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Last week was memorable because football fans had the opportunity to witness several matches that with their intensity, emotions, and unpredictable outcomes made millions of enthusiasts around the world experience what football is and why this branch of sport is the most popular in the world. The upcoming week is preparing an equally intriguing list of matches.
2013.04.14, Sunday
18:00. FA Cup of England, Semifinal: London's "Chelsea" - "Manchester City"
This will be a semifinal that could be compared to a final. The winner of this match will have a great opportunity to win this year's FA Cup, as in the other semifinal pair, the teams are clearly inferior to the big four teams in terms of chances and composition.
One of them - "Wigan Athletic" - is currently in 18th place in the Premier League and is fighting for survival. Meanwhile, the other semifinal participant London's "Millwall" is in 16th place in the English Championship, which is the second most powerful league.
21:45. Italy's "Serie A": "Milan" (3rd place) - "Napoli" (2nd place)
Last five league match results: "Milan" - 4 wins and 1 draw; "Napoli" - 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.
Italy has 2 guaranteed spots in the next year's UEFA Champions League tournament, and the team finishing in third place will have to participate in the qualifiers. Obviously, neither "Milan" nor "Napoli" would want to risk not entering the main tournament.
On Sunday, the fashion capital's team will have a great opportunity to reduce the gap from "Napoli" to just 1 point and thus strengthen their chances to take the second place in Serie A. Milan's recent game has been pleasing and it reflects in the number of points the team has accumulated. A few months ago, the team was in the middle of the table, and many thought this season would be catastrophic for the club. However, everything drastically changed, and Milan returned to their usual top tier.
"Napoli" was breathing down "Juventus'" neck for a while, but it seems that now the team should concentrate on securing the second place in Serie A, as winning the Italian champions title can be very challenging.
2013.04.15, Monday
21:45. Italy's "Serie A": Rome's "Lazio" (5th place) - Turin's "Juventus" (1st place)
Last five league match results: "Lazio" - 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses; "Juventus" - 4 wins and 1 draw.
It will be interesting to see which team will better cope with the physical demands and emotionally painful exits from European tournaments. Turin's "Juventus" is not comparable to Munich's "Bayern", who secured the title of German Bundesliga champions before the match with the Italians. "Lazio" failed to get revenge at home against Istanbul's "Fenerbahce" and withdrew from the Europa League tournament.
In terms of the league table, this match is more important to the hosts "Lazio," who are fighting for a place in next year's Europa League tournament. Lately, the team's results have not been encouraging, which cannot be said about "Juventus," who is determined to win another "Scudetto."
2013.04.16, Tuesday
21:45. England's Premier League: London's "Arsenal" (5th place) - Liverpool's "Everton" (6th place)
Last five league match results: "Arsenal" - 4 wins and 1 loss; "Everton" - 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.
Both teams have recently had to step up their game and demonstrate much better form than before. The reason for this is their participation in the 2013/2014 UEFA Champions League tournament. "Arsenal" has been participating in it without a break since the 1998/1999 season and certainly would not want to end this impressive streak, which in duration is only surpassed by Madrid's "Real" and "Manchester United."
Everton's chances of entering the coveted tournament are much slimmer, but a victory in London would greatly enhance them. Moreover, their closest competitor, London's "Tottenham Hotspur," has played fewer matches.
Looking at the remaining 7 rounds of both teams' fixtures, we can highlight "Arsenal's" match at home against "Manchester United," while "Everton" still has 2 tough away games against "Liverpool" and London's "Chelsea."
2013.04.17, Wednesday
21:45. Italy's cup "Coppa Italia, semifinal: Milan's "Inter" - "Roma"
The first match ended with a victory for "Roma" 2:1.
Both teams in Italy's Serie A this year are somewhat unusually not fighting for the champions' title, so the Italian Cup is the only chance to win something this season and thus delight their fans and club officials.
The hosts Milan's "Inter" have an away goal in their account, but failing to score themselves, "Roma" will advance to the final. Injuries to players should be a concern for "Inter." Striker Antonio Cassano, who was injured in the match against Bergamo's "Atalanta," and the team's top scorer, Argentine Milton Palacio, who strained a muscle during training, will surely not be able to help the team.
There are also question marks over some other players, so "Roma" has a great opportunity to take advantage of the opponents' absences and advance to the final, where the eternal rival - the same city's "Lazio" is waiting. Just imagine a final for the Italian Cup between two capital teams.
