3rd placed Valencia play for nothing except to please their home fans as they host 19th placed Tenerife still involved in the relegation ‘maze’.

Knowing Valencia there’s no chance they will show any sympathy for Tenerife’s situation, but they are also well known to disappoint when least expected especially when they need nothing from a game.

Tenerife will have to win and hope 2 of the other 3 sides involved in this ‘suspense’ will not, so that they may stay up.

Prediction : Draw





Head to Head and Statistics

17th placed Racing will hope to seal their survival on the last day of the league through winning over 14th placed Gijon who are safe now and play for nothing.

Easier said than done for Racing who won only once in their last 9 games and have lost their last 4 (2 of them were against direct relegation opponents Tenerife and Valladolid).

Gijon have not won in 9 games, but have secured their survival through drawing 5 of them including the last 3.

Prediction : Draw





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13th placed Osasuna play for nothing as they host bottom placed Xerez who –surprisingly- are still in with dismal chance of survival.

Osasuna may want to end their season on a high in front of their own fans, especially when they are boosting a 7-7-4 home record so far this season, but that’s about as much motive as they will have for this game.

Xerez must win to start with. Then they will hope Real beats Malaga and Barcelona beat Valladolid which (both very much likely). Now come the tricky part of either Tenerife or Racing (or both) also losing their respective games in which case 4 (or 5) sides will all be tied on 36 points each and in which case Xerez will have the nod to stay up.

Prediction : Away





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16th placed Malaga are desperate for the 3 wins to guarantee their survival but they face a 2nd placed Real side who are hoping for a miracle to occur at the Nuo Camp with Barca failing to win for Real to be crowned Champions with a win here.

Malaga have the advantage (in H2H comparison) over all other 3 sides tied on 36 points with them, so a win means they stay up no matter what. A draw will still help if at least 2 of Tenerife (away at Valencia), Valladolid (away at Barca) and Racing (at home vs Gijon) also fail to win. A defeat requires at least 2 of the other 3 to also lose for Malaga to survive.

Real know they will not win the league if they even draw, as Barcelona are already a point better and the Catalans won both H2H games. For Real to win the title they will 1st need to win this game as an absolute necessity, and then hope Barcelona will not win at home vs Valladolid (very unlikely)

Prediction : Draw





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Top team Barcelona will have every opportunity to seal the title race in their favour with a win over struggling 18th placed Valladolid who will also need to win to stay up.

Barca know any dropped points will probably give the title to their rivals Real Madrid who play at Malaga at the same time.

Valldolid also know being tied on 36 points with 3 other sides means they have to win to stand a chance of staying up. They only have an advantage over Racing in the H2H with racing palying an uninterested side in Gijon. This means they must match Racing’s result and do better than either Malaga or Tenerife (the latter also plays an uniterested Valencia side)

Prediction : Home





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19th placed Siena who are already relegated are facing top placed Inter who practically only need to draw to retain the title. Nothing much to add about it.

Why would Siena even care to try and stop Inter from winning trophy 2nd title of the season? They’re already relegated and giving too much of an effort would only make Mourinho’s claims of a Roma pay-off sound more credible.

Inter on the other hand will be retaining the league title for the 5th time running. It will also be their 2nd title win of the season (they’ve already won the Italian Cup) and will have the CL final vs Bayern to look forward to a week later.

Prediction : Away





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4th placed Sampdoria can only guarantee their CL status through a win over guaranteed Europa League participants Napoli who are at 6th.

Sampdoria know a draw coupled with a Palermo win would blow away all the good work they’ve done so far (5-1-0) including their most precious draw at Palermo last weekend that kept them at 4th. They’ve also beaten both Milan and Roma in the process and it would be a shame if they ended up playing in the Europa League instead.

Napoli have now made 6th place theirs and have nothing to play for unless they want to ruin Sampdoria’s undefeated home run and offer Palermo a chance to replace their hosts in the CL.

Prediction : Home





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9th placed Parma can only thank their fans for being patient with them through winning at home vs the table foot Livorno.

Although there’s not much to gain for Parma in terms of finishing positions, they will have to end their season on good terms with their home fans. Parma very much disappointed them of late through a 3-3-3 run which ended their European aspiration early.

Livorno can only leave the foot of the table with a win. Nevertheless they’d only climb up one notch. Nothing really matters now and having won only once in their last 18 games (i.e. the whole of the 2nd half of the season) they probably cannot wait for the referee to blow the final whistle.

Prediction : Home





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13th placed Chievo play for fame only when they welcome 2nd placed Roma who are now wishing for the impossible.

Chievo’s got nothing to fear and nothing to gain. They will finish in a position between 11th and 16th anyway, but maybe they will want to give Roma as much a hard time as they did Inter in the weekend (Chievo scored 1st, and pulled 2 back when they were 1-4 down to keep the Inter fans biting nails for the last 20 minutes of the game). They’ve also drawn 3 of their last 4 home games vs Roma.

Roma simply have nothing to play for although they would claim otherwise. Being 2 points and 15 goals behind Inter they cannot win the title unless Inter lose at Siena, so they can forget it.

Prediction : Draw





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16th placed Catania also have nothing to play for when they host 8th placed Genoa who are also without a motive.

Catania love to draw, that’s for sure. They have done it 15 times so far and precisely 4 in their last 5 (and it didn’t matter whether they played whether they played vs Juve or Milna, or against Bologna or Siena). They also lost vs Livorno (both Siena and Livorno are relegated), so they basically play by the same quality of their opponents.

Genoa found their way back to winning ways a bit too late when they conquered Milan last weekend. It doesn’t matter now whether they end up 8th (win or draw) or risk dropping a notch (lose).

Prediction : Draw





Head to Head and Statistics

14th placed Cagliari play hosts to 17th placed Bologna in a game we are all better off without.

Cagliari may climb up 2 more notches at max if they win here. They could drop one notch if they draw or up to 3 places if they lose, but in all cases they will end up in the lower half of the table.

Bologna are already the ‘last of the survivours’ meaning they have absolutely nothing to lose already. Even the draw keeps them where theya re, while a win would take them up 1-3 places.

Prediction : Draw





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11th placed Bari take on 10th placed Fiorentina for an upper-half / lower half finishing spot that means nothing except pride.

Bari can climb a notch or 2 if they win, or they can drop a notch or2 at max if they lose. A draw pretty much guarantees them an 11th spot finish.

Likewise, Fiorentina will finish 10th if they draw. If they win they ‘could’ end up 9th, and if they lose they’ll probably end on 11th slot.

Prediction : Draw





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18th placed (relegated) Atalanta must be feeling low when they take on 5th placed Palermo who are still hoping they could play in the CL next season.

For Atalanta it’s an absolutely meaningless game now as they are packing for the Serie B journey next season. No motive what-so-ever for the home side in other words.

For the visitors who failed to beat Sampdoria last weekend and thus remained behind them with 2 points there’s no time for weeping over spelt milk. They still have an outsider chance to end up 4th if they win here and Sampdoria fail to win over Napoli in Genoa, so they should still be motivated despite the disappointment.

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

5th placed Mallorca welcome 11th placed Espanyol in a game that could mean the difference between the CL and the Europa League for the hosts. For the visitors it’s just another game to play and then they’re off for the summer.

Mallorca lost to real and then to Depor for their last 2 fixtures, allowing Sevilla to take over 4th spot and then keep it for another week. Now they must win and hope Sevilla won’t in order for Mallorca to play with the big boys of Europe. Otherwise, they will have to settle for a place in the Europa League instead.

Prediction : Home





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12th placed Almeria also have nothing to play for as they host 4th placed Sevilla who are defending their CL spot.

Almeria guaranteed their safety last weekend as they shared the points with Tenerife, although they never appeared to be really in danger.

Sevilla are too lucky to be still 4th after they lost to Barca last weekend. Mallorca handed them a big present through also losing to Depor, and 4th spot is now Sevilla’s to lose.

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

15th placed Zaragoza can finally play a game without pressure as they host 7th placed Villareal who are chasing their last hope of a European seat.

Zaragoza lost away to Xerez last weekend, but were lucky Tenerife only drew to keep Zaragoza 4 points away from the relegation zone. They’ve been under pressure for most of the season and it’s time to relax and play for fun.

For Villareal they have no other option but to win this game and hope Getafe will not win away at Atletico Madrid for the Yellow Submarines to play in the Europa League. If Getafe do win it’s all over for Villareal, so they maybe playing with their ears tuned to the game in Madrid.

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

9th placed Atletico Madrid take on 6th placed Getafe in a game that matters most to the guests but is not much interesting for the home side.

Having just won the Europa League title, Atletico still have the Spanish Cup final to look forward to. 2 important finals in 8 days and a meaningless fixture sandwiched between them this one is.

Getafe certainly mean business here as the game will define their whole season. They are currently tied on points with 7th placed Villareal, but Getafe have the advantage on the H2H comparison, so a win guarantees them a place in Europe, while anything else could see them falling short of such honour.

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

The one game that has no bearing on anything in the last week of La Liga involves 8th placed Athletic Bilbao playing hosts to 10th placed Deportivo La Coruna.

Bilbao know they have finished 8th whether they win or lose here. They are 4 points apart on both ends and it’s just a game to complete the numbers for them.

Depor need a point to guarantee finishing 10th, as they are 3 points ahead of Espanyol at 11th (Espanyol won both direct encounters). They have also lost both games vs Atletico Madrid which means they cannot finish 9th unless Atletico drops points (i.e. Depor win and Atletico draw, or Depor win/draw and Atletico lose).

Prediction : Home





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3rd placed Milan welcome 7th placed Juve in the clash of titans that has turned to be totally meaningless.

Milan are now guaranteed a 3rd spot finish and a place in the CL. Nothing can change that but it’s always good to end the season with a win over one of the other bigger names in the country.

Likewise, Juve are guaranteed a 7th spot finish and can neither be move up nor down no matter what. They’re probably disappointed they got nothing fruitful out of their season but they seem to play better against the big boys.

Prediction : Draw





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15th placed Lazio play hosts to 13th placed Udinese for a better place on the table.

After last weekend’s win at Livorno; Lazio are officially a Serie A side next season. Still they could climb up 2 notches, maybe even 3 if other results go their way, and a 12th place finish will look less devastating than a 15th (or could be down to 17th if other results go against them).

For Udinese, a draw will keep them above Lazio, but a win will most probably bring them up one notch, and ‘maybe’ even 2 to end up 11th.

Prediction : Home





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16th placed Wolves bid to go up a notch or 2 in the final day as they take on 13th placed Sunderland who themselves could leapfrog 3 other sides if they win.

Wolves won’t care much if they finished any higher I suspect, but it’s important that they give their fans something to cheer about for the summer.

Sunderland are probably happy already, but a top half finish would give them hope they can do even better next season.

Prediction : Draw





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17th placed West Ham try to disguise as a mid-table side when they get to host 5th placed Man City who will at least try to earn their place in Europe rightfully.

West Ham can leapfrog 3 sides if they can win here and other results go their way. That means they can finish 14th and look like they are better than 6 other sides, but the fact of the matter is they are lucky they’ve had Hull and Burnley to go down instead of them.

Man City lost again at home. A very bitter defeat that cost them the CL spot they’ve been dreaming of. Now they are guaranteed a place in the Europa League, but if they lose here and Aston Villa win then Man City will be playing in Europe only because Villa played in the Carling Cup final.

Prediction : Draw





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2nd placed Man Utd try to accomplish an impossible task of retaining the title as they take on 10th placed Stoke who have done a great job already and have nothing to lose.

The Red Devils will have to win of course to stand any chance of retaining the title, but they also have Wigan to look for to offer them that chance. Not a very tempting offer to bet on for Wigan to stop Chelsea at the Bridge.

Stoke can only finish 9th if they manage to beat the defending champions. If they lose they could step back 3 notches at worst, but still not bad at all for a team that was expected to struggle till the very last day before the season kicked off.

Prediction : Home





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18th placed Hull play their last EPL game at home vs 7th placed Liverpool with both sides desperate to end a disappointing season from their respective points of view.

Hull got relegated and deservedly so as they didn’t offer much to earn even the sympathy of the EPL audience worldwide. They are the least winning EPL side, the 2nd worst attack and also the 2nd weakest defense.

Liverpool lost everything this season, and having the 3rd best defense in the competition means nothing if you come out empty handed. Time for Benitez to go I say.

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

Like most of today’s EPL schedule this game is just played to complete the numbers with absolutely nothing to lose/gain for either side.

Everton are 8th and guaranteed their place on the table win or lose. Having gone 10 games without a loss and having won 7 of their last 8 home games in all competitions though (7-1-0) gives you the feeling they want to put a smile on their fans faces for the next 3 months or so.

Pompey are anchored to the very bottom of the table and all they really care about is not to concede injuries that will prevent anyone from playing in the FA Cup final next Saturday.

Prediction : Home





Head to Head and Statistics

Top of the table Chelsea will most probably celebrate their title win with their fans by scoring a bunch past 15th placed Wigan who have nothing to play for.

Chelsea need to win to seal the title race. Otherwise they will most probably be heartbroken as Man Utd will win at home and retain the title. However, Chelsea have enough firepower not only to win but totally destroy their guests who have the worst defense of all 17 non-relegating sides facing the very best offense in EPL by far.

Wigan will be content they got this far and 15th isn’t much better than a 17th spot finish. They will probably be top candidates to go down next season if they don’t get actively rebuilding in the summer.

Prediction : Home





Head to Head and Statistics

19th placed Burnley went back to the Championship where they belong, but will want to give their fans something to cheer about as they take on 4th placed Spurs who have nothing to lose after guaranteeing their place amongst Europe’s biggest sides next season.

Burnley were great at home at the start of the campaign with a perfect 12 points from their 1st 4 home games (5-0-1 from the 1st 6). Since then they have only won once at home in 12 consecutive games (1-5-6 from the last 12 at home).

Spurs may want to surprise Arsenal (in case the Gunners think they’re already guaranteed a 3rd spot finish) through winning big here. 10 goals is a bit stretching it of course, but they did win by 9 vs Wigan this season (although that was at the Lane).

Prediction : Away





Head to Head and Statistics

Another one of the final week games that would not affect anything pits 14th placed Bolton as hosts to 9th placed Birmingham with both aiming to end their season on a high but nothing serious involved.

Bolton are the side with ‘something’ to lose here as they still could be leapfrogged by 3 other sides (at least on paper) to finish 17th if they can’t win today. They cannot finish any higher than their current position though.

Brum practically made 9th place theirs already, so they are a side playing for absolutely nothing to gain and nothing to lose (unless you think Stoke will beat Man Utdat Old Trafford).

Prediction : Home





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6th placed Aston Villa will try to stay 6th when they get to host 11th placed Blackburn who can only finish as high as 10th at best.

The Villans defeat at Eastlands last weekend ended all hope for them to play in the CL next season. Not that they had much hope anyway, but they would have at least been still in with an outsider chance had they collected the 3 points.

Blackburn have even less to play for, but seeing as they only lost once in their last 8 games (and by a goal conceded in the final minute) expect them to give Villa a good run for their money still.

Prediction : Home





Head to Head and Statistics

3rd placed Arsenal play hosts to Fulham with the hosts aiming for a win while the visitors have their minds set on the Europa League final in 3 days time.

Arsenal practically need a point to guarantee they finish 3rd which means automatic qualification to the CL groups stage, but more importantly they will finish above their arch-rivals Tottenham. Arsenal are already 2 points and 10 good goals better than Spurs, so unless Tottenham can win by 11 goals at Burnley a point will be enough for the Gunners.

Fulham are not even thinking about this game. They get to play Atletico Madrid this weekend for the Europa League title, and the most important this for them is to avoid any additional injuries. They already lost Damien Duff to an injury in the game vs Stoke.

Prediction : Home





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