Julien LaurensMay 15, 2026, 04:00 AM ET

Every Friday, I pick for you the best or most exciting games not to be missed in the world of soccer each weekend. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world class players facing each other or other interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

This week, we take you to England, Germany, Belgium, France and Scotland for a cup final, two "winners take all" games, a massive derby and some final sprints in the race for UEFA Champions League places.

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These teams could not arrive at Wembley in more extreme and opposite form. On one side, Manchester City, who have already won the Carabao Cup this season and are still very much in the Premier League title race with Arsenal, are going for another FA Cup under Guardiola, their first since 2023. They lost 1-0 in the final last season against Crystal Palace and 2-1 to Manchester United in 2024. Three defeats in a row in FA Cup finals would be something for such a dominant team.

Guardiola's priority has to be the league, and he might have to manage his squad's fitness with a league game two days after the final. But City are in good form and will want to show it. They can still win a domestic treble, which is actually quite rare in recent history.

For Chelsea, the past few weeks have been an ordeal. They lost six straight league games before drawing at Liverpool last weekend. They are in crisis, ninth in the league table and far from Europe. They don't have a permanent manager in charge, and their key players, except Moisés Caicedo, are not performing. The Blues would save their season with a FA Cup, which would also give them passage to next season's Europa League -- tricky for them to achieve via the league table.

They will have to play their best football in a very long time, though, if they want to beat City. And their most recent FA Cup finals didn't go their way either -- they lost the final in 2022 against Liverpool on penalties, lost 1-0 in 2021 against Leicester and fell 2-1 in 2020 against Arsenal in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their last win in a FA Cup final was in 2018 against Manchester United (1-0).

MY PREDICTION: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea. I think this is a tricky game for Guardiola and City as the league title remains the priority and they will play four games in the space of 12 days to end the season. However, they will still be too strong for a Chelsea team in poor form.

This game can bring Arsenal closer to the Premier League title after 22 long years. After Manchester City's 3-0 win against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, the pressure shifts to the Gunners; now they have to do their job!

The Emirates Stadium will be rocking for their heroes for the last home game of the season, and Burnley are already relegated. The Gunners won the game they had to win last weekend away at West Ham United, in a tense affair with a lot of controversy. But Mikel Arteta and his players won't mind. They stayed clear of City in this insufferable title race, and that's all that matters.

Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side are enjoying every moment in the Premier League title race and in their preparations for the Champions League final.

Now, they are in sight of their dream. After they've finished second three seasons in a row, finally winning the Premier League would be something very special, especially with the UEFA Champions League final to come against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 in Budapest.

For now, it is all about Burnley. Goal difference could still be important, which means winning and scoring many goals is the priority. The buzz around the squad is massive at the moment, despite the injury to right back Ben White against West Ham. Arsenal can't take this game for granted, even if the visitors have nothing to play for.

MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 3-0 Burnley. Arsenal will not waste this opportunity. They will be on it from the first kick of the game, relentless in how they play to make sure they beat Burnley -- and with many goals to improve their goal difference.

As is the case in France, we are reaching the final stage of the race for the European places in Germany, and what a great final sprint it has been.

We know the top three already (Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig) and there is nothing to play for there anymore. But after them, it is all to play for! Who will finish fourth, fifth and sixth and qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League? It will be an exceptional Saturday afternoon in Germany, and Stuttgart, TSG Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen will go through every emotion.

As it stands, Stuttgart are in fourth place with 61 points -- the same as Hoffenheim in fifth, but a better goal difference (plus-22 to plus-17) with Bayer Leverkusen in sixth, three points behind and holding a plus-21 goal difference. Leverkusen, who face Hamburg at home, have to win and hope for both rivals to lose. Stuttgart are away at Frankfurt, while Hoffenheim travel to Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Leverkusen fixture -- their only one of the three at home -- is the easiest on paper. Stuttgart have been outstanding all season long under Sebastian Hoeness and also have the German Cup final against Bayern the following weekend. Apart from matches against Bayern and Dortmund, they haven't lost in the league since February. Hoffenheim were 3-1 up with 11 players against 10 against Stuttgart two weeks ago, but drew 3-3. That could come back to haunt them.

MY PREDICTION: Frankfurt 2-2 Stuttgart. This is a tough one for Stuttgart, as Frankfurt can still finish seventh and qualify for the Conference League with a win. I think it will be a draw and enough for Stuttgart, as Hoffenheim won't win at Gladbach.

We know the top two in Ligue 1, and PSG and Lens have been the best teams in the country in a very exciting season. What is still up for grabs are the European places; who will finish in the top six and qualify for the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League? It promises to be an exceptional Sunday in France and Monaco.

As it stands, Lille are in third, a point clear of Lyon in fourth and two clear of Rennes in fifth. If Lille beat Auxerre (who are fighting not to go down) at home, they will finish third and get back to the Champions League. Lyon, who host Lens, will have to win and hope for a mistake by Lille and a great performance by Auxerre.

Marseille are sixth, three points behind Rennes, but with a better goal difference. Guess who they host at the Velodrome? You got it: Rennes! If Marseille, who have been in terrible form of late, somehow manage to beat Rennes, then they will guarantee Europa League football next season. With a win in Marseille, Rennes will have to pray for Lille and Lyon to drop points.

All Monaco can hope for is snatching sixth place from Marseille. They have to win at Strasbourg and hope for a Rennes win at the same time. There will be drama, tension and pressure, and it will be exceptional to see it unfold as the games kick off simultaneously.

MY PREDICTION: Lyon 2-1 Lens. I think Lyon will win at home against Lens, who have nothing really to play for anymore. However, where would a win take OL? Lille should win against Auxerre, so they should finish third and Lyon fourth. Rennes will avoid defeat in Marseille, which would keep them fifth, and that point will be enough for l'OM to stay sixth and make it into the Conference League.

Here we are -- the final of the Belgian league is upon us! Club Brugge vs. Union St-Gilloise, on Sunday, in the last game of the season, and the winner takes it all.

For a few weeks now, a lot of fans around the world have been hoping that this would happen. They have been by far the two best teams in the league this season, as well as doing well in the Champions League, and now they meet one last time to decide who will win the title. Brugge are a point clear of Union before this game at the Jan Breydelstadion. If they don't lose in front of their 30,000 fans, they will regain their title, having finished runners-up to Union last season.

Since then, the holders lost their manager Sebastien Pocognoli, who went to Monaco in October, but David Hubert arrived from Leuven to take over and has done a decent job since. Brugge also changed their manager halfway through the season when Ivan Leko replaced Nicky Hayen in December.

It is the fifth time these teams will face each other this season, and they have two wins each at the moment. They are always tight games, like their last encounter back in April, when Besfort Zeneli scored the winner in the 81st minute. Union's 3-4-3 formation matches well against Brugge's 4-2-3-1. Brugge have a better attack by far than Union (79 goals scored to 61), but a worse defense (43 goals conceded to 21). Once again, the key players for each team will have to show up: Hans Vanaken and Christos Tzolis for the leaders, and Anan Khalaili and Ross Sykes for the current champions.

MY PREDICTION: Club Brugge 1-0 Union St.-Gilloise. I don't think there will be many goals in this game. Union have one of the best defenses in Europe and even if they have to win to retain their title, they won't change their style. A draw suits Brugge and would do enough to get them over the line.

Steve Nicol backs Celtic to win the Scottish Premiership decider over Hearts, because their "experience is going to be too much."

Here we are (part 2) -- the final of the Scottish league is also upon us! Celtic vs. Hearts, on Saturday, in the last game of the season, and the winner takes it all.

Hearts have been the story of the season, leading the Premiership for months with a refreshing project and a great team. They are now 90 minutes away from their first league title since 1960. Breaking the monopoly of Rangers and Celtic, who have won every single league title since 1985, would be an incredible achievement. If Derek McInnes and his players don't lose, they will be crowned champions and it will be well deserved. Dropping points at Motherwell last weekend in a 1-1 draw enabled Celtic to come back just a point behind the leaders, after their 3-1 win against Rangers. Hearts will have to show nerves of steel to cope with the pressure and the expectations.

Celtic Park will be on fire come Saturday. The atmosphere will be so hostile, and Martin O'Neill and Celtic have more experience with these kind of games than their opponents. They are also on a run of six wins in a row now in all competitions. There was a time, a few weeks ago, where it looked like the title was gone for the holders, but they never gave up and slowly came back in the table to now have a chance of winning it. Beating Hearts at home on the last day of the season would be something very special for the club. But they haven't beaten them in their previous three encounters this season: one draw and two losses.

MY PREDICTION: Celtic 2-1 Hearts. I think Celtic, at home, will seize this opportunity again. Like they were against Rangers a week ago, they are usually very good in these kinds of high-pressure environments. They have match-winners like Maeda or Engels, and I think the occasion will be a problem for Hearts.

Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48770179/weekend-soccer-predictions-fa-cup-final-premier-league-man-city-chelsea-arsenal-burnley-title-deciders-europe