Graham Ruthven: Something for the Weekend

Player to score – Antoine Griezmann (Villarreal v Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid will most likely need three points away to Villarreal to stand any chance of leapfrogging Real Madrid into second place in the La Liga table. Antoine Griezmann will be key to their chances of doing this with the French forward currently in arguably the best form of his entire career. 

Griezmann has found the back of the net in each of his last two matches and six in his last nine. Diego Simeone is expected to field a full-strength team to earn a positive result against fifth-place Villarreal on the final weekend of the season and Griezmann will be the biggest threat to the Yellow Submarine

Over 3.5 total goals – Celtic v Inverness CT 

Celtic can complete the Treble by beating second-tier Inverness CT in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final. It could well be Ange Postecoglou’s farewell match as Celtic manager amid speculation linking the Australian coach with the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job. If this turns out to be the case, Postecoglou will want to sign off in style.

The Hoops netted five against Hibernian in their final league match of the season and scored an average of three goals per game in the Scottish Premiership. Inverness CT have enjoyed a fairytale run to the Scottish Cup final, but there’s no reason to believe they will make Saturday’s match competitive. 

Match to be a draw – Lecce v Bologna

The 2022/23 Serie A season will come to a close this weekend with Lecce and Bologna set to face each other in a dead rubber. There is nothing on the line for either team with Lecce safe from relegation and Bologna unable to qualify for Europe. Thiago Motta’s team could still secure a top-half finish, though.

Bologna have drawn three of their last four league matches while Lecce have drawn two of their last three. With not much on the line for either team, there’s a good chance Sunday’s match will lack intensity. A point could suit both Lecce and Bologna as they bring down the curtain on their campaigns.

Both teams to score – R Madrid v Athletic Bilbao

Sunday could see Karim Benzema bid farewell to Real Madrid amid reports he could leave the club for Saudi Arabia this summer. The French forward is sidelined through injury, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team will still carry a goal-scoring threat through the likes of Rodrygo and Vinicius, both of whom are expected to feature.

Real Madrid have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last three matches, conceding goals against Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla. Athletic Club have struggled for goals of late, but their ability in transition should give them a good chance of finding the net at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Graham’s Bet Builder – Man United vs Man City

Manchester City can move two thirds of the way towards an historic Treble by beating Manchester United in this week’s FA Cup final. Pep Guardiola’s team scored an average of 2.5 goals per Premier League match this season and put four past United in a Manchester derby clash earlier in the campaign.

Kevin de Bruyne will be a goal threat driving from midfield into the final third of the pitch. Erik Ten Hag could match up Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof against Erling Haaland to stop the Norwegian from getting in behind, but this could open up space for de Bruyne who has a knack for scoring in big games.