Arsenal, Chelsea renew hostilities in London derby
Arsenal and Chelsea renew hostilities for a Premier League London derby at the Emirates on Tuesday night.The contest was supposed to take place on Saturday evening but was moved to a midweek kickoff upon a revision from the Metropolitan Police, much to the dismay of supporters.
Thanks to Man City’s 2-1 triumph over Fulham, Arteta’s men have been knocked off their perch and into second place, although one silver lining from last week was Brighton & Hove Albion’s loss to Nottingham Forest, which guaranteed Arsenal’s return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Wednesday’s loss at the Etihad marked the seventh game in a row in which Arsenal have both scored and conceded – shipping an alarming 11 goals in their last four games – but only Newcastle United have prevented the Gunners from scoring at the Emirates this season, and Chelsea are not exactly jumping for joy at the moment either.
With every passing week, Todd Boehly‘s peculiar decision to bring Frank Lampard back to Stamford Bridge is not being vindicated, as the Englishman’s losing streak stretched to a worrying five games.
While the Blues’ squad are said to be excited by the imminent appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager, Lampard is out to avoid a slice of unwanted history at the Emirates, where defeat would mark a 20th loss of the campaign for the first time in Chelsea’s Premier League era.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Real Madrid travel away to top-four hopefuls Real Sociedad
Real Madrid will be aiming to make it successive victories in La Liga when they continue their domestic campaign away to top-four hopefuls Real Sociedad on Tuesday night.
The visitors remain second in the table, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona, while Real Sociedad are currently in charge of fourth, sitting eight points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal.
Since losing the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao on April 15, Real Sociedad have picked up seven points from three league matches, beating Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna, in addition to drawing with Real Betis.
Real Sociedad are in pole position to secure a Champions League spot for next season, and it would be their first top-four finish in Spain’s top flight for 10 years.
Real Madrid are not going to win the title this term unless something extraordinary happens, though, with Barcelona sitting 11 points clear of their bitter rivals at the summit, and there are just six games left.
Real Madrid are in a battle with Atletico Madrid for second, but it would be fair to say that their attention is currently on the Copa del Rey and Champions League, with the capital giants looking to win both competitions in the latter stages of the campaign.
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BarcelonawelcomeOsasuna to Camp Nou
Barcelona will be bidding to take a huge step towards winning the La Liga title when they welcome Copa del Rey finalists Osasuna to Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
The Catalan outfit are top of the table, 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, while Osasuna occupy eighth position, five points behind sixth-placed Real Betis.
Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano last week but managed to return to winning ways on Saturday, recording a 4-0 victory over Real Betis at Camp Nou.
Xavi‘s side have 79 points from their 32 league games this season, which has left them 11 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on the same number of matches, so only an extraordinary turn of events will prevent Barcelona from winning the league this season.
Osasuna are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Barcelona, but we are finding it difficult to back anything other than a routine victory for the league leaders, who are getting closer and closer to being confirmed as champions for the 2022-23 campaign.
Reclaiming the title from Real Madrid will be seen as a huge positive and landmark moment for Xavi, though, and another victory on Tuesday evening would move them a step closer.
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Lens chase Champs League spot as they clash with Toulouse
Lens will be bidding to continue their pursuit of an automatic spot in next season’s Champions League when they resume their Ligue 1 campaign away to Coupe de France winners Toulouse on Tuesday night.
The visitors are currently third in the table, one point behind second-placed Marseille, while Toulouse are 12th, boasting 41 points from their 32 league matches this season.
Toulouse secured a return to Ligue 1 by winning Ligue 2 last season, so consolidating back at this level was always going to be their number one priority.
Toulouse have also won two of their last three Ligue 1 matches, including a 1-0 success over Lorient on April 23, which proved to be their 12th league victory of the campaign.
Les Violets have faced Lens on 49 occasions throughout history, winning 17 of those matches, but they have lost their last three against Tuesday’s opponents, including a 3-0 defeat in the reverse game earlier this season.
Both teams are in excellent form, which should create a fascinating match on Tuesday evening. Lens are in desperate need of all three points to continue their push for a top-two position, but Toulouse will also be full of confidence.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
