Real Madrid will be aiming to win the Copa del Rey for the 20th time tomorrow, Saturday, May 6, when they take on Osasuna, then on Sunday, the Premier League serves up a thriller as the hottest team in England, Newcastle, host the league leaders Arsenal in an eagerly anticipated showdown.

Event # 1 – SPA – Real Madrid vs Osasuna– 3:00 pm

Real Madrid are chasing two trophies at the business end of the season. Firstly, they will take on Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final in Sevilla after which they will face English giants Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final.

Indeed, Real Madrid will be confident of lifting their 20th Copa del Rey title having eliminated Barcelona in the semi-finals. This will be Real’s 40th Copa del Rey final having last lifted the trophy way back in 2014. They head into this game off the back of a 2-0 midweek loss to Real Sociedad, a result that all but handed the title to their rivals Barcelona who they trail by 14 points with five more rounds of matches to be played in the season.

Can Osasuna create the biggest upset in Spanish football in 2023? The short answer might be no — but the longer answer is that Osasuna might not have the quality needed to beat the Spanish giants. So, how did they manage to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey final? They got lucky with the ties handed to them. They defeated a few teams from the lower divisions and had to get pass struggling sides Sevilla and Real Betis. They then beat Atletico Bilbao 2-1 on aggregate and will now be aiming for their biggest scalp of the season. With that said, this will be Osasuna’s second final in the club’s history after they were beaten by Real Betis in the 2005 edition.

KEY STATS

Real Madrid – have won eight of their last 10 matches against Osasuna and have also scored in each of their last eight matches.

Osasuna – under 2.5 goals have been scored in six of Osasuna’s last eight matches in all competitions.

Both sides – Real Madrid have a 50-13 advantage against Osasuna with 18 draws in 81 matches.

The betting tip. Real Madrid win.

Event # 2 EPL – Newcastle vs Arsenal – 10:30 am

Newcastle and Arsenal will go head-to-head on Sunday. Newcastle have been flying, while Arsenal appear to have rediscovered their best form, having dispatched Chelsea 3-1 in midweek action.

Newcastle’s bid for a coveted spot in the Champions League looks more likely with each passing week, this as they dominated Southampton 2-1 at home at the weekend to remain third in the table just ahead of Manchester United. Newcastle head into this crucial match in flying form having won their last three matches since their surprise 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa. Since then, they have battered Tottenham 6-1, dispatched Everton 4-1 and strolled past Southampton 3-1 last Sunday. Based on form, Newcastle look a certainty for a top four finish with just five rounds of matches to be played.

Following their defeat to Manchester City, Arsenal returned to form with an emphatic 3-1 battering of a hapless Chelsea side at the Emirates, to jump back to the top of the standing and will be aiming to beat the on-form Newcastle side to keep their faint hopes of securing the title alive.

Arsenal have been in excellent form this season as they have gone from fifth last year to be title contenders this season. However, after leading the league for 85 per cent of the season, they have stuttered a bit in their last five matches, drawing three and being battered 4-1 by defending champions Manchester City, before dispatching Chelsea in midweek.

Newcastle will want to push for third place and end their season on a high, while Arsenal will want to pile on the pressure on Man City, so fans should be treated to a thrilling encounter on Sunday.

KEY STATS

Newcastle – have won eight of their last nine Premier League games (L1), including each of the last three by an aggregate score of 13-3. Their 18 wins overall this season is their most in a single top-flight campaign since 2011-12 (19).

Arsenal – have failed to score in their last two Premier League games against Newcastle, having scored at least once in each of their previous 18 against them (40 goals in total). Arsenal have kept 29 clean sheets against Newcastle in the Premier League — no side has kept more against a specific opponent in the competition’s history.

Both sides – Newcastle won this exact fixture 2-0 last season — not since their first three home Premier League meetings with Arsenal between 1993-94 and 1995-96 have they won consecutively at St James’ Park against them.

The betting tip. Draw with both teams scoring.