play2:22Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for AtalantaFrank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
play1:00What went wrong for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami vs. LAFC?The “Futbol Americas” crew react to Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC in the MLS.
Are Arsenal still favourites to win the Premier League? (1:48)Gab & Juls discuss the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City. (1:48)
Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for AtalantaFrank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
Frank Leboeuf and Gab Marcotti discuss the penalty decision that sent Atalanta to the Champions League knockouts.
What went wrong for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami vs. LAFC?The “Futbol Americas” crew react to Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC in the MLS.
Julien LaurensFeb 27, 2026, 05:39 AM ETMultiple Authors
Another London derby, another must-win game in the title race Arsenal vs. Chelsea
A Der Klassiker that could decide the Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich
Bundesliga, Matchday 24 Kickoff: Saturday 12:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. GMT Stream LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Messi and friends looking for first league win Orlando City vs. Inter Miami
Must win for Villa’s Champions League aspirations Wolves vs. Aston Villa
Every Friday, I will pick the weekend’s best or most exciting games that are not to be missed in the world of soccer. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world-class players facing each other, or interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
– MLS team-by-team preview: Why is 2026 your team’s year? – Haaland, Rice, Semenyo: Who is your Premier League Player of the Year? – Bayern could effectively end Dortmund’s season with Klassiker win
A week after giving an outstanding response to their critics by demolishing Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby (4-1), Arsenal are back at the Emirates for another London derby and another huge game in their quest for a long-overdue title.
For Chelsea, Liam Rosenior needs to quickly find a way of making this team better than what we saw against Leeds and Burnley. Wesley Fofana is suspended, so we will see yet another new center back next to Trevoh Chalobah (Tosin Adarabioyo? Josh Acheampong? Mamadou Sarr? Reece James?) And he also have to solve the Cole Palmer conundrum. Playing him on the right side of midfield to keep Enzo Fernández as a No. 10 doesn’t make sense, and takes away a lot of what makes the England star special.
Chelsea also need to overturn some recent history, as they have failed to beat Arsenal in their last 11 meetings in the Premier League. They have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 league matches, and that was against Brentford, who created a lot of chances on that day but failed to convert. There are a lot of questions to answer for Rosenior, and this trip to Arsenal could not come at a worse moment.
MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea. Arsenal will keep their momentum after the win against Tottenham with victory against another one of their London rivals; Chelsea will still score, but overall, Arsenal will be too strong.
I can’t remember an Olympico (Olympique de Marseille vs. Olympique Lyonnais) being so significant in recent seasons. After weeks of turmoil, L’OM have changed managers (Habib Beye in, Roberto De Zerbi out), have a new big boss running the club in Medhi Benatia (who was the sporting director before), and a president on his way out (Pablo Longoria) after being downgraded by the owner (Frank McCourt).
Lyon have a different dynamic coming into this game. Before losing 3-1 at Strasbourg on Sunday, they had won 13 games in a row in all competitions. They were not at their best in Alsace last weekend, but Paulo Fonseca and his players have a lot more confidence in their identity as a team than their Marseille counterparts.
Lyon also have an X-factor in Endrick. The teenage striker was not at his best vs. Strasbourg, but he is a phenomenal talent to have in Ligue 1 and these are the kind of games in which he needs to have maximum impact. L’OL know that they would make a massive step towards securing third place with a win as there are just 10 games to go after this weekend.
MY PREDICTION: Marseille 3-2 Lyon. There are always plenty of goals in the Olympico, and Sunday will be no exception. It’s Mason Greenwood against Endrick, and Marseille know how to bounce back as we saw when they beat Lens, then-league leaders, a few weeks ago. They will win again on Sunday.
Surely, this is where the German Bundesliga title is going to be decided. Bayern travel to Dortmund with an eight-point lead at the top of the table; it is already a significant gap, but a loss in the Ruhr, and we could potentially have an exciting run-in with 10 games to go.
MY PREDICTION: Dortmund 1-2 Bayern. I think Dortmund will put in a great performance on Saturday. They have been playing well lately, and that will be the case again. However, Bayern will be too strong, too clinical, and will get the three points.
Leboeuf & Marcotti clash over late penalty decision for Atalanta
Danny Rohl has done an amazing job since he took over as Rangers manager in October. No one has won more points than Rangers since he arrived, and despite some disappointing results in recent weeks, they have been the better Old Firm team in the last few weeks.
MY PREDICTION: Rangers 2-1 Celtic. Despite a few hiccups recently, like the draw at Livingston last weekend (2-2), Rangers are still able to raise their level in big games and I back them to do it again.
The new MLS season didn’t start as expected for Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates. The reigning champions were outplayed 3-0 in Los Angeles by LAFC, with Messi so angered by the referee that he reportedly wanted to confront him after the game. Not great.
It was a poor performance, but one that they can quickly put behind them in this Florida derby. This is the perfect game to launch their season. It was always going to be a difficult start for Miami, with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba having retired and Luis Suárez being more of a substitute.
That means even more responsibility falls on Messi and, to a lesser extent, on Rodrigo De Paul deeper in midfield. They are the team’s best and most experienced players at 38 and 31. The club’s new signings, striker Germán Berterame and goalkeeper Dayne St.Clair, had poor games last weekend, but much is expected of them moving forward, and Sunday offers an immediate shot at redemption.
Last season, Orlando finished ninth, but had a poor end of the campaign with just one win in their last 11 games in all competitions. Another loss against Miami and the pressure will really be on for manager Oscar Pareja.
MY PREDICTION: Orlando City 1-3 Miami. This is a great game for Messi and Miami to bounce back after their inaugural defeat. They will do that with a convincing victory, one in which the G.O.A.T will shine again despite not being fully fit yet.
The “Futbol Americas” crew react to Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC in the MLS.
The race for third, fourth and fifth place in the Premier League is heating up at the perfect time for fans. We thought Villa were locked in for a top-five finish, but their recent results (two wins in their last seven Premier League games) have seen Manchester United come back to sit three points behind in fourth, with Chelsea and Liverpool in fifth and sixth, only six points adrift.
It will be a very exciting end of the season all round, but a tense one for the Villa fans. They travel to Wolverhampton on Friday night in a massive Midlands derby, and they badly need all three points.
MY PREDICTION: Wolves 0-2 Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s team have to bounce back from their recent average form, and will do so in this Midlands derby. It won’t be pretty, and they will keep struggling to create chances, but they will find a way to win.
There is always drama in Marseille, but now the team are in urgent need of points. They’ve gone four league games in a row without a win and are five points behind Lyon, who are in third place, which would qualify them for the UEFA Champions League next season. Financially, Marseille can’t afford to miss out on the top European competition. They need a massive wake-up call and a big performance on Sunday night at the Stade Vélodrome. However, even the most disenchanted fans will know that the players need their full support as a victory is clearly essential.
For Dortmund and Niko Kovac, who was sacked by Bayern back in November 2019 despite winning the title the season before, this is their chance. They are in the best domestic run of form across all the big five leagues — 16 league games without defeat. The last time they tasted defeat domestically was in October at … Bayern (2-1). Serhou Guirassy is back to his best (five goals in his last four games) and Dortmund will have to believe in their capacity to beat the leaders and keep their faint dreams of winning the title alive.
For Wolves, this is the perfect opportunity to spoil Villa’s party and their quest for the Champions League. Rob Edwards’ players will play for pride in front of their fans and can put more pressure on their rivals’ end of the season sprint. We know what to expect from Wolves: a solid block with a back five and very aggressive players. It worked against Arsenal when they got a point (2-2), and almost worked again at Crystal Palace last weekend, where they lost 1-0 to a late goal after missing a penalty of their own.
Are Arsenal still favourites to win the Premier League? (1:48)Gab & Juls discuss the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City. (1:48)