We’ve made it to the month of April, which means league play is really hitting crunch time and if you are still alive in tournament action you’ve made it to the knockout stages. There is a lot still happening and some rotation will need to be made at clubs where there are multiple competitions still happening. It starts early on Friday with three matches, including the red hot Folarin Balogun looking to get on the score sheet yet again, so let’s get to it:
Friday
Paris FC v Monaco – 1p on beIN Sports: Folarin
Balogun can’t stop scoring. Balogun scored in his sixth straight league match as Monaco defeated Marseille 2-1 last weekend to move into a tie with the same team for fourth place and a shot at Champions League qualifying. Folarin will look to keep his streak going Friday afternoon as Monaco travel to Paris to take on the cities other team, who currently sit in thirteenth place.
Augsburg v Hoffenheim – 2:30p on ESPN Select: Nohakai Banks was an unused substitute last weekend in Augsburg’s 1-1 draw with Hamburg, it was the second time in three matches that he did not appear. Augsburg are on a four match winless streak and will take on fifth place Hoffenheim where Cole Campbell has yet to break through.
Olympique Marseille v Metz – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Tim Weah and Marseille fell to Monaco 2-1 last weekend, dropping to fourth in the Ligue 1 table and tied on points with fifth place Monaco as well after suffering their second straight loss. They will look to rebound against last place Metz who have just 15 points through 28 matches and are all but mathematically relegated.
Saturday
Arsenal v Bournemouth – 7:30a on USA Network: Bournemouth has not played since prior to the international break and Tyler Adams hasn’t appeared since March 3rd. The Cherries are in 13th place, with seven matches to play, solidly middle of the table as they face first place Arsenal.
Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday – 7:30a on Paramount+: Haji Wright started and played 64’ on Monday but Coventry City settled for a scoreless draw with Hull City. Despite the dropped points Coventry maintain a 12 point lead for the Championship trophy and automatic promotion. They face a Sheffield Wednesday side that are still at negative five points in the table, and have been mathematically relegated since February thanks to 18 points in deductions due to off-field issues and just one win on the season.
Real Sociedad v Deportivo Alaves – 8a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Pellegrino Mattarazzo and Sociedad will host Deportivo Alaves on Saturday morning. Sociedad are coming off a 2-0 win over Levante and are in seventh place, three points back of Celta Vigo for Conference League qualifying position and five points back of Betis for Europa League.
Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen – 9:30a on ESPN2 and ESPN Select: Malik Tillman saw just a handful of minutes off the bench last weekend but scored in Leverkusen’s 6-3 thrashing of Wolfsburg. It was the second straight match in which Tillman scored, his eighth on the season across all competitions. Leverkusen are in sixth place, a point back of Hoffenheim, and will travel to second place Dortmund on Saturday.
RB Leipzig v Borussia Monchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Joe Scally started and played 70’ while Gio Reyna got just 5’ off the bench for Gladbach last weekend in their 2-2 draw with last place Heidenheim. It was Reyna’s first appearance since January. Gladbach are five points out of the relegation playoff spot with six matches to play and are facing a Leipzig side that are in third place and a tight battle for Champions League qualification.
Wolfsburg v Eintracht Frankfurt – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Kevin Paredes is back training with Wolfsburg but will not appear this weekend as his team, who are in desperate need of points to avoid relegation host seventh place Frankfurt.
AC Milan v Udinese – Noon on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic was used as a substitute last weekend after five straight starts for AC Milan. Unfortunately, Pulisic entered a scoreless match but it was Napoli who would find the winning goal with 11’ to play as Napoli jumped them to move into second place in the Serie A table.
Liverpool v Fulham – 12:30p on NBC: Fulham did not play last weekend but Antonee Robinson did start the teams last three league matches heading into the international break, including seeing 61’ most recently in Fulham’s 3-1 win over Burnley. Fulham will now travel to face fifth place Liverpool who are narrowly clinging to a Champions League spot and looking to bounce back from a thrashing at the hands of Manchester City last weekend in the FA Cup quarterfinals and a decisive 2-0 loss to PSG midweek in the first leg of their Champions League matchup.
Sparta Rotterdam v PSV – 12:45p on ESPN Select: PSV snapped a two match losing streak by defeating Utrecht 4-3 to clinch the Eredivisie title. Ricardo Pepi watched most of the match from the bench but came in for the final 4’ with the match tied 3-3 as he entered.
Atalanta v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+: Weston McKennie and Juventus will travel to take on Yunus Musha’s Atalanta side on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately it’s a strong possibility that neither player will appear on Saturday. While McKennie has proven himself to once again be an integral part of the Juve side, scoring a goal again in their 2-0 win over Genoa last Monday, he also picked up a yellow card and will be suspended for the match. Meanwhile, Musah has found minutes more difficult to come by and was an unused substitute Monday.
Sevilla v Atletico Madrid – 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso has not appeared in Atletico’s two matches since returning from the international break as he looks to recover from yet another injury. Atleti face Barcelona in both matches, a 2-1 loss in league play followed by a 2-0 victory midweek in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals matchup.
Charlotte FC v Nashville SC – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass: Tim Ream and Charlotte will host Nashville in an early season matchup of two of the East’s top three teams.
Vancouver Whitecaps v NYCFC – 7:30p on MLS Season Pass: Sebastian Berhalter and the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are in second place in the West, will host Matt Freese and NYCFC who currently hold second place in the Eastern Conference.
Sunday
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United – 9a on Peacock: Chris Richards and Crystal Palace are in 14th place in the Premier League but defeated Fiorentina 3-0 on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League matchup. Palace will host twelfth place Newcastle on Sunday with an opportunity to jump them in the table.
Toulouse v Lille – 11:15a on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie and Toulouse fell to league leading PSG 3-1 last weekend and are now in tenth place as they get set to host third place Lille. Lille lead both Marseille and Monaco by a point in the race for a Champions League spot.
Stuttgart v Hamburg – 11:30a on ESPN Select: Damion Downs was an unused substitute last weekend in Hamburg’s 1-1 draw with Augsburg. Down’s is still looking for his first goal since joining Hamburg.
Olympique Lyon v Lorient – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann and Lyon settled for a scoreless draw with Angers last weekend extending their winless streak to six matches and dropping them to sixth in the table though they are just two points back of Lille themselves. They will host ninth place Lorient on Sunday who are coming off a 1-1 draw with Paris FC.
Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal – 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Alex Freeman saw 20’ off the bench for Villarreal last weekend, his longest appearance yet with the club. Unfortunately, they fell to Girona thanks to an own goal in the first half before Freeman came on. Villarreal remain in third place with an excellent opportunity to qualify for champions league play.
