Weekend Watch: Staying on Top of it All

By: Bob | May 4th, 2007

Teams are jockeying for relegation, promotion, cup and playoff positions in leagues around the world. That will only make for frayed nerves and nervous stomachs for fans both near and far. There are many excellent games and races to watch this weekend. Here are but a few that have been somewhat randomly selected.

Saturday

Oldham Athletic v Chesterfield – This is the time of year when fans keep one eye on their own team and one eye on results from other stadiums. For English League One club Oldham Athletic, they can reach the playoffs with a win at home against League Two-bound Chesterfield. Meanwhile, Swansea are level with Oldham at 72 points and will make the playoffs if they win and Chesterfield lose or if they the two clubs end up even and they are able to make up the two-goal differential deficit. You can bet there won’t be any fingernails left unchewed at Boundary Park this weekend.

Everton v Portsmouth – The Champions League slots in England are locked up, but the UEFA Cup positions are still up in the air. Five teams are vying for three sports, and two of those teams meet today. They winner should have the inside track to European semi-glory.

Schalke 04 v Nuremburg – It is still ridiculously close in the Bundesliga with three teams all clawing for the top prize. Leaders Schalke might have the toughest challenge this weekend playing against fifth place Nuremeburg. Meanwhile, VfB Stuttgart are one point back and have the pleasure of hosting relegation-threatened Mainz. Third place Werder Bremen will try to come back from their UEFA Cup loss when they take on those studs from Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

Girondins Bordeaux v Racing Lens – We know Lyon will be playing in the Champions League next season we just don’t know which team from France will join them. Second place Bordeaux can take a big step toward the big stage with a win against sixth place (and still in the hunt) Rennes. Third place Lens have been sinking fast, but they too can take a great leap with a win over fifth place Touloouse.

Rangers v Celtic – It doesn’t matter that Celtic have already lifted the trophy. This is the Old Firm and it is on the list of things worth shortening your life for.

Sunday

Real Madrid v Sevilla – A massive game in Spain with second place Sevilla going on the road to play third place Real Madrid. They are both hot on the heals of Barcelona who play at Real Sociedad on Saturday.

AZ Alkmaar v Ajax Amsterdam – Both these teams were edged out by PSV Eindhoven on the final day of the Dutch Eredivisie but they can still use their arms to lift a trophy if they win today’s Dutch Cup final.

Liverpool v Miramar – Two mid table teams in Uruguay. Your Wikipedia fact of the week about Liverpool: “The club joined the first division for the first time in 1919. The name was taken after a geography class where the former members of the club were studying the ports of Great Britain, and they decided that “Liverpool” would sound good for a football team. Although another version is that the name was chosen more randomly; the founders spun a globe of the Earth and stopped it with a finger, laying in the point of Liverpool, England.”

U.A. Maracaibo v Caracas F.C. – Someone has to be champion of Venezuela and after today’s final that someone will be one of these two teams.