Welcome back to the 90-Minute Breakdown!
Players
We start the week with the sad news that Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City’s longtime golden boy, is set to leave the team at the end of the season. “In 10 seasons at the Etihad Stadium, De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five EFL Cups, and a UEFA Champions League, and he could add another FA Cup to that before he goes,” journalist David Segar wrote on the Premier League website.
Another longtime one-club player, Thomas Müller, is also set to leave Bayern Munich after 25 years at the club. And another German star, Mats Hummels, has announced he’ll retire from football at the end of the season.
But all the retirement talk aside, there’s been some interesting news in the footballing world.
Bukayo Saka scored in Arsenal’s Premier League game against Fulham after being out for three months due to injury. Anthony Elanga netted a banger against his former club, Manchester United, to give Nottingham Forest a key boost in the standings.
Jules Koundé hit a major milestone in Barcelona’s matchup against Real Betis — he’s now played 100 consecutive games for club and country since November 2023.
Arsenal have lost Gabriel Magalhaes for the season — a major blow to their defense ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid, though they still emerged victorious 3–0.
Bayern are also in trouble, with Jamal Musiala out for roughly six weeks due to a hamstring injury, ruling him out of the UCL quarterfinal, which ended in a 2–1 loss to Inter Milan yesterday.
Games
There were some insane games this week. My pick? The German Cup semis. Third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld shocked reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen with a 2–1 win to book their spot in the final, where they’ll face Stuttgart. Storybook stuff.
The Copa del Rey semifinals also delivered. Real Madrid had a tough matchup against Real Sociedad and had to rely on an overtime goal to win on aggregate.
On the other side, Barcelona faced Atletico Madrid in a matchup we’ve seen plenty of this season. The first leg ended in a chaotic 4–4 tie, but the second was far more controlled, with Barca winning 1–0. So yes, we’re getting another “clasico” final.
Paris Saint-Germain secured the Ligue 1 title for the 13th time in club history — and they still have six games left to play.
In the Premier League, Liverpool edged Everton 1–0 in the season’s final Merseyside derby. Chelsea beat Tottenham with a lone goal from Enzo Fernandez. Aston Villa also beat Nottingham Forest, with both teams still in serious contention for those last Champions League spots. Lastly, Southampton’s relegation has been confirmed after their loss to Spurs. Tough end to the season for the Saints.
Opinion
This week, I’m sharing my predictions for the remaining UCL quarterfinals.
Barcelona will likely edge out Dortmund, but it won’t be easy. The second leg at Signal Iduna Park and the Yellow Wall could shake things up.
Lastly, I see PSG vs. Aston Villa going to penalties. Both teams are attack-minded, and it’s too close to call — but I’d love to see Villa reach the semis for just the second time in their history.
