betPawa BIG match insights on Man Utd vs Chelsea and more
There’s a clash of footballing brains, silverware is being handed out in Italy and an old grudge could be reignited in England. We’ve taken a closer look at 3 midweek matches to savour.
Brighton vs Man City
Citizens hurtling towards a treble
The BIG picture
Man City are the Premier League champions, again, so expect them to rotate their squad without compromising on quality, they’ll want to keep everyone fresh and firing as they approach a BIG climax to the season. They face Man Utd in the FA Cup final on 3rd June and then Inter in the Champions League final on 10th June.
Brighton still have plenty to play for in the Premier League, knowing if they manage to score just one point the rest of the campaign, they’ll secure a Europa League qualifying spot.
Brighton are consistently inconsistent of late
A 5-1 mauling at home by relegation candidates Everton was followed up by a hugely impressive 3-0 win against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. And then? The Seagulls went and lost 4-1 at Newcastle. Roberto De Zerbi’s side certainly have a touch of unpredictability, which adds to how fun they are to watch.
A stat to tell your friends
Since joining Man City in 2015, Kevin De Bruyne has registered 20+ assists (all competitions) in 4 separate seasons.
Unlikely hero?
Julián Álvarez came off the bench to put the cherry on a tasty cake against Real Madrid in City’s 4-0 win at the Etihad. The World Cup winner scored again, this time against Chelsea over the weekend and it was the decisive goal to take his season tally to 17 goals across all competitions.
Did you know?
City won the corresponding fixture 4-1 last season, with Phil Foden bagging 2 goals and an assist
Fiorentina vs Inter
A golden time for Italian football
The BIG picture
It’s all or nothing for Fiorentina and Inter, who will both contest 2 cup finals inside 3 weeks. The Viola were grateful for a dramatic 129th-minute winner from Antonín Barák at Basel which booked their place in the Europa Conference League final, where they’ll face West Ham. Inter, meanwhile, have a Champions League date with destiny against Man City on 10th June. With Roma into the Europa League final as well, it’s been quite the season for Serie A sides on the continental stage.
Inter are the Coppa Italia holders after beating Juventus 4-2 after extra time in an entertaining final last year. If Fiorentina beat the odds to win this time, it’ll mean 5 different sides will have lifted the trophy in the last 5 editions.
Simone Inzaghi’s side have found defensive stability
After losing at home to none other than Fiorentina on 1st April, Inter embarked on a run of just 1 loss in 13 across all competitions. Prior to their weekend trip to Napoli, they were on an 8-match winning streak across Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League, keeping 6 clean sheets in that sequence. Having a settled central defensive trio of Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni has certainly helped.
A stat to tell your friends
Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat was the first player to win possession 50 times at WC22 in Qatar.
Unlikely hero?
Moroccan midfield maestro Amrabat was a shining light for the Atlas Lions, who went all the way to the WC22 semi-finals. He has a sixth sense for snuffing out opposition attacks and Fiorentina will need him at his imperious best.
Did you know?
La Viola’s last Coppa Italia success came back in 2001 when they were captained by the legendary Portuguese playmaker Manuel Rui Costa and managed by Roberto Mancini
Man Utd vs Chelsea
Sleeping Premier League giants?
The BIG picture
For so long, this was THE fixture in English football. Both sides are not where they want to be in the table right now, but that doesn’t detract from the BIG-game feeling conjured up.
Man Utd’s top-4 hopes are very much in their own hands, knowing they’ll qualify for the Champions League if they win their remaining home games here and against Fulham.
Chelsea’s mid-table finish is something fans will quickly want to forget as they plan for next season. They’ll still hope to see interim boss Frank Lampard trialling a few different combinations as he juggles a huge squad of talented players, many of which haven’t played many minutes.
Theatre of Dreams is a fortress again
The Red Devils are currently unbeaten in 27 matches (W23 D4) across all competitions at Old Trafford. That’s impressive no matter how you look at it, and makes this a daunting assignment for the Blues, who have been indifferent on their Premier League travels this season (W5 D4 L8 before this week’s double header in Manchester).
A stat to tell your friends
The last 5 Premier League meetings between these sides have ended as draws, and the last 3 finished 1-1.
Unlikely hero?
Raheem Sterling has played against Man Utd 24 times throughout his career, and never scored against them.
Did you know?
Believe it or not, David De Gea has already won this season’s Golden Glove award, with only Alisson capable of sharing it with him (writing before the weekend matches)