tight that they might even finish in the ECL, but at least they are guaranteed European football in some fashion. Their form has been good, with four wins in the last five, including a win over Tottenham last weekend and they would love to win this match and overtake either Newcastle or Chelsea to ensure a second consecutive season in a row in the CL.
They have the worst goal difference of the top seven sides and only Fulham have scored fewer than them in the top ten but they will look back on this season with positive memories if they manage consecutive CL qualifications.
Bilbao vs Barcelona
Estadio San Mames, Sunday @ 21:00
This is the last match day of the Spanish season and it involves the recently crowned Champions, who will be looking to go out on a high against another team that has had an excellent campaign by their standards. There is nothing much to play for in La Liga in general on the final day with the top six places all fixed. Barring a huge swing in goal difference, Athletic Bilbao will finish in fourth place, a comfortable season for them and they are ending in good form with four wins in the last five matches. Last weekend they managed a narrow away win at Valencia but it remains to be seen whether they can prevent Champions Barcelona from ending their season with all three points.
Barcelona collapsed on the last game day, they were leading at half time against Villarreal only to lose 3-2 at home. Fans will forgive them, though as that was only their sixth loss in the season and the title has already been wrapped up. They go into the final game day with a four point gap over old rivals Real Madrid and will want to end the season on a high. They are currently on 99 league goals, so that is one target for them to reach but it seems the top scorer trophy is out of reach for Robert Lewandowski, who is four goals behind Kylian Mbappe.
Raphinha is another player who has had an excellent season and he is two goals short of twenty in the league. Barcelona have won six of the last ten meetings against Athletic Bilbao so they haven’t had things all their own way. Barcelona will be hoping to be able to start next season in their new home, the Spotify Nou Camp, and will be delighted to be able to do so as league Champions.
Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last updated: 23.05.25
