Yesterday was a dreary rainy day. Baseball on the tube but who can stand to watch the O’s getting pounded day after day? So turning my attention to better things and that’s some fantastic soccer coming up over the next two weeks. All 3 major European competitions have their finals coming up and there are some interesting matchups and storylines to look at. Lets take a peak at what’s coming in order of the matches.
UEFA Europa League Tottenham vs Manchester United
When: Wednesday May 21st
Where: San Mames Stadium, Bilbao Spain
Manchester United – What a dreadful season the Red Devils. The currently sit in 16th place in the EPL with one match remaining. Regardless of the outcome of that match they will finish with their lowest place in the standings in the history of the club. Let that sink in. In fact they will have been closer to relegation than a top 10 finish. Throughout the season they have changed managers, changed personnel, changed their tactics and for all I know the ticket booth personnel. And its hard to feel optimistic moving forward as the results from all the changes haven’t shown much progress. They are a dreadful 0-1-4 in their last 5 EPL matches having been outscored 9-4. On the season they have scored just 1.1 goals/match while allowing 1.46. But and this is huge. IF they win this final they will qualify for next seasons UEFA Champions League. That would give just a bit of relief to their club and fans not to mention the boost in income. The key for this side in the final is simple. Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro must control the midfield and open up penetrating passing lanes to find Amad Diallo or Rasmus Hojlund in on goal. In the back timeless Harry McGuire, perhaps in his last season in the red jersey, must control the back and clear out any dangerous aerial attacks especially on set pieces.
Tottenham – Well they didn’t get relegated but they might finish even lower in the EPL than Man U. They also come in on a 0-1-4 stretch allowing 12 goals while scoring just 3. The only thing the Spurs fans have going for them is the same as their opponents fans. They can still qualify for next seasons UCL by winning the final. Interestingly enough they actually score more (1.70 goals/match) then they allow (1.65 goals/match). They have a much better attack than Man U with Brennan Johnson, Son, and Dominic Solanke combining for 26 goals up front. But really makes them dangerous is the goals they get from the midfield with James Maddison (9) and Dejan Kulusevski (7). It makes for a tough team to defend against. In the back they will need to stay compact and avoid getting caught upfield and falling to quick counterattacks. Easier said than done.
Prediction – This should be a really fun match. Two historically good teams who have not faired well this season but are nonetheless playing for a major trophy and a spot in next seasons UCL. I expect this to be really close and may even go to extra time. Going to go with my heart here and say that Man U comes out on top.
UEFA Conference League Real Betis vs Chelsea
When: Wednesday May 28th
Where: Wroclaw Stadium, Wroclaw, Poland
Real Betis – Currently sitting 6th in the Spanish La Liga they are an interesting side. They don’t score a ton but they give up even fewer. They don’t win many but they don’t lose many either. Thus far in the Conference League they have won but half their matches. But when faced with a win or go home, well they win when it counts. This club has been around for 118 years but this is their first EVER European competition final. So you can bet they will be hungry. And its not like they don’t have some very experienced players. Their attacking midfielder, Isco, has won 4 UCL titles with Real Madrid. He will be the key to this match for Betis. The question of course is at 33 years old how much does he have left in the tank at the end of a long season? Then there is their manager, Manuel Pelligrini. He knows English football in and out having won the EPL with Manchester City in 2013-2014. The key to this game might end up being USMNT up and comer Johnny Cardoso. The 23 year old midfielder had a terrific season in Spain and has a high energy level and a good vision for the game.
Chelsea – The Blues sit at 6th in the EPL but hey have been on fire winning 4 of 5 including a 3-1 win over EPL champions Liverpool. They will qualify for some level of European competition next season through their final EPL finish but winning this final would automatically jump them up to UCL. Leading the way for Chelsea is midfield phenom Cole Palmer. With 15 goals on the season he sits 8th in the EPL in scoring. Not bad for a 23 year old. And most importantly Chelsea has been simply dominant in the Conference League this year. They have won 11 of their 12 matches and scored 38 goals (8 more than second most in the league). If Marc Cucurella and Jadon Sancho hold possession in the deep part of the field into midfield then it will be tough for Betis to break their lines. And they need to keep and eye on Cucurella sneaking down the left flank. He may be an outside back but he does have 5 goals on the season.
Prediction – Just like above both sides are highly motivated as winning this is their most direct pathway to next year’s UCL. This should also be a pretty close match but I give the nod to Chelsea. I think they are a more balanced team and maybe more importantly they have more weapons that can find the back of the net.
UEFA Champions League Paris Saint-Gemain vs Internazionale
When: Saturday May 31st.
Where: Munich Football Arena, Munich, Germany
Paris Saint-Germain – Runaway soon to be French League 1 champions the Red and Blues have waltzed through their domestic league averaging almost 3 goals/match while allowing barely one. When you have a goal differential of +57 in a mere 34 matches you are pretty good. Granted the French League isn’t the strongest of the big European leagues but still. They have 3 players (Ousamane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Gancalo Ramos with double digits in goals. At the tail end of the field they have a absolute monster in goal. Figuratively and literally. Italian National Team keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has allowed just 25 goals in 24 league matches. And he is one big dude. At 6’5″ its pretty hard to get anything by him high. And with such long reach and agility, especially for a big keeper, he’s hard to beat low. Net result? Find a way to get him out of position. In the league play portion of the tournament they finished well down the table in 15th place going 4-1-3. But like all tournaments the task is to advance. In the knockout phase they easily handled Brest (French League 1) by an aggregate of 10-0. They drew what most thought would be a very tough matchup in the Round of 16 and they tied on aggregate 1-1 but won on penalties. In the Quarterfinals they beat Aston Villa on aggregate 5-4 then in the Semi-finals won their 3rd straight matchup against and EPL team beating on aggregate 3-1. PSG is looking for their first ever UCL crown. I think this is the year.
Internazionale – With one match left to play in the Italian Serie A they sit in 2nd place but only a single point behind front runner Napoli. For a team known for its defensive prowess, and they are very good there, they actually leading the league in goals scored. Upfront they feature an attacking duo of Marcus Thuram (France) and Lautaro Martinez (Argentina0 that combined for 26 league goals. At the opposite end of the field is Swiss National Team keeper Yann Sommer. While maybe not as well known as Donnarumma, he is a very talented and experienced keeper. He will have to be at his best in the final. In the league play of this tournament they cruised to a 4th place finish going 6-1-1 while allowing just one goal. No that is not a misprint. In 8 matches they only gave up 1 in 1-0 loss to Bayern Leverkusen. Finishing in the top 8 during league play gave them a bye during the Knockout Play-off and they ended up with Feyenoord (Dutch) in the Round of 16 and they handled them 4-1 in aggregate. In the Quarterfinals they started to show some cracks in their defensive armor but held on to beat Bayern Munich 4-3 in aggregate. Then came the huge test. The Semi-finals against Spanish giant Barcelona. And the cracks in their defense opened up wider but they also took their scoring up to another level and bested Barca 7-6 in aggregate with the second match going to extra time. It was a thrilling match that will be talked about for a long time. In this final Inter will be looking for its 4th UCL crown.
Prediction – PSG manager Luis Enrique has no doubt been watching and re-watching film from the last several Inter matches. PSG has what is probably the most potent attack on the planet right now. Inter is going to have to get back to some solid defense because I don’t think they can win the final in a shootout (ok ask Barca about that). PSG wins their first UCL title.
Soccer Analyst
Steve is an avid fan of all things soccer and the O’s. Originally from the west, he grew up in the Baltimore area. He returned to the west for college where he earned a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University and spent 36 years working at the Idaho National Laboratory prior to retiring in 2013. It was during his school years in Baltimore where he learned to play soccer and that developed into a life long passion. He played competitively for over 40 years and was a four year starting goalkeeper at MSU. He also coached and refereed in the Idaho premier soccer and High School programs for many years.