The stakes are high at all ends of the table in the big five European leagues this weekend.
Title races, relegation battles and competitions for European spots will be front and center all weekend, starting on Friday.
Sevilla, Union Berlin and Strasbourg all need points at home to feel more comfortable about their respective standings in the hunt for European football next season.
Sevilla and Union Berlin have relatively easy matchups at home, while Strasbourg takes on PSG. That may not be as daunting as usual since the Parisians wrapped up the Ligue 1 title.
In the Premier League, Watford and Burnley face off in the relegation race, while Everton welcomes Chelsea to Goodison Park.
No one would suggest to bet Everton on the money line right now, except for me, because of the circumstances surrounding the match.
The Serie A title race will capture our attention on Sunday, with both AC Milan and Inter in good spots to win and keep pressure on each other.
Soccer Selections
Overall Record: 124-138
Union Berlin (-1.5) vs. Greuther Furth (Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET)
Union Berlin is one of the best in-form squads in the Bundesliga.
The sixth-placed side in the German top flight enters Friday on a four-game winning streak, with three of those victories coming against teams in the top 10.
Union welcomes Greuther Furth on Friday afternoon in a game that should get lopsided. Furth is 0-3-12 on the road in league play and it allowed multiple goals in all but two of those contests.
Furth played better in its last two road games, but it will be tough for it to score against a team in form and that has conceded 14 goals in 15 home league matches.
Union Berlin also need a win to keep itself in the UEFA Europa League spots and to make a late push for the Champions League positions.
Sevilla (-165) vs. Cadiz (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)
Sevilla is tied with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for the most home points in La Liga this season.
Sevilla comes into Friday with a six-point edge over Real Betis between third and fifth, so its UEFA Champions League berth is not completely wrapped up yet.
Cadiz resides on the opposite end of the La Liga table, and while it needs a win to feel more comfortable in the relegation race, it faces a significant mismatch on its travels.
Sevilla’s needs and overall quality outweigh Cadiz’s desperation in this matchup.
Strasbourg vs. PSG (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)
Strasbourg Double Chance (-110)
PSG secured the Ligue 1 title last week, so it has very little to play for on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Strasbourg has everything to play for in terms of its European hopes for next season.
Strasbourg comes into the weekend in sixth place with a two-point gap on Lens for the final European berth out of Ligue 1.
Strasbourg is 10-4-3 at home in league play this season with a +17 goal differential and it could catch PSG sleep walking through its first match since the title clinching.
Watford vs. Burnley (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
Over 2.5 Goals (+105)
Watford-Burnley is one of the most important games in Europe this weekend.
Burnley used two straight wins to move up to 17th place with 31 points, two ahead of 18th-place Everton.
Watford sits in 19th place with 22 points and it is on a four-game losing streak at the moment.
Watford conceded multiple goals in each of those defeats and Burnley is playing with more confidence since it fired Sean Dyche.
Both teams need a victory to help out their survival fights, and I think we see some end-to-end action driven from that desperation.
Everton (+400) vs. Chelsea (Sunday. 9 a.m. ET)
If Everton wants to show any life in the relegation battle, it must do it on Sunday.
The Toffees are 7-2-7 on home soil, which is the best home mark in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Everton did not play terribly against Liverpool last week and it catches Chelsea on short rest after the Blues played on Thursday against Manchester United.
Everton needs a result on Sunday to ensure that it can take advantage of the game in hand it holds on Burnley in the fight to finish in 17th place.
Serie A Parlay
AC Milan/Inter ML (+153)
The two Milan clubs are in a fight for the Serie A title.
AC Milan can beat Fiorentina on Sunday morning to put pressure on Inter to take down Udinese in the afternoon.
AC Milan is 10-4-3 inside the San Siro in league play this season and it conceded just 12 times in that stretch.
The Rossoneri should come away with three points over Fiorentina to create a temporary gap of five points.
Inter needs to bounce back from a surprising loss to Bologna and it should have the motivation possible to down Udinese and keep the title gap at two points at the end of the weekend.