We are at the commercial end of the 2021/22 football season and almost everything is up for grabs.
Outside of Ligue 1, there are no hard and fast decisions regarding title contenders, cup chasers and relegation candidates.
According to the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, it’s the “squeaky butt time” when teams make their money.
Rivers United v Enyimba @Yakubu Gowon Stadium at 4pm on April 18
Can Enyimba stop Rivers United’s relentless march to a maiden Nigeria Professional Football League title? Stanley Eguma has created a tough team to beat, both home and away, as his latest 1-0 win at Katsina United proved.
It’s been 11 matches unbeaten, in which they have conceded only four goals and this streak includes eight wins.
Enyimba’s form meanwhile fluctuated throughout the season and lost seven of 11 away matches which left them stuck in seventh place.
Victor Mbaoma’s scoring form gives Finidi George’s side some hope to cause an upset, but Rivers United are near perfect at Gowon Stadium where they have won 10 of 11 games played and scored 24 goals.
Will George’s announcement as Super Eagles assistant coach lead to another poor performance on the road?
Current form: Rivers Utd [W-W-D-W-D]; Enyimba [W-L-W-D-D]
Face-to-face
12/09/21 NPF Enyimba 0 – 1 Rivers Utd
04/07/21 NPF Enyimba 1 – 1 Rivers Utd
02/05/21 NPF Rivers Utd 1 – 0 Enyimba
21/02/21 CCC Rivers Utd 1 – 0 Enyimba
14/02/21 CCC Enyimba 1 – 0 Rivers Utd
Prediction: Rivers Utd 2-0 Enyimba
Man City v Liverpool at Wembley Stadium at 4.30pm on April 15
City and Liverpool already met twice this season for two exhilarating draws, but on Saturday in the FA Cup semi-final there will be a winner.
Both featured in midweek Champions League games that were anything but simple. City traveled to Spain and escaped with a draw as Liverpool were at home, but Benfica scared them off.
City fell at this stage last season to Chelsea and have only won the FA Cup once under Guardiola while Klopp chases the first-ever win. Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker are serious doubts for City while Klopp, having rested most of his favorite players against Benfica, will have to call on both Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota.
Will fatigue play a role in determining the winner?
Current form: Male. City [D-D-W-W-W]; liverpool [D-D-W-W-W]
Face-to-face
10/04/22 PRL Man. City 2 – 2 Liverpool
03/10/21 PRL Liverpool 2 – 2 Man. City
02/07/21 PRL Liverpool 1 – 4 Man. City
08/11/20 PRL Man. City 1 – 1 Liverpool
02/07/20 PRL Man. City 4 – 0 Liverpool
Prediction: Male. City 2-1 Liverpool
Napoli v Roma @Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 6pm on April 18
In 16 Serie A home games, Napoli have lost five – the main reason why the Partenopei are mired in third and risk missing another chance to lift the Scudetto.
The margins of error are slimmer after Inter Milan and AC Milan won on Friday. However, Jose Mourinho’s Roma have found momentum and look very dangerous as they attempt to close the gap on fourth-placed Juventus with five games to play.
Roma are unbeaten in their last 11 matches and have two confident young strikers in Tammy Abraham and Nicolo Zaniolo, who netted a hat-trick against Bodo Glimt in the UEFA Conference League. Luciano Spalletti can call on Zambo Anguissa to pair Stanislav Lobotka at the base of midfield and push Fabian Ruiz into a more attacking position. Victor Osimhen will once again be the main attacking threat, having scored five of the six goals in his last three matches.
Will Mourinho finally sabotage Spalletti’s Scudetto hunt?
Current form: Naples [L-W-W-W-L]; Rome [W-W-L-W-W]
Face-to-face
24/10/21 SEA Roma 0 – 0 Napoli
21/03/21 SEA Roma 0 – 2 Napoli
29/11/20 SEA Napoli 4 – 0 Roma
05/07/20 SEA Napoli 2 – 1 Rome
02/11/19 SEA Roma 2 – 1 Napoli
Prediction: Napoli 1-2 Rome
Sevilla v Real Madrid @Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán at 8pm on April 17
The main contrast between the two teams is the number of goals scored by their top scorers in the league.
While Real Madrid talisman and captain Karim Benzema has 24 league goals; Sevilla’s Rafa Mir has nine.
READ ALSO: Man City 2-2 Liverpool: City, Liverpool are inseparable with seven games remaining
Julen Lopetegui’s side failed to score in three straight games before beating Getafe 4-2 last weekend as they tried to consolidate in third place, with Atletico Madrid hot on their heels .
Carlo Ancelotti gave Los Blancos better balance, while the duo of Benzema and Vinicius Junior continued to combine well in attack.
With a 12-point cushion and just seven games left in the season, Real Madrid should be able to withstand challenges from Sevilla and Barcelona.
Current form: Seville [W-L-D-L-D]; real Madrid [L-W-W-W-L]
Face-to-face
28/11/21 LAL Real Madrid 2 – 1 Sevilla
09/05/21 LAL Real Madrid 2 – 2 Sevilla
05/12/20 LAL Sevilla 0 – 1 Real Madrid
01/18/20 LAL Real Madrid 2 – 1 Sevilla
22/09/19 LAL Sevilla 0 – 1 Real Madrid
Prediction: Sevilla 1-3 Real Madrid
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