European Super Football

England v Spain Euro 2025 final preview After a month of continental football played across Switzerland, Euro 2025 will come to a close on Sunday in Basel, where Spain face England in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final. Author | Lauren W This will be Sarina Wiegman’s fifth consecutive major tournament final as a manager, a remarkable record that underlines her consistency at the highest level. How the sides reached the final England’s path to their 2022 European Championship triumph was largely serene, with six wins from six and only two goals conceded. Their title defence has been far more turbulent. A defeat to France in their opening match was followed by confident victories over the Netherlands and Wales, but they were forced to come from behind against both Sweden and Italy in the knockout rounds. Yet Sarina Wiegman’s side, aided by the strength of their bench, continue to find a way through. READ MORE |  What else has happened at Euro 2025 Spain, by contrast, have loo...

Celtic v Aberdeen preview Scottish football’s marquee fixture takes centre stage on Saturday as Celtic, the defending champions, face Aberdeen in the final of the Scottish Cup. Author | Sean M Celtic line up before their Scottish Cup sem i-final Brendan Rodgers’ side lifted the trophy last season with a 1-0 victory over Rangers, courtesy of a dramatic late winner from Adam Idah. Aberdeen, meanwhile, return to the final for the first time since 2017,.a year when they were edged out by Celtic in similarly heart-breaking fashion, as Tom Rogic’s late solo effort clinched the cup. A history of drama in recent meetings The two sides are no strangers to high-stakes clashes in this competition. Their most recent encounter came in this year’s semi-final – a pulsating 3-3 draw that went all the way to penalties, with Celtic eventually prevailing after a frenetic contest that showcased the very best of Scottish football. READ MORE | Latest Celtic news and stories In 2020, the sides met behind...

Everton v Southampton preview It promises to be an emotional day as Everton's first team prepare for their final game at Goodison Park. Author - Sarah W The club recently shared the details of its plans for what will be a momentous final home game of the season, as the club and supporters prepare to end an era at Goodison Park. Plans for the historic visit of Southampton on Sunday 18 May include pre-match activity in and around the ground, and a post-match ceremony that will bring together current players and Blues greats to celebrate 133 years of the Grand Old Lady. Before kick-off, the fan group known as 'The 1878s' will stage a special coach welcome with the aim of creating a vibrant atmosphere as the players arrive at the stadium. The atmosphere has been amazing at the stadium this season. Following the final whistle, Evertonians will be asked to remain in their seats for a special on-pitch celebration that will include guest presenters, appearances from current...

Crystal Palace v Manchester City FA Cup Final. Fans preview.  Crystal Palace have a golden opportunity to finally put the heartbreak of their previous FA Cup Final defeats behind them.  Author - Ryan Thompson Editor - Jamie P The memories of 1990, when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester United after a replay, and the 2016 final, which ended in extra-time disappointment against the same opponents, still linger for us all.  Now, with a new generation of players, we have the chance to write a new chapter in the club’s history and bring silverware to Selhurst Park. How can Palace win? To lift the Cup, we will need to show belief, bravery and composure. The team standing in the way is one shaped by years of success, guided by a manager of rare brilliance and driven on by the emotion surrounding one of Kevin De Bruyne’s final appearances. However, they have shown a lot of weaknesses this season. Their poor run of form earlier in the campaign a sign that we can beat the...

Another eventful day in the Championship awaits After nine gruelling months and 540 matches, the Championship season reaches its climax on Saturday. Just two final hours will determine who celebrates, who falls short, and who survives. Author - Ajay In a division famous for its unpredictability, this season has been no different. Momentum has shifted time and again, providing a campaign full of drama and unexpected twists. Yet, with one round of fixtures remaining, much remains undecided. The title race, two play-off places, and one relegation spot are still up in the air. Twelve clubs, half the league, approach the final day with everything to play for. We begin at the foot of the table, where the pressure is the most intense.  The relegation fight Stoke City, Derby County, Preston North End, Luton Town and Hull City all go into their final matches needing something to secure safety. Plymouth Argyle, currently 23rd, are clinging to hope, but only a remarkable set of resul...

Manchester City v Leicester City preview Manchester City will look to strengthen their bid for a Champions League spot when they host relegation-bound Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. Author - Macca Pep Guardiola’s side secured their customary place in the FA Cup semi-finals with a weekend win over Bournemouth, while Leicester have had a fortnight to reflect on another dismal Premier League defeat. Despite a turbulent 2024-25 campaign, City have maintained their dominance in domestic cup competitions, reaching their seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final. Meanwhile, Leicester, who stormed to the Championship title under Enzo Maresca last season , have struggled to adapt to the top flight. Alongside Ipswich Town and Southampton, they find themselves adrift at the bottom of the table. The Foxes have endured a miserable run of six straight league defeats without scoring, shipping 16 goals in the process. Their latest setback (a 3-0 home loss to Manchester United...

England v Albania Preview Taking their first step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, England get their campaign under way against Albania. Author - Georgia Baker New boss Thomas Tuchel will lead the Three Lions out at Wembley for his first fixture in charge of the runners up from Euro 2024. How are England shaping up ahead of their new era? After wrapping up their latest UEFA Nations League campaign in style, England kick off 2025 with their opening qualifier for the next World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The qualifiers take place over five international windows between now and November, with only the top team from each of the 12 groups securing automatic qualification. Meanwhile, the runners-up will have to go through the play-offs. This month, England will look to take charge of Group K as they begin their journey under Tuchel. One of the favourites for World Cup glory, they start with a home fixture against Albania on Friday be...

Netherlands v Spain Preview Spain, the reigning UEFA Nations League champions, head to Rotterdam for the first leg of their quarter-final clash against the Netherlands. Author - Ajay Feyenoord's stadium will host the match The winners of this two-legged tie will progress to the semi-finals in June, where they will face either Croatia or France. After being knocked out by England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals last summer, the Netherlands secured second place in League A Group 3 of the Nations League, picking up nine points from six matches (W2 D3 L1) in the latter half of last year. Since the competition's inception in 2018, the Dutch have twice come close to lifting the trophy—finishing as runners-up to Portugal in 2019 before losing the third-place playoff to Italy in 2023. READ MORE: What's the point of the UEFA Nations League Manager Ronald Koeman will be looking to shore up a defence that struggled during the group stage, conceding seven goals—the most of any team at...

Wolves v Everton preview The home side are currently five points clear of the relegation zone and will be hoping for a win against Everton to ease any concerns Author - Sarah W It’s been a mixed few weeks for Wolves, who ended February with two wins and two defeats in the Premier League, along with contrasting fortunes in the FA Cup.  Narrow 2-1 losses in the Premier League against Liverpool and Fulham have kept them looking nervously over their shoulders. However, with a more favourable run of fixtures on the horizon, and having seen their FA Cup campaign brought to an end by Bournemouth last weekend, Wolves can now turn their full attention to securing Premier League survival. Sitting five points clear of the drop zone, they will be eager to add more points to their tally and avoid being dragged back into danger. Everton, on the other hand, have found a new lease of life under returning manager David Moyes. The former Toffees boss, who was reappointed in January following Se...

Aston Villa v Cardiff City preview  FA Cup 5th round weekend kicks off with Cardiff  City travelling to Aston Villa. Author - Sean M It's 17 years since Cardiff reached the FA Cup final and they still have an opportunity to go one better in 2025. The home side in this encounter, Aston Villa, last reached the final ten years ago. They certainly have the quality to go all the way. Can Villa maintain a charge on multiple fronts? Aston Villa are heading into a crucial stage of the season, juggling multiple competitions. They're still in the Champions League and pushing for a top-four finish in the Premier League to secure a return to Europe’s elite next season. The big question is whether they’ll also go all-in on the FA Cup. Unai Emery will want to compete on all fronts, but we've already seen how the packed schedule has stretched his squad. That said, this is exactly where Villa fans want their club to be—fighting on multiple fronts as the season reaches its climax. Even ...

Crystal Palace v Aston Villa preview Crystal Palace and Aston Villa will both be looking to make it successive Premier League victories when they meet at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening. Author - Peter Grainger Palace, currently 13th in the table, head into the game on the back of a 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, while Villa, sitting in eighth, edged past Chelsea 2-1 later that day. The Eagles are six points adrift of 10th-placed Fulham, having finished in that position last season. A lack of goals has hampered their progress this term, but there is still plenty of time to turn things around. Oliver Glasner’s side claimed victory at Craven Cottage thanks to a first-half own goal from Joachim Andersen, before Daniel Muñoz secured the points in the 66th minute. That result means Palace have won three of their last four games in all competitions, although all of those victories have come away from home. At Selhurst Park, they have struggled, losing their last two league matches aga...

Chelsea v Southampton preview Two struggling teams in dire need of a turnaround meet on Tuesday night, as Chelsea host relegation-bound Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Author - Lauren W Chelsea players celebrate scoring at Southampton Enzo Maresca’s side come into the game off the back of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, the latest being a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa . Meanwhile, Southampton offered little resistance in a heavy 4-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. There were at least some positives for Chelsea in their response to a 3-0 hammering by Brighton earlier this month .  Maresca reportedly admitted that this loss was the "toughest" of his tenure so far. Their troubles away from home continue, with the Blues now winless in seven on the road and suffering four straight defeats. However, Stamford Bridge has been far more forgiving. Chelsea have won three of their last four home games, scoring at least twice in each, with their only defeat in their las...

Brighton v Bournemouth preview With the race for European football intensifying in the Premier League, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Bournemouth to the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night. Author - Josh T   The Seagulls head into the match full of confidence after a resounding 4-0 victory over Southampton at the weekend, a result that leaves them ninth in the table with 40 points—just three behind sixth-placed Bournemouth, who suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wolves. Fabian Hürzeler’s side were dominant against Southampton, creating 10 big chances and registering 15 shots inside the box. The performance was the perfect response to t heir humiliating 7-0 thrashing at Nottingham Forest on February 1st, with Brighton now having conceded just once in three games since while netting nine goals themselves. Last season’s surprise package in Europe, Brighton secured a historic first-ever Europa League qualification in 2023 and with only four points separating them from fourth-placed Manch...

Bayern Munich v Celtic preview Bayern Munich lead 2-1 after what was an entertaining first leg in Glasgow Author - Sean M After edging past Celtic with a 2-1 victory in Glasgow last week, Bayern Munich will be eager to confirm their place in the Champions League last 16 when they host the Scottish champions at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Will the atmosphere at Bayern Munich match the one at Celtic? Vincent Kompany’s side were forced to defend for long spells in Saturday’s goalless draw with Bayer Leverkusen, though they remain eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. This contest, however, is expected to be a different affair, with Bayern likely to dominate on home turf. Celtic, meanwhile, will be looking to spring a surprise in Munich. Brendan Rodgers’ men head into the fixture with confidence after a commanding 3-0 victory over Dundee United, which extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Remarkably, Celtic are in the knockout rounds for the first tim...

Everton v Liverpool preview Liverpool’s red and blue football sides are set for an emotionally charged final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Author - Sarah W Originally scheduled for December, the 245th edition of this iconic clash was postponed due to Storm Darragh. In hindsight, that delay may have been a blessing for Everton.  Now under the leadership of David Moyes—who returned to the club last month—the Toffees look revitalised and better equipped to challenge their high-flying rivals, who remain in pole position in the Premier League title race. This will be tbe 120th time Everton have hosted Liverpool at this famous old stadium. There's also the added intrigue that both sides have each won 41 matches at the ground. winner on Wednesday will tip the scales in the favour of either club.  Both sides aldo go into the match having being knocked out of the FA Cup at the weekend. FA Cup match report | Plymouth 1 - 0 Liverpool   FA Cup match report | The last ev...

Manchester City v West Ham United preview Manchester City kick off their 2025 Premier League campaign with a home fixture against a struggling West Ham United side. Author - Macca The reigning champions have endured a tough spell, winning just one of their previous 13 games across all competitions before last weekend’s trip to the King Power Stadium. However, they managed a much-needed, albeit scrappy, win in the East Midlands, with Savinho playing a starring role.  On paper, a visit from West Ham might seem like a straightforward task for Pep Guardiola’s side, but City’s recent form at the Etihad has been anything but convincing. They’ve managed just one win in their last five home matches and were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Everton in their most recent outing on home soil. As for West Ham, their form had been on the up before a humbling 5-0 defeat to league leaders Liverpool halted their progress. Head coach Julen Lopetegui had been under less pressure in recent weeks,...

Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal preview Brighton host Arsenal at the Amex in Saturday’s late kick-off, eager to end a winless run of eight matches that has seen them slip to 10th in the Premier League table. Author - DJ When Arsenal beat Brighton last season The Seagulls have drawn five of their last seven games, including their most recent three against West Ham, Brentford, and Aston Villa. However, they’ll be wary of matching an unwanted record—Brighton haven’t drawn four league games in a row since October 2014, back when they were in the Championship under the management of former Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia. Currently, Brighton find themselves 12 points adrift of Saturday’s visitors. Arsenal head into the match on a high after closing the gap to league leaders Liverpool to six points with a 3-1 win over Brentford on Wednesday, The Gunners are in impressive form, having won six and drawn three of their league matches since their last defeat—a narrow 1-0 loss at Newc...

Liverpool v Manchester United preview Northern rivals are set to clash in a Premier League showpiece at Anfield, where title favourites Liverpool host a struggling Manchester United in a highly anticipated showdown. Author -  Liam C Arne Slot’s high-flying Reds hold a commanding 23-point lead over their long-time adversaries in the league table. While Liverpool chase Premier League glory, Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered United side find themselves nervously glancing over their shoulders at the relegation battle. As Arsenal, Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest scrap for the “best of the rest” tag, Liverpool have defied predictions of a mid-season slump. Slot’s team ended 2024 in emphatic style, thrashing West Ham United 5-0. They are poised to start 2025 with the same ruthless momentum. The goals at the London Stadium came courtesy of Luis Díaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, and Cody Gakpo, sealing Liverpool’s fourth consecutive victory across all competitions and ext...

It has been another dramatic season in the Champions League. In the final, Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund. Which side will come out on top? How did Real Madrid reach the final? The recently crowned Spanish champions snatched an incredible semi-final victory, scoring late goals to beat Bayern Munich and set up this Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. UCL: Real Madrid progress after astonishing drama (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) In a previous round, Madrid had knocked Manchester City out on penalties. They beat City in a dramatic quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium, ending the 2023 winners' hold on the Champions League.  After Antonio Rudiger's penalty secured the victory for Real Madrid, City's players slumped in despair, while what seemed like dozens of Real players and officials headed off to their supporters tucked in the far corner of Etihad Stadium. After this match, Francis, a Real Madrid fan, told us: "I am so happy that we progre...

A new series of articles where we explore how different Premier League sides might get on next season. First up is Manchester United "We demand the maximum from the team, in every training session and every game." Those were the words of Erik ten Hag ahead of Manchester United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia. He was outlining why the tour is important for his players ahead of the new season and lauded the opportunity to connect with United's global fanbase. United fans will be concerned about the lack of signings and the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has apparently expressed an interest in leaving. News: Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The end of their last campaign was dominated by fans ongoing protests against the Glazer family's ownership of the club. How will they get on in 2022/2023? At the moment, it's impossible to say. They certainly look far away from challenging for the Premier League unless they ...