Tribal Football

Editors' Picks: Title deciders in England and Turkey plus a historic heavyweight bout

Finley Crebolder, Tolga Akdeniz, Pat Dempsey
Will Manchester City be crowned Premier League champions again on Sunday?
Will Manchester City be crowned Premier League champions again on Sunday?AFP, Flashscore
The Premier League is set for an epic climax this weekend and that's not the only league title that could be decided. Apart from football, big things are happening in the worlds of golf and boxing, too.

Here is what our editors are watching this weekend.

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Saturday, May 18th

PGA Championship - all weekend

The second golf major of the season will be well underway by the time the weekend comes around with this year's PGA Championship, held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, starting on Thursday and finishing on Sunday.

World number one Scottie Scheffler enters it as the big favourite having won his second Masters last month but will face stiff competition from reigning champion Brooks Koepka, who also won it in 2018 and 2019, and world number two Rory McIlroy, who heads to Louisville in fine form.

The Northern Irishman has won the last two tournaments he's competed in, the Zurich Classic and the Wells Fargo Championship, so will fancy his chances of finally ending his 10-year major drought, which began after he claimed victory at Valhalla in 2014.

With Tiger Woods also competing and Ludvig Aberg looking to establish himself as the sport's next big thing, there are enough storylines to keep you thoroughly entertained all the way through to the climax late on Sunday night.

Finley Crebolder

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk - 23:59 CET

Back in 1999, Lennox Lewis was the last man to become undisputed heavyweight champion and be crowned the greatest boxer of his generation. Twenty-five years on, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will have the chance to write their name in the history books and rank amongst the greats when they face off in a fight of seismic proportions in Saudi Arabia.

The unbeaten Fury was initially seen as the favourite going into this fight due to his height and weight advantage. However, an underwhelming performance in his victory against Francis Ngannou has left many experts questioning whether that is still the case. 

The fight was initially scheduled to take place back in February but had to be postponed after Fury suffered a cut above his eye. A few months later, 'The Gypsy King' comes into fight week laser-focused and looking extremely fit, which is usually an ominous sign for his opponents. A mentally ready Fury is often too good for any of his dance partners.

But Usyk, another unbeaten fighter, has all the skills and technical ability to trouble Fury. An undisputed cruiserweight champion, the Ukrainian took the step up to heavyweight, and settled in with no issues whatsoever, beating two-time champion Anthony Joshua twice.

The two best and most skilled fighters are finally set to go to war. There can only be one winner on one of the biggest nights of boxing in decades.

Tolga Akdeniz

Sunday, May 19th

Premier League final round - 17:00 CET

If you don’t know what’s happening in the Premier League title race then you’ve been living under a proverbial rock! But here’s the picture going into the final round: Manchester City will win a record-breaking fourth-consecutive top-flight title if they beat West Ham on Sunday. If they don’t win and Arsenal beat Everton, the title goes to the Gunners.

As always, all 10 matches in the final round will be played simultaneously from 17:00 CET. Relegation is all but settled, Luton can only escape the drop if they win and Nottingham Forest lose but the Hatters must also overturn a massive deficit in goal difference, needing an unlikely 12-goal swing. The top four are also settled, leaving just the other European places at stake aside from the title.

Tottenham are in fifth spot (ensuring Europa League qualification) but could lose it to Chelsea if they lose and the Blues win. If Chelsea lose, however, Newcastle could pip them to sixth and a Conference League spot (or Europa League depending on the outcome of the FA Cup final) but they would have to win. Manchester United are mathematically in the race for sixth and seventh still but have the worst goal difference by some distance. None of those teams play each other.

Full standings
Full standingsFlashscore

Despite all those interesting permutations, it’s very hard to imagine watching anything other than the title-deciding fixtures this Sunday. It’s going to be a proper two-screen afternoon and who knows, there might just be another twist in this season’s tail yet.

See all the fixtures here.

Pat Dempsey

Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce - 18:00 CET

Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce is a contest usually exciting enough purely due to the fierce rivalry and hatred between the clubs, but this time there are far more than just bragging rights on the line.

With just two games left of the Turkish Super Lig season, defending champions Galatasaray sit six points ahead of Fenerbahce, and are putting together a historic season with one of the strongest squads ever assembled in Turkey.

Okan Buruk's side currently have 99 points - the highest number ever accumulated in a league season. They will have their eyes firmly on crossing the 100-point barrier. They have also won a staggering 17 games in a row - another record.

Winning a record-extending 24th Super Lig title against their Istanbul rivals would be the perfect way to cap off a superb season for Galatasaray.

But Fenerbahce won't take it lying down. They are having a pretty good league campaign themselves. 93 points is no mean feat.

But they have simply struggled to keep up with the relentless pace of Galatasaray, dropping four points in their last four games. Their only option is to win this weekend and pray that their opponents lose their final match of the season.

Super Lig standings
Super Lig standingsFlashscore

The atmosphere is bound to be electric in one of the most thrilling and entertaining derbies in world football. With the likes of Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens and Dusan Tadic on show, it's a clash you'll not want to miss.

Tolga Akdeniz