Date: Saturday, 24 May 2025
Kickoff: 4:15pm SAST
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
This is the farewell match for coach Carlo Ancelotti, who leaves Real Madrid to take up the job as coach of Brazil heading into next year’s World Cup finals in North America.
For all his success at Real, this will be a tempered farewell after a season where they finished runners-up to Barcelona in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey and were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League by Arsenal.
Real Sociedad’s faint hopes of European football were extinguished last weekend despite their 3-2 home win over Girona. They sit in 11th place in the standings, out of the reach of ninth-placed Osasuna.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Key Betting Insights:
Another injury: England international Jude Bellingham will miss the final game of the league season and is expected to undergo surgery at some stage before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
Given that Real Madrid are involved in next month’s Club World Cup in the United States, it is expected that any decision on Bellingham’s shoulder surgery will be delayed until after their participation comes to an end. As such, the most likely date for the operation would be mid-July, but if so, there are fears that the 21-year-old would miss a significant portion of the new season.
Also goodbye to: Imanol Alguacil, Real Sociedad’s long-standing coach and compass, is not renewing his contract after a turbulent season and his serious doubts about the club’s future direction. He is their successful coach in recent history. Sergio Francisco has been promoted from the cub ranks to take over.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Betting angles:
Home win: Sociedad’s last trip to the Spanish capital was two weeks ago when Atlético Madrid handed them a 4-0 thumping. Real Madrid are expected to sign off the season in a similar vein.
Kylian Mbappé anytime goal scorer: The French World Cup winner heads into the game chasing his first European Golden Boot, a prize that would cap an extraordinary debut season in Spain. Mbappé leads the La Liga scoring charts with 29 goals, securing the Pichichi Trophy ahead of Robert Lewandowski, who stalled at 25.
However, the 26-year-old's sights are set higher. He trails Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyökés by half a point in the Golden Boot race, with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah close behind on 28 goals and one Premier League match remaining.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Prediction:
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Real Sociedad
Real Madrid have won 25 of their 37 La Liga games this season, whereas Real Sociedad have been beaten in three of their past six outings.
Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025
Kickoff: 8pm SAST
Venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin
Third division Arminia Bielefeld stormed to the DFB Cup final after a monster giant-killing run that includes a shock semi-final win over holders Bayer Leverkusen, as well as upending three other Bundesliga clubs in Werder Bremen, Freiburg, and Union Berlin.
They started their run by beating second division outfit Hannover in the opening round. Bielefeld are bidding to become the 22nd different winner of the DFB Cup era, beginning 1952/53, but the first representative to do so outside Germany's top two divisions.
After some hot and cold results throughout the season, Stuttgart ended the Bundesliga campaign with a swashbuckling win away to RB Leipzig last weekend. Now they can secure a place in next season's Uefa Europa League with victory in the cup final in the German capital. Die Schwaben, who were German league runners-up last season, last won silverware since taking the 2007 Bundesliga title.
Arminia Bielefeld v Stuttgart Key Betting Insights:
Unbeaten run: Bielefeld are on a 13-match unbeaten run in all competitions and have only lost once since mid-February. Arminia were at virtually full strength for their season-ending league win over Waldhof Mannheim at the weekend, with Noah Sarenren Bazee scoring the decisive goal early in the second half.
It made sure that they were crowned third division champions and they now chase an unlikely domestic double and surprise place in the 2025/26 Europa League group phase.
Goals: Stuttgart's strengths lie in attack. Only the Bundesliga's top four scored more than Stuttgart's 64 goals, with Ermedin Demirović leading the way with 15 strikes. Nick Woltemade, who netted in each of the last three games, struck 12, and Deniz Undav struck on nine occasions despite missing several games through injury.
Arminia Bielefeld v Stuttgart Betting angles:
More than 2.5 goals scored: High-scoring games are the norm in German competition, with Stuttgart’s last two outings producing nine goals alone, while three of Bielefeld’s last five outings have seen three goals or more.
Nick Woltemade anytime scorer: Woltemade is joint top of this season's DFB Cup scoring charts, level on four goals with Leverkusen's Patrik Schick and Leipzig's Benjamin Šeško.
Arminia Bielefeld v Stuttgart Prediction:
Score Prediction: Arminia Bielefeld 1-4 VfB Stuttgart
The fairytale story has to end, particularly as Stuttgart ended their Bundesliga seasons strongly with consecutive wins against St. Pauli, Augsburg, and RB Leipzig, scoring eight and conceding just two. That gives them the necessary confidence for the cup final showpiece.
Date: Sunday, 25 May 2025
Kickoff: 5pm SAST
Venue: Craven Cottage, London
Brighton & Hove Albion’s dramatic come-from-behind win over champions Liverpool on Monday means that Fulham can now no longer catch the Seagulls in the top eight on the final day of the season and will not qualify for European club competition next season.
It follows an inconsistent run of form for Fulham that continued with a come-from-behind 3-1 win in the West London derby against Brentford last weekend after losing three of their four matches before that.
Manchester City can still salvage their season by confirming their berth in the Champions League next season. All they need to do is avoid defeat to Fulham in their last game of the season.
It will go some way to making up for last weekend’s loss to Crystal Palace at Wembley in a controversial FA Cup final that left manager Pep Guardiola fuming at the end of the game.
Fulham v Man City Key Betting Insights:
Finishing strongly: Fulham, even with little to play for, will want to achieve a top-half finish and end their season with a flourish. They have been able to get at the bigger teams this season, defeating Liverpool at Craven Cottage last month.
Defensive lapse: Manchester City have been susceptible at the back throughout the league campaign, even conceding to Bournemouth in what was a very one-sided affair on Tuesday night. Their total of 44 league goals conceded is the same as 13th-placed Everton.
Fulham v Man City Betting angles:
More than 2.5 goals: The last three results between Fulham and City have been 3-2, 4-0 and 5-1 -- all in favour of Guardiola’s team.
Away victory: Fulham are winless in 19 Premier League meetings with City losing the last 14 in a row. Their last victory was in April 2009 at the Etihad Stadium under Roy Hodgson.
Manchester City have won each of their last 17 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, the longest winning run one English league side has had against another in history.
Fulham v Man City Prediction:
Score Prediction: Fulham 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City have had the upper hand over the Cottages of late. On their last trip to Craven Cottage 12 months ago, they moved top of the Premier League table with a superb 4-0 victory. In the reverse fixture earlier this season at the Etihad, Mateo Kovacic scored twice and Jeremy Doku grabbed a vital third as City secured a hard-earned 3-2 win.
Date: Sunday, 25 May 2025
Kickoff: 5pm SAST
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool have collected a solitary point from their three matches since being crowned champions for a 20th time, with their 3-1 loss to Chelsea and a 2-2 draw with Arsenal being followed up by a defeat to Brighton on Monday. Their coronation as Premier League winners will follow with the trophy handover after the match.
Crystal Palace will be competing in the Europa League next season after they won their first-ever major honour last weekend by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
They showed no hangover then on Tuesday when they produced an impressive and entertaining performance to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 in their penultimate league clash.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace Key Betting Insights:
Coronation day: When finishing the season at home, the Premier League champions have won their final match on 13 out of the last 14 occasions. The only exception was Manchester United losing against West Ham in 2006-07.
Liverpool have not lost their final league game of the season since 2014-15, going down 6-1 at Stoke. When finishing the campaign at home, the Reds are unbeaten in 17 since losing 2-0 against Arsenal in 1988-89.
Curtain raiser: Suddenly this fixture has become a curtain raiser for the match that will kick everything off next season.
The league champions always face the FA Cup winners in August’s Community Shield at Wembley and both sides will be seeking to finish historic seasons with a flourish and send out a signal for what might come when they clash the first piece of silverware that next season has to offer.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace Betting angles:
Home win: Liverpool have lost just one of their last 15 Premier League games against Crystal Palace, although it was in this exact fixture last season.
Mohamed Salah to score anytime: The wait to break the Premier League's goal involvement record goes on for Mohamed Salah, whose double against Southampton on March 8 took him to 27 goals and 17 assists in 29 matches, just three goal involvements short of the Premier League record of 47, held jointly by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.
Since then, Salah has recorded just one goal and one assist in eight matches, leaving him still one short of the goal involvement record and two short of the assist record. This is his last chance.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace Prediction:
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Crystal Palace
Celebration day for the Reds should see them finish the season with aplomb even if there is nothing to play for. Their supporters will demand it.
Date: Sunday, May 25, 2025
Kickoff: 5pm SAST
Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle
Newcastle have enjoyed an extremely impressive season with a League Cup triumph, defeating Liverpool in the final at Wembley Stadium in March, and now in an excellent position to finish in the top five and secure Champions League football for next season.
But Eddie Howe’s team come into this game on the back of a 1-0 defeat to second-placed Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on the penultimate match day of the campaign last Sunday.
Everton are firmly ensconced in the middle of the Premier League table, unable to go lower or higher than 13th in the standings.
Newcastle v Everton Key Betting Insights:
Last day bliss: Newcastle have won their final league game in eight of the last ten seasons, with the exceptions being a 3-1 loss against Liverpool in 2020 and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea three seasons thereafter. In contrast, Everton have only won their final league game in one of the last eight seasons.
Injury news: Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Steven Coleman might be unavailable for the last match of the season, forcing manager David Moyes to revert to a makeshift defensive line to deal with one of the most potent attacking sides in the league.
Newcastle v Everton Betting angles:
Sandro Tonali anytime scorer: In the potential absence of injured Alexander Isak, midfielder Tonali is the man the hosts are looking to for a decisive goal. He netted a brilliant goal in Newcastle’s last win against Chelsea and the Italian has been the best performer for the Toons this term.
Less than 2.5 goals: Everton have only kept more clean sheets against West Ham (23) and Liverpool (21) than they have against Newcastle in the Premier League (18). In the reverse fixture at Goodison Park, both Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope kept clean sheets in a goalless draw.
Newcastle v Everton Prediction:
Score Prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Everton
Having lost six of their nine home league games against Everton between 2011 and 2019, Newcastle are now unbeaten in their last four against the Toffees and given that victory is imperative in their Champions League bid, they can be expected to be giving it their all.
Date: Sunday, 25 May 2025
Kickoff: 9pm SAST
Venue: San Mamés Barria, Bilbao
For the first time in 11 years, Athletic Club will be playing Champions League football, with their qualification for next season’s competition confirmed by a 2-0 victory over Getafe last weekend. Former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde’s side could not find the net in the first half, but two came in the second as Gorka Guruzeta and Dani Vivian both scored.
Barcelona look to finish the campaign on a high, although it likely cannot get much better. They lifted the Spanish Super Cup in January, the Copa del Rey in April and their 28th La Liga title earlier this month.
The Catalan giants also recorded four wins over arch-rivals Real Madrid this season. This included two finals – Super Cup and Copa del Rey – and two league games. They scored 16 goals across those four clashes.
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona Key Betting Insights:
Home hopes: Athletic Club’s home record at San Mamés is strong, with a single league defeat this season plus 11 wins in 18 games. Their pressing has made them nearly unbeatable at home this season.
Contract extension: Barcelona officially announced a two-year contract extension with their head coach Hansi Flick this week, tying the German to the club until June 30, 2027.
The coach has had a historic debut season with a domestic treble in his first season at the club. He took charge 12 months ago following club legend Xavi Hernández’s departure from the head coach position. And he quickly turned the tide of a struggling Barcelona side.
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona Betting angles:
Less than 2.5 goals: Bilbao have kept a clean sheet in their last three fixtures, winning over Deportivo Alaves, Getafe, and Valencia. They also have the best defence in the league with only 26 goals conceded.
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona Prediction:
Score Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona
Champions Barcelona have been superb throughout the season, but they do come into this game on the back of suffering a sixth defeat of the campaign last weekend in their final home game as they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal. Bilbao’s home pedigree means they could push that up to seven.