With leagues winding down their season there are a lot of simultaneous kickoffs this weekend to avoid clubs having the advantage of knowing how others are doing. There’s quite a bit to sort out in France as valuable Champions League qualification is still up for grabs. In Italy we have a pair of espresso matchups early Sunday morning with Weston and Christian both kicking off to start the day. But the weekend starts on Saturday in Scotland with a potentially historic match in Glasgow.
Saturday
Celtic v Hearts
– 7:30a on CBSSN: Auston Trusty and Celtic will host Hearts on Saturday morning as the Scottish Premiership title comes down to the final matchday. Celtic stayed within a point of Hearts last weekend, thanks in no small part to a controversial VAR decision to award Celtic a penalty in the dying minutes of the match. If Hearts are able to secure a road victory or draw it would be the first time since 1985 that a team other than Celtic or Rangers have won the Scottish league.
Union Berlin v Augsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks has failed to appear in the last six matches for Augsburg who defeated Gladbach 3-1 last weekend and have not lost over those six matches.
Borussia Monchengladbach v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Joe Scally started last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Augsburg and Gio Reyna did not come into the match until the team was already down 2-0. However, Reyna did play 30+ minutes including stoppage time and scored a consolation goal for Gladbach late. Gladbach are secure heading into the last weekend and will be facing a Hoffenheim side that are tied with Stuttgart for fourth place and need a victory as well as some help as they are facing a significant deficit in the goal differential tiebreaker as they look to qualify for Champions League play. Cole Campbell did play nearly 20’ off the bench for Hoffenheim last weekend in the team’s 1-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Bayern Munich v Koln – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Kristoffer Lund and Koln fell to Heidenheim last weekend but are safe now thanks to a Wolfsburg loss that has the bottom three in the Bundesliga table locked in. Koln will finish up their season against a Bayern team that are just doing victory laps at this point.
Bayer Leverkusen v Hamburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman saw 25’ off the bench last weekend, his second appearance over 20’ in the past six matches. Unfortunately, Leverkusen fell to Stuttgart 3-1, dropping to sixth in the table. Leverkusen could jump back into the Champions League spots but would need losses by both Stuttgart and Hoffenheim.
St. Pauli v Wolfsburg – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg have a defacto playoff match with St. Pauli on Saturday morning. The teams are tied with Heidenheim on 26 points, leaving the three teams in the last three spots of the Bundesliga table. The two teams in 17th and 18th after Saturday will be relegated while the 16th place team will have a shot at redemption through the relegation playoff (facing 2 Bundesliga’s third place team to see who will play in the Bundesliga nest season). Wolfsburg hold a three goal advantage over both Heidenheim and St. Pauli in the goal differential tie-breaker so a draw would eliminate St. Pauli but Wolfsburg’s safety would depend on whether Heidenheim pick up a win in that face. Paredes was not included in the Wolfsburg squad last weekend as he was suspended following a training grounds dustup with teammate Mohamed Amoura. Paredes has also only played 7’ in the last three months and only appeared in six matches all season due to his injuries so it seems unlikely that he will feature Saturday as his fate, as well as that of James Sands are decided for next season.
Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy – 9:15p on FS1: Cristian Roldan and the Seattle Sounders get the network showcase on Saturday night as they host the LA Galaxy. Seattle have lost just once in eleven matches but currently sit in third place in the West, five points back of San Jose (though with two games in hand) who they defeated on Wednesday 3-2.
MLS Season Pass Matches:
- Charlotte (Tim Ream) v Toronto – 7:30p
- New England (Matt Turner needs a bounce back badly) v Minnesota United – 7:30p
- New York RB (the young bulls including several 2030 hopefulls) v NYCFC (Matt Freese) – 7:30p
- Philadelphia Union (Cavan Sullivan coming off his first goal) v Columbus Crew (Max Arfsten scored again Wednesday) – 7:30p
- Houston Dynamo v Vancouver Whitecaps (Sebastian Berhalter scored a brace Wednesday)- 8:30p
- RSL (Deigo Luna and suddenly popular Zavier Gozo) v Colorado Rapids – 9:30p
Sunday
Genoa v AC Milan – 6:30a on Paramount+: In a sight for sore eyes Christian Pulisic is reportedly available for AC Milan this weekend as they travel to Genoa looking to snap a two match losing streak and secure Champions League play over the final two matches of Serie A play. Milan have won just once in their last six and are currently tied for fourth with Roma, and just two points ahead of sixth place Como. Pulisic is the rare US player who’s health has gotten a positive update recently though it would still be good to see him snap his 2026 scoreless streak.
Juventus v Fiorentina – 6:30a on Paramount+: Weston McKennie and Juventus also kick off at Espresso hour on Sunday. Juve are coming off a 1-0 win over Lecce and haven’t lost a match since February. They are still just a point ahead of Milan and Roma so will also need to close out the season strong.
PSV Eindhoven v Twente – 8:30a on ESPN Select: Sergino Dest served up a nice assist to Ricardo Pepi last weekend for that USMNT connection as PSV defeated Go Ahead Eagles 4-1. Pepi is now on his own little scoring streak having notched at least one goal in four straight matches.
Leeds United v Brighton and Hove Albion – 10a on USA Network: Brenden Aaronson and Leeds haven’t lost in the last seven matches and are official safe from the relegation zone as they host seventh place Brighton Sunday morning. Aaronson was back in the starting lineup on Monday as Leeds played Tottenham to a 1-1 draw.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham – 10a on Peacock: Antonee Robinson started his second straight match but Fulham fell to Bournemouth 1-0 last weekend. Fulham are now in eleventh place but will have a chance to crack the top ten if they can defeat last place Wolves who have just three victories all season.
Brentford v Crystal Palace – 10a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace fell to Man City 3-0 on Wednesday and it wasn’t exactly a standout performance from the USMNT defender, though the task is always a tall one against City. Palace will travel to Brentford on Sunday to take on the eighth place side who still have a chance to crack the top six in the table.
Atalanta v Bologna – Noon on Paramount+: Yunus Musah did not make it off the bench last weekend in Atalanta’s 3-2 win over AC Milan. Musah has just one appearance in the last six matches for his team. It looks like his parent club will likely be looking for a new destination for the USMNT hopeful next Fall.
Atletico Madrid v Girona – 1p on ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso has been all but ruled out of the World Cup for the USMNT after surgery on his ankle following an injury picked up in training. Atletico have officially locked up no worse than fourth place after their 2-1 win over Osasuna last weekend.
Rayo Vallecano v Villarreal – 1p on ESPN Select: Alex Freeman did not see the field last weekend but went 90’ midweek in Villarreal’s 3-2 loss to Sevilla. Despite the loss Villarreal remain in third place with a three point advantage over Atleti. They are facing tenth place Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Real Sociedad v Valencia – 1p on ESPN Select: Pellegrino Matarazzo and Real Sociedad look to lock up a top ten finish this weekend as they host eleventh place Valencia. Sociedad are currently in eighth place.
Strasbourg v Monaco – 3p on beIN Sports Connect: Folarin Balogun was held scoreless last weekend as Monaco fell to Lille 1-0, dropping to seventh place in the Ligue 1 table. It was just the second time in the past eleven matches that Balogun failed to score and only their second loss since January. However, the loss knocks them out of the European competition positions heading into the last matchday and they will need a victory over Strasbourg and help elsewhere if they are going to jump Tim Weah’s Marseille in the standings.
Nantes v Toulouse – 3p: Mark McKenzie and Toulouse defeated Lyon last weekend to remain in tenth place, they will wrap up their season against Ligue 2 bound Nantes.
Olympique Marseille v Rennes – 3p on beIN sports Connect: Tim Weah’s Marseille defeated Le Havre 1-0 last weekend but Weah was not included in the squad a week after serving a yellow card suspension. Marseille are in sixth place and are hosting fifth place Rennes on Sunday afternoon. A loss could see Marseille jumped by Monaco for European competition while a win would move them into fifth place and the Europa League spot. For their part Rennes could jump Lille and/or Lyon and move into Champions League qualification if they are able to pick up a win and the teams ahead of them suffer defeat on the last weekend.
