Welcome back to On the Continent, your amuse-bouche before a salivating weekend of European football. With no more international break interventions for the rest of the season, we’re looking at the big questions in Spain, Italy and Germany and updating you on the narrative for each league’s final act:

ii. If you’re in need of a good read today, check out our friend Rory Smith’s most recent piece on how Kansas City will welcome the World Cup this summer. Read that here. 🏆

iii. Enjoy this bit of vintage Lionel Messi in what might’ve been his last home game for the Argentina national team. Dare we say, he’s still got it? 🐐

iv. Lastly, watch Sweden manager Graham Potter (remember him?) pump up his side yesterday after they qualified for the World Cup. “This is a f*cking team,” indeed. 🇸🇪

Cheers,
Tommy Stewart, Jacob Schneider & Max Bonem

PS - This is the most amazing World Cup fact you will see this week. Shoutout to all the linguists out there. 🗣️

Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

This is the first of Atlético Madrid and Barcelona’s three matches in 10 days, and based on their wild 4-3 bout over two Copa del Rey legs last month, we’re in for some theatre. Diego Simeone’s side came out on top of that classic, rattling Hansi Flick’s men so much in their 4-0 victory at the Metropolitano, it caused “critical talks” between him and his squad. La Liga’s leaders are four points ahead of common enemy Real Madrid, but are severely weakened by lynchpin Raphinha’s hamstring injury, which could keep him out for five weeks. If Marcus Rashford wants to cement a permanent move to Barça, now is the time to prove his worth. Despite playing for both of these clubs, Antoine Griezmann has never won a La Liga title, but since announcing his move to Orlando City last week, he’ll want to sign off from this fixture with a gift to Los Colchoneros fans. 

More: Five reasons to not miss Atléti vs. Barça

Mallorca vs. Real Madrid (Saturday, 10:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Real Madrid’s 5-1 destruction of Manchester City felt like seeing an old friend back at their best, because it’s been a stop-start reign for Álvaro Arbeloa, who has played politician as much as football manager in his brief time in charge of Los Blancos. Federico Valverde was the catalyst in those matches, so his suspension leaves a hole in Madrid’s midfield that could be plugged by a returning Jude Bellingham. Martín Demichelis will be seeking vengeance on behalf of his former club, but his Mallorca side are currently consumed in a relegation scrap having only won one of their last seven.

Inter Milan vs. Roma (Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Like Italy’s national team, Inter Milan were recently humiliated by less glamorous opposition on a global scale; they’re also winless in three Serie A matches. The international break came opportunely for Cristian Chivu, who needs to quickly defibrillate the Nerazzurri’s season against Gian Gasperini’s dangerous Roma, who themselves are fighting for a first UCL spot in seven years. It’s no coincidence that Inter’s decline has coincided with an injury to captain Lautaro Martínez, but he should finally return on Sunday. 

Napoli vs. AC Milan (Monday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

The big question on a lot of minds is, “What on Earth has happened to Italian football?” and while this blockbuster is enticing, it’s also emblematic of Serie A’s decline. Napoli are champions, but they crashed out of the UCL in the first round and their plight has only been compounded by Romelu Lukaku’s refusal to return to training. Under Max Allegri, Milan are on the ascendancy, now just six points behind neighbors Inter, but they’re a shadow of Carlo Ancelotti’s multiple UCL-winning side of the 2000s. If the league is so competitive, why have the standards slipped?

More: Italian football is stuck in the past. Just like Italy itself.

SC Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Harry Kane picked up an “undisclosed injury” in England training earlier this week, news that will disturb Vincent Kompany and delight SC Freiburg manager, Julian Schuster. He has Breisgau-Brasilianer fighting on three fronts with an eighth-placed league position, a DFB-Pokal semifinal and Europa League quarterfinal to come. Even with Kane out, Bayern aren’t short on firepower because their cavalry includes two other Ballon d’Or favorites, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz, who between them have 89 goal contributions this season. If the Bavarians achieve domestic and European glory, will their best trio since Robben, Ribery and Lewandowski share the individual gold?

More: The Ballon d’Or Power Rankings

VfB Stuttgart vs. Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

While this fixture pits second against third, Borussia Dortmund are eight points ahead of Sebastian Hoeneß’s full-throttle Stuttgart outfit, who are BVB’s recent bogey side, something epitomized by last season’s 5-1 humbling. Since joining in 2023, Hoeneß has turned Die Roten from relegation fodder into UCL dwellers and DFB Cup winners, which has reportedly caught the eye of Liverpool should they part ways with Arne Slot this summer. For Dortmund boss Niko Kovač, he’ll be hoping Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy can haunt their former club.

After making a first World Cup in 28 years, Norwegian football is enjoying its moment in the sun, which is ironic given the country’s Arctic conditions mean that, unlike most of Europe, their current league campaign is only two games old. Norway’s cup competition, however, is happening twice in one season, which caused a crazy footballing conundrum for current holders Lillestrøm (seriously, give that wild situation a closer look), one they solved themselves by losing to UCL darlings Bodø/Glimt in the quarterfinals.

But why a two-cup season? The long and short is, the Football Association of Norway is changing the tournament from spring-to-winter, to an autumn-to-spring format to match the European football calendar. Usually the cup winner gets a Europa League spot, but because of this anomaly, the winners of the two cups could face each other in a playoff. If you’re still confused, watch here for a comprehensive explanation.

In typical Barcelona fashion, the Catalan club has produced another prospect that could shape the future of their program. Like Punxsutawney Phil every February, a new gem arrives each year, and Marc Bernal might just be next up. The 6’4” defensive midfielder suffered a horrible ACL injury shortly after his senior debut in 2024, but he returned to action at the start of the current campaign, and has forced his way into Hansi Flick’s starting XI with some top performances. (His first senior goal tells you everything you need to know.)

Reminiscent of the great Sergio Busquets, Bernal uses space, time and awareness to operate in the center of the pitch, and at just 18 years old, the excitement around him couldn’t be higher. With the likes of Pedri, Frenkie De Jong and Gavi around him in the Blaugrana midfield, he has everything he needs to become one of the greats.

Congratulations to last week’s winner, Carlos Calix, who was the first to correctly answer that Mario Balotelli was the last person to score for Italy in the World Cup, a record that will extend at least another four years 😬. Send us an email and we’ll get a patch sent to you in the post.

👋 We’ll see you again tomorrow. In the meantime, you can send us your stories, questions or theories about Italian football’s demise to [email protected].

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