Chao News client reporter Ying Luyang
The midweek European competition came to an end, and the weekend was back in action in the top five leagues. In the English Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool, which overturned at home in the last round, will go away to play Wolves and Farmer Fulham respectively; in the Bundesliga, the old powerhouse Dortmund will face Bayer Leverkusen, which has already locked the league title in advance; and in La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona will stage the much-anticipated national derby. In this issue, the Lottery Staff presents readers with a preview of the four major battles for the reference of lottery buyers.
April 21, 02:30 (Beijing time)
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
Wolves have been in a slump of late, returning to the league after losing to Championship side Coventry City in the FA Cup quarter-finals last month, drawing just two and losing two, making it four games without a win. This season, Wolves ranked 11th with a record of 12 wins, 7 draws and 13 losses after 32 rounds of league games. Hwang Hee-chan, who had previously suffered a hamstring injury, has returned, but it remains to be seen whether he has returned to his best form.
The Gunners Arsenal have just experienced a nightmare week, the league and the Champions League have dropped the chain one after another, first losing at home to the exhausted and injured Villa in the league, giving up the top spot to Manchester City, and then losing 0-1 to Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League, and was eliminated 2-3 on aggregate over the two legs. Just a week ago, Arsenal's situation can be described as very good, with 11 unbeaten games in the league (10 wins, 1 draw), and the previous injuries affected by Jesus, Saka, Gabriel and others have returned one after another, facing title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have a big goal difference.
For Arsenal, the biggest thing to overcome at the moment is the "curse" of the April crash. A year ago, in April, the Gunners, who lead the standings, suffered a waterloo, drawing three and losing one in four consecutive rounds, and bid farewell to the championship early. Now, Arsenal, who have lost the initiative in the title race, have little room for error.
Judging from the past records, the two teams have won all the last five meetings with Arsenal, and they have a certain psychological advantage. Although the Gunners' performance in the strong matchup this season has not been satisfactory, with the strength and thickness of the current squad, the probability of picking points from the middle and lower reaches of the league is still very high.
April 21, 23:30 (Beijing time)
Fulham vs Liverpool
Farmers Fulham have been in a decent season this season, with 12 wins, 6 draws and 15 defeats after 33 rounds of league play, sitting in 12th place. In the past five rounds of the league, the team has achieved a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, including a 2-0 away win against the Hammers and a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at home.
At a crucial stage in the Premier League title, Liverpool's form seems to be struggling. First, they were beaten by double Red Club rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and then they were forced to draw in the subsequent league games. After losing at home to a mediocre Crystal Palace side in the last round of the league, Liverpool are currently third in the league with 71 points, behind Arsenal on goal difference and two points behind leaders Manchester City. Mohamed Salah has not looked as good as he used to be since returning from injury, and Nunez has not been very effective in seizing chances in front of goal recently. Liverpool, who have been fighting on four fronts this season, look close to the "end of the crossbow" in the final sprint.
Judging from the past record, the two teams have met in the past 12 times Liverpool has won 8, drawn 3 and lost 1, and the last time the two teams met was in the English League Cup at the beginning of the year, Fulham drew with Liverpool at home, but lost 2-3 over two legs and finally went out. In this battle, the Reds who visited Craven Farm wanted to take all three points, but I am afraid that it would take a lot of effort.
April 21, 23:30 (Beijing time)
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen
Hornets Borussia Dortmund have been on a rollercoaster ride of late, losing to Stuttgart on the occasion of their 50th anniversary at home and then making up for it by reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in nearly 10 years. After 29 rounds of the league, the team has a record of 16 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses, accumulating 56 points and ranking fifth, the same as RB Leipzig in the Champions League zone. With the Premier League teams in this season's Champions League already wiped out in the quarter-finals, the Bundesliga is much ahead of the Premier League in the European standings this season and is expected to secure a fifth place in next season's Champions League, which has reduced the pressure on Dortmund to grab points in the league to a certain extent.
Bayer Leverkusen have been impressive this season. After a home win over Werder Bremen in the last round of the league, Pharma secured the Bundesliga title ahead of schedule. Bayer Leverkusen won the first Bundesliga title in 120 years and broke Bayern Munich's 11-year monopoly on the title. After 29 rounds of the league, the team is unbeaten with 25 wins and 4 draws, scoring 74 goals and conceding only 19 goals, 16 points ahead of Bayern. In addition, they are unbeaten in a staggering 43 games in all competitions, and have also gone on a winning streak in the Europa League and German Cup.
Judging from the past 12 encounters, the old powerhouse Dortmund has the advantage of 8 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses. In the first leg of the season, Borussia Dortmund ended the pharmaceutical company's winning streak away from home, and the two sides ended up in a 1-1 draw. This time at home, although it is difficult for the Hornets to trip up the strong pharmaceutical companies, it is not unacceptable to hold on to a draw.
April 22, 03:00 (Beijing time)
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
After the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the La Liga national derby will start again. In the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek, Galacticos Real Madrid eliminated defending champions Manchester City on penalties to qualify for the last four. In the league, the Blancos also showed full stability under the leadership of the old coach Carlo Ancelotti, losing only one game after 31 rounds, leading the standings with 78 points, 8 points higher than the second-place Barcelona, and basically locked the league championship in advance. Brazilian superstar Rodrygo has been on a hot streak lately, scoring four goals in his last three games. Bellingham, the team's most valuable attacker, has not been in the best physical form recently, but the team also has key players such as Vinicius and Dias who can continue to deliver firepower to the attacking end.
Compared with Real Madrid's "infinite scenery" in Europe, Barcelona lost to Paris Saint-Germain in depression and grief and missed the semifinals. In the second leg of the match with Grand Paris, Barcelona at the Camp Nou lost all the games because of a red card in the situation of one goal first, and finally lost 1-4, which was also the first defeat for Barcelona after coach Xavi announced his departure from the season.
The two teams have won each other in previous national derbyes, winning six of each of the last 12 meetings. In the first leg of this season, Barcelona was defeated by the opponent at home in the last minute, and Bellingham scored twice. The most recent meeting between the two sides was in the Spanish Super Cup final earlier this year, when Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 to win their 13th Spanish Super Cup, with Vinicius scoring a hat-trick in hot form. Barcelona is a guest at the Bernabeu Stadium in this game, and it is difficult to score points from the hot momentum of Real Madrid.
"Please indicate the source for reprinting"