Thanks to everyone who wrote in. And thanks to everyone else who simply stopped by.
Don’t forget there’s loads of important games on today,. one on the go right now between Leicester and Charlton for a place in next season’s WSL.
Scottish Cup final: Celtic v Dunfermline @ Hampden Park @ 15:00
Championship Play-off: Hull v Middlesbrough @ Wembley @ 15:30
Women’s Champions League final: Barcelona v Lyon @ Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo @ 17:00
There’s also La Liga relegation battles, a German Cup final. plenty of talking points ahead of the final round of the Premier League tomorrow.
I’ll leave you with some reading. Take care and enjoy the rest of your Saturday.
From a sweltering Valley, here’s Tom Garry:
double quotation mark The players are taking a scheduled ‘hydration break’. That’s how hot it is here at The Valley. Halfway through the first half, the match itself has been poor. It’s exactly what you’d expect for a cagey play-off game in the heat. Very few chances, very little pace, very little creativity, but plenty of nerves.
Leicester are bossing possession at The Valley.
They’ve had more than 60% of the ball and fired off two shots, though neither were on target.
This email from Kári Tulinius warms my heart.
Though, at least Kari has an excuse for being useless at Fantasy. I actually tried to be good!
double quotation mark I’ve been dead last in my fantasy football league for years now. The first time I participated I tried to take it seriously,. discovered that it affected my enjoyment of matches, because I was worrying about ‘my players’ getting points, instead of just appreciating the game. So now I pick a team based on some silly theme and don’t worry about it. My current side is entirely made up of players named John or an international variation thereof. João Pedro has been my star player, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Gianluigi Donnarumma doing well too. Or so I believe, anyway, I go weeks without looking at the Fantasy results,. I know my gang of Johns is dead last.
Just over five minutes into the WSL play-off and they’re still at 0-0.
Will keep the updates coming til 1.
Or you could switch over to BBC iPlayer where the game is on live!
The Egyptian plays his last ever game for Liverpool today.
Our writers select six key moments in a Reds shirt.
Our man Tom Garry is at The Valley.
double quotation mark The nerves, the tension. the stress will all be at high levels this lunchtime as Charlton and Leicester battle for a place in the WSL next season, in arguably the most consequential game in WSL history. For the first time. we have a play-off to decide a relegation/promotion spot, as Charlton - who finished third in WSL2 - host the WSL’s bottom side Leicester City. The Valley is baked in sunshine as these two out-of-form teams try to find an all-important victory. But both of them have arrived low on confidence and in dreadful form. Leicester have lost 11 league games in a row. are winless in 2026, while Charlton let a nine-point lead slip at the top of the WSL2 table and had really hoped to be automatic promotion winners, before a late-season slump saw them drop into this play-off game instead. They are expected a club-record crowd here at the Valley and ultimately one team will go home desperately disappointed.
A few readers have offered different takes on the Romero story:
“Football is worse off for manufactured outrage like this Romero non-story. We’re only talking about it to keep the content machine spinning. Let the man recover in his home country. (As an Arsenal fan.. I also would find it quite delicious if Spurs do go down in his absence on Sunday..)“ says, Jack Carr.
AA BB (I’m guessing not their actual name) had this to add: “It’s really bad! Im not a spurs fan btw. And he’s captain! He’s totally shut the door in spurs face. No fan of course actually thinks most of the players on their books are ultras.. but they should actually at least act like fans. especially on that wage what the! Anyone who goes to work knows you gotta play the part. It’s one of the biggest spurs game in history as well. De zerbi is obviously keeping a lid on it but he must be like wtf!
Tomorrow is not just Pep Guardiola’s leaving party.
Man City also say goodbye to Bernado Silva. who will play for the club for the last time against Aston Villa.
He’ll leave behind a big hole as he’s one of those all-action players. does so many things it’s hard to really say exactly what he does.
Simon Hattenstone has written a moving love letter to the Portuguese “time-travelling, shapeshifting superhero”. His words, not mine.
Leicester have gone with five at the back in a Christmas tree format with Finland’s Jutta Rantala running things from the 10.
It’s a classically English 4-4-2 for Charlton with the club’s top scorer this season, Lucy Fitzgerald, leading the line.
Leicester: Keane; Ale, Thibaud, Kees, Jansson, Mayling; McCoughling, Rantala, Tierney; O’Brien, Cain.
Charlton: Whitehouse; McAteer, Lobato, Skeels, Mason; Hutton, Bradley, Kenney, Muya, Fitzgerald, Bissell.
Ilkay Gündoğan has shared a touching tribute to Pep Guardiola on his Instagram page.
The former City skipper now at Galatasaray called Pep an “incredible human”. said that “City will never be the same” without him.
This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
Would love to know what you all think about Tottenham’s captain Cristian Romero’s decision to miss the final game of the season.
He wasn’t going to play against Everton in what is arguably the most important game in the club’s history,. you’d hope he cared enough to at least watch it.
Instead he’ll be in Argentina. lending his support to Belgrano as they take on River Plate in a league playoff game.
The trip was sanctioned by Tottenham’s medical team. he’s got support from his manager, Roberto De Zerbi, but I’m not sure how I’d feel if I was a Spurs support.
Oh, did I mention that the WSL play-off game will be live on the BBC?
These teams have played each other since May 2021 when the Foxes claimed a 4-0 win. The time before that was a 2-0 away win for Leicester.
Did we mention that there’s another MASSIVE game of footy on today?
They don’t stop coming and this one grts going before all the rest.
Kicking off at 12:30. Leicester, who finished bottom of the WSL table, travel to The Valley to take on Charlton, runners-up in WSL2 for a first-ever play-off game.
The WSL is expanding to 14 teams from next season, a boost from the current 12 teams. It is just the first step on a 10-year plan to improve and grow the women’s game in England.
Did some digging and found some gems on Fantasy Football in the archive.
I probably should have read these before I starting being utterly useless at the game.
He needs just one assist tomorrow to break the Premier League’s all-time record,. Bruno Fernandes already has a top prize.
It’s just been announced that the Manchester United captain has been voted as this season’s Player of the Year.
Along with 20 assists, he’s also scored eight goals. has been at the heart of United’s revival under Michael Carrick, steering the club to third on the table and into the Champions League next season.
England have confirmed. Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri will travel to Florida with Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad as part of the Three Lions’ training squad. That group comprises Alex Scott, Josh King and Rio Ngumoha. Jason Steele will remain with the squad as “training goalkeeper” for the duration of the tournament. The news comes after England named their final 26-man squad on Friday.
My editors have asked. I send out a reminder that today is the last day to fine tune your Fantasy Football side.
I have no idea why. I am LITERALLY THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH who should offer advice.
For the second season running, I am dead last in my group, which means I have to buy someone else a keg of beer (not the worst punishment,. the indignity still stings).
I didn’t select Salah and then picked him when his form fell of a cliff. Ditto for Haaland. Then around Christmas I forgot to change my team and had a bunch of injured players doing nothing. By the time I realised what was happening I was so far back. not even my zany picks could save me.
Anyway, enough self pity. Go forth and show me how to do it.
For those of you glancing at the table for La Liga. trying to work out which team needs goals, don’t bother.
Over in Spain they use head to head to separate teams tied on points.
I’ll do my best to sum it up.
Girona v Elche, Real Betis v Levante, Getafe v Osasuna and Mallorca v Real Oviedo. The whole thing is compressed into those four scorelines.
Girona have the cleanest equation: beat Elche and they survive on 43 points; fail to win and they go down.
Elche can go down from 42 points: a draw at Girona keeps them up,. a defeat can send them straight back down a year after promotion, depending on Mallorca and/or Levante.
Mallorca need a miracle: they start 19th, must beat already-relegated Real Oviedo, and still need other results. They may go down if they win as they need Osasuna and Elche to both lose.
Levante are the safest unsafe team: they can only go down if they lose to Betis, if Girona beat Elche, if Osasuna take at least a point,. Mallorca fail to win. That would be a four-part catastrophe!
Osasuna also control their fate: a point at Getafe is enough. They only go down if they lose and both Girona and Mallorca win.
Levante’s escape act is the stat to savour: when Luís Castro took over in December, they were bottom. had taken 10 points from 16 games. Since then they have taken 32 from 20, the third-best return in La Liga over that period. As Sid Lowe reports:
Gavin Baxter has written in with a dilemma:
double quotation mark Pars fan on the way to Glasgow just now wondering which way to think.
Is it better to go out there and push? Or keep it close with the crushing inevitability that Celtic will get a penalty when they need one?
Still, we live in hope. We should go for it.
You’ve got to hold onto hope. We’d be nothing as sports fans without it.
As for the strategy today. I reckon keeping things tight enough for a final push would be the way to go. But then, what do I know?
As Kevin Cassingham rightly points out. Arsenal are the reigning champions of the Women’s Champions League, not Barcelona as I said in a previous post.
With apologies to all Gooners, I’ll go tweak that now.
Barcelona have already wrapped up the title. are 11 points clear of rivals Real Madrid heading into the final match of the season today, but its pure chaos down at the bottom.
Mallorca in 19th with 39 points, Girona (18th with 40), Elche (17th, 42), Osasuna (16th, 42). Levante (15th, 42) are separated by just three points going into the final day.
As it happens, Girona play Elche. Girona have to win, Elche only need a draw.
Levante. Osasuna can save themselves by avoiding defeat against Betis and Getafe respectively, while Mallorca must beat already-relegated Oviedo and hope the rest of the evening works out for them.
Matches, all kicking off at 8pm in the UK:
Valencia v Barcelona
Real Betis v Levante
Real Madrid v Athletic Club
Alaves v Rayo Vallecano
Mallorca v Real Oviedo
Espanyol v Real Sociedad
The real world has slammed into football as Congo’s World Cup squad has been ordered to isolate for 21 days before entering the US.
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, told ESPN that US officials had informed Fifa, the Congolese national team. the government in Kinshasa that the squad was to remain in a “bubble” in Belgium where players are currently in training.
“We’ve been very clear to Congo. they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11th,” Giuliani told ESPN. “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well. that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer.
“We want to make sure. there is nothing that’s going to come in or near our borders here on this.”
Pep Guardiola signs off tomorrow having made “a lot” of decisions.
Any regrets? Well, one actually. The he handled Joe Hart’s departure. Guardiola. who will take charge of City for the final time against Aston Villa on Sunday, moved Hart on soon after arriving in 2016, sending him to Torino on loan before bringing in Claudio Bravo and, a year later, Ederson.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said he still feels he should have given the England goalkeeper a proper opportunity to work under him. show what he could do. He accepted that managers make mistakes when taking so many decisions. said, with hindsight, he could have told Hart they would try to make it work together before making a change if necessary. “I regret it from that time,” Guardiola said, adding that he had not always been “fair enough” in the moment.
Penny for Joe’s thoughts…
Back to the Women’s Champions League final.
Aitana Bonmati, holder of the three most recent Ballon d’Or Féminin trophies, has only just returned to Barca’s team. is still being managed.
She made her comeback after five months out in the 4-2 win over Bayern Munich in the semi-final second leg on 3 May when she came on as a 68th minute sub.
She had not played 90 minutes for Barcelona since November. managed only 18 minutes in the Copa de la Reina final. Romeu said she was “feeling better every day”.
Brilliant comment below the line from ‘TheVinyJunkie’:
“Spygate at this point isn’t even a scandal, it’s a full Championship documentary narrated by a man who’s had 6 espressos. misplaced his clipboard.”
Let’s turn our attention to the biggest prize in women’s club football.
This is the fourth Barca-Lyon Champions League final in seven years. Lyon won the first two, 4-1 in 2019 and 3-1 in 2022; Barcelona finally beat them 2-0 in 2024.
The trophy count is lopsided, but the momentum has shifted. Lyon have claimed eight titles – including a run of five in a row between 2016. 2020 – but haven’t won one since 2022. After that, the Blaugrana claimed two in a row before losing to Arsenal last year.
The big talking point has focussed on what Suzanne Wrack calls a “a clash of styles”.
Another narrative worth picking at is the delicious coaching subplot. Jonatan Giráldez, in charge of Lyon, knows Barcelona from the inside. He was part of Barca’s rise, coaching there when they won their first UWCL, then managing them to their second. third. His former assistant Pere Romeu replaced him at Barcelona, making this a master-apprentice final.
I loved this comment below the line.
I’m not entirely sure I understand it all, but ‘greencorn’ (or the AI tool they’re using) put some effort in with this one: the cream rises to the top in the Championship this weekend while crabs chat on the beach about the weather cracking their claws missiles are loaded women gather for brunch. their are vague notions of cricket again in the eyes of villagers i remember when Tom Huddlestone joined Hull from Spurs so with thoughts of the big man good luck Hull
Spying on training, or fretting about being spied on, is hardly new.
The obvious precedent is Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds in 2019. when a member of his staff was spotted outside Derby County’s training ground before a Championship match. Bielsa did not so much deny it as turn the whole thing into performance art, calling an extraordinary press conference in which he admitted Leeds had “observed all the rivals” they had played. then essentially delivered a tactical lecture with slides – truly one of the great moments in English football history. Leeds were eventually fined £200,000. the EFL tightened its rules – which might exxplain why they’ve thrown the book at Southampton.
There was also Sweden v South Korea at the 2018 World Cup. when Sweden’s manager Janne Andersson had to apologise after a member of staff attended a closed South Korea training session. South Korea responded by swapping players’ shirt numbers in training to confuse the snooper. which remains one of the great low-budget counter-intelligence operations.
Herbert Chapman – the legendary manager of Arsenal in the 1930s – was perhaps football’s first sleuth as he frequently utilised ‘spies’ (today we’d call them scouts) to watch opponents. Yes, I know it’s not exactly the same thing. But funny how lines are so easily blurred.
It just occurred to me. perhaps a few of you – those just blinking into the light of the weekend from a deep slumber under a rock – might not be across THE BEST STORY OF THE SEASON.
That, of course, is the Spygate fiasco involving an intern, a pair of binoculars. players threatening to sue their own club.
Here’s the gist: Southampton were found to have spied on Middlesbrough training sessions, including before their play-off semi-final. The EFL’s independent commission said there was a “contrived. determined” plan to gain a competitive advantage, and Southampton manager Tonda Eckert accepted responsibility for authorising observations
Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-offs, Middlesbrough were reinstated,. Boro set to face Hull in the Wembley final today. Southampton also received a four-point deduction for next season.
The FA has also opened its own investigation, which could lead to charges against individuals rather than just the club.
The spark was a Southampton staffer being caught near Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park training ground, with reports about filming, deleted footage,. even changing clothes after being challenged. Here’s a quick run of events in order:
England will play Ghana, Panama and Croatia in the World Cup’s group stage.
We’re still waiting on the squads from Ghana. Panama, but Croatia have picked theirs with 40-year-old Luka Modric still the leading light.
Maybe this will be the year he finally gets tired.
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull).
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Man City). Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan). Mateo Kovacic (Man City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven). Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).
Manager: Zlatko Dalic
I enjoyed this piece from Barry yesterday.
It’s all noise and bluster and guff, innit? I mean, not for the guys who missed our or were selected, but the outrage. hot takes really are a lot.
‘Hard to please’ is a mild way of putting it.
Harry Kane has a shot at more silverware as Bayern Munich take on VfB Stuttgart at 7pm in the German Cup final.
To get you in the mood. Andy Martin has written a delicious piece looking back at a remarkable upset when Bayer 05 Uerdingen beat holders Bayern 2-1.
It’s been dubbed the ‘Miracle of Berlin’. Stuttgart fans will be hoping some of that magic rubs off on them this evening.
How did your team perform over the course of the season?
Various fans have given their verdict. There are a couple of 10/10s, but one score of 0.
Do you agree with these?
How about some England chat now?
My ten cents, I think it’s a solid squad though I would have taken both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. The former as a result of his form. presence, and the latter because there aren’t many bonafide left backs in the group. Young Nico O’Reily has suddenly become the most important player after Harry Kane.
But, as Barney has pretty much said, Tuchel knows what he’s doing and won’t be bothered by the outside noise.
Of course, there’s heartbreak. This piece from Nadeem Badshah shines a light on that. But them’s the breaks, I suppose.
If league position. points accrued are the two key metrics in predicting a winner today, then Middlesbrough, who finished fifth and seven points above Hull, should take all the marbles.
But their last league meeting in Devcember 2025 ending with a 1-0 win for The Tigers. So, you never know.
This is Barca’s sixth consecutive Champions League final appearance. A remarkable, unprecedented run.
They’ve topped their league in Spain and beat Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to get here. Who would bet against them?
Well, Lyon aren’t the most dominant women’s team in the world for nothing. They knocked out defending champions Arsenal in the semis and came from behind to beat Wolfsburg in the quarters. This is their 12th appearance in the showpiece game.
As we’ve said already, there are some huge games on today.
Kicking things at 3pm is the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Dunfermline. Celtic snatched a remarkable victory on the final day of the league season to break Hearts’ hearts. they’ll back themselves to bag another trophy this afternoon.
Half an hour into that one north of the border, a match I feel duty bound to call ‘the most expensive football game in the world’ gets underway as Hull. Middlesbrough vie for a place in the Premier League. Both will be itching for the opening whistle but one fears the spectre of ‘Spygate’ will loom over the festivities.
Then, the cherry on the icing on the cake, at 5pm, Lyon. Barcelona, two teams with contrasting styles, will compete for the Women’s Champions League. Barce could make it four titles in six years while Lyon will add a ninth star to their crest if they can get over the line.
How about a reminder - for those blinking into the weekend from a long slumber beneath a rock - of the England World Cup side.
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United). Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest). Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United). Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Here are a fe standout pieces from last night:
Barney backs Tuchel’s squad:
Pep Guardiola turns on the charm as he waves goodbye to a dynasty:
Spygate looms over Championship play-off:
We’re all set for an epic Champions League final:
Tuchel and Toney ‘clear the air’:
Speaking of spying, the FA want tighter security over in the US:
England’s forgotten men and their families reflect on what could have been:
Premier League talking points ahead of the final round:
Good morning everyone! It’s the night after England’s World Cup squad was announced, the day before the final Premier League games of the season,. there are MASSIVE matches taking place in Wembley, Oslo and Hampden Park today.
So plenty to chat about.
I’ll be steering you through all of the headlines and talking points this morning. If you’ve got anything you want to add – from your hot takes to your cold facts – please get in touch.
And if you’re setting some reminders on your phone, here’s what’s taking place later on:
Scottish Cup final: Celtic v Dunfermline @ Hampden Park @ 15:00
Championship Play-off: Hull v Middlesbrough @ Wembley @ 15:30
Women’s Champions League final: Barcelona v Lyon @ Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo @ 17:00
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.