Football fans will be treated to a bumper package this weekend as the final games of the 2019/2020.
It will be a fierce battle for one of the remaining two spots of the UEFA Champions League available to English teams when Leicester City host Manchester United at King Power Stadium on Sunday.
The permutations for both teams to secure a ticket into Europe’s most prestigious club competition is crystal clear.
Leicester City must win their final home game of the season in order to secure qualification. If the game ends in a draw, the Foxes’ only hope will be on Chelsea losing their final game at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers to finish in fourth position.
Manager Brendan Rodgers knows that a loss is simply not an option for his team. For Manchester United, a draw will guarantee fourth position for them, which is a play-off spot for the European competition.
A win, however, ensures the Red Devils pick up England’s final automatic qualification spot. There is no margin for error for Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his players, including Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo.
Also on Sunday, Roma host Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico in a Serie A fixture.
Roma have seen their pursuit for the final qualification spot suffer a setback after their 2-2 draw with Inter Milan last Sunday. Giallorossi remain in fifth position, but manager Paulo Fonseca knows that a win is crucial to his team’s qualification chances while hoping for a slip-up by Lazio.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, are comfortably placed in the 10th position but know that they have an outside chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Coach Giuseppe Iachini knows that a victory against their opponents will certainly boost La Viola’s chances of qualification and help his team conclude the final phase of the season on a high.
Champions-elect, Juventus will welcome Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium, Turin, in another Serie A fixture on Sunday.
Juventus recovered from a bad patch of two consecutive draws and one defeat with a win over Lazio last week.
The Old Lady are guaranteed to win their ninth consecutive league title and will come into the game either as champions or needing just a single point to confirm their winning status.
Manager Maurizio Sarri will be hoping that his charges end their season strongly and use their remaining four league games to prepare for their second leg of UEFA Champions League round of 16 encounter with Lyon.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria know that they are not yet safe from relegation battle despite being in 14th position. In order to secure his team’s Serie A status, manager Claudio Raineri will be hoping to get a much-needed victory against his old side.
