Weekend Boxset: Back to Wembley

By Graham Sibley May 16, 2025

Weekend Boxset: Back to Wembley

How do you fancy six solid hours of football before the Cup Final?

Seven great matches to take you from Friday to Sunday. It’s the last Sound of Football Weekend Boxset of 2024/25.

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All times are UK

Friday

League Two play-off semi-final 2nd leg: Walsall v Chesterfield (2-0)

20.00 on Sky Sports Football
The West Midlands side go into tonight’s game with a two-goal advantage following their 2-0 win in a lively first leg tie. If this game is anything like the first, you’re in for an entertaining evening. The scoreline could easily have been 3-0 to either side, or even 3-3. For the home side, the play-offs represent an opportunity to rescue their season after a disastrous run of games. Walsall were eight-points clear at the top of the league in late February when they began a thirteen-match winless run which saw them drop into the play-offs. A poor run of three losses in five in the previous month was an ominous preview of what was to come as the Saddlers contrived to ruin their own campaign. Tonight they host last season’s National League champions, Chesterfield, who were as low as fourteenth as recently as early March. Something changed for the Spireites, who went on a run which saw them lose just once before clinching a play-off place on the final day with a 1-0 win at Acrrington. The winner that day was scored by none other than Mr Will Grigg who has been doing his thing at the Derbyshire club for the last couple of seasons. His twenty-four goals last season fired Chesterfield to the National League title and twelve this term helped them to the play-offs. Ability and experience like this counts in crunch games; indeed, Walsall’s defence should be terrified. Not just because of Grigg, but form is not on the Saddlers’ side: they’ve not won at home in their last six, losing four. Meanwhile, Chesterfield have taken maximum points in four of their last six games on the road. This sets us up for quite the showdown. Away win, and a belter of a game. JB

Saturday

A-League semi-final 1st leg: Melbourne Victory v Auckland City

10.35 on TNT Sports 4
Depending on where you sit on the subject of post-seasons finals, this is either a classic Australian tradition that keeps the excitement of the season alive until the grand climax or a gross injustice that diminishes the regular season result. When it’s a tight title race for the Premier’s Plate (topping the league table to you and me) there’s some logic to a post season set of playoffs. But when you get a team as dominant as Auckland have been this season, it would be more than a tad unfair if the New Zealanders don’t end up lifting the title at the end of their debut season. Steve Corica’s team flew out of the blocks and have rarely looked like relinquishing their lead at the top of the table and would be rightly seen as worthy champions. But this is the A League, and there’s a high probability than Auckland could “do a Wanderers”. The Western Sydney side blew the competition away in their competition debut but couldn’t finish the job in the final. And Melbourne Victory will be more than happy to be spoilers-in-chief, having knocked out Graham Arnold’s all-conquering Sydney side in the semi finals in 2018 and did a thoroughly professional job to dump out Western Sydney Wanderers in Parramatta last weekend. They’ll need to be at their best to overcome Auckland though and you suspect that if Victory are to advance to the Grand Final, they’ll need to take a lead back over the ditch for the second leg. If Arthur Diles’ team can snatch an early goal, this could be a very tense match. GA

League Two play-off semi-final 2nd leg: AFC Wimbledon v Notts County (1-0)

12.30 on Sky Sports Plus
No team wants to be knocked out one game away from Wembley, but regardless of the result in this League Two play-off semi, both Wimbledon and County will be able to look back on the season with a degree of satisfaction. For the Magpies, this keeps their upwards trajectory after a demoralising four season stint in non-league. After re-acclimatising to League Two last season, Stuart Maynard’s team recruited smartly and the result is League One is within touching distance. But they’ll have to be at their very best to see off a Wimbledon team who carry a one goal advantage into the second leg, especially with what should be a very boisterous Plough Lane crowd that isn’t used to seeing their side lose. Johnnie Jackson’s side of lower league journeymen has clicked perfectly this season, and have a good record against County. Matthew Stevens may not have scored in the first leg but, with 17 goals this season, will fancy writing his name in Dons folklore, while ex-Magpie Jake Reeves has been fine form in the middle of the park. There’s plenty of Narrative in South West London but play-offs have their own habit of upsetting the storyline. It’s hard to look beyond Wimbledon but don’t write off County. This could be a tight, fun match with extra time a real possibility. GA

Bundesliga: Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt

14.30 on Sky Sports Plus
This is one of nine Bundesliga matches to be screened across Sky Sports on Saturday afternoon. We’ve selected this one as it could prove to be a play-off for a Champions League spot. Frankfurt in third have a two-point advantage over their hosts in fourth place. The third team in this game (if you take my meaning) is Borussia Dortmund in fifth place and one point behind Freiburg and three behind Frankfurt. So, a win for Borussia against relegated Kiel could mean that either of these teams could miss out on the Big Show next season. Of course, Dortmund are not averse to unexpected last game upsets but the smart money is on a BVB win, a positive result is needed to be sure. For Freiburg, a top four finish would be a remarkable achievement in their first season under new coach Julian Schuster. Despite the misgivings of Bundesliga Coefficient enjoyers, Freiburg’s first appearance in the Champions League would be a fitting reward for this fan owned club that does most things right. Frankfurt are regulars in European competition and victory would be fully deserved. Dino Topmoller’s side have done very well to stay in contention after losing striker Omar Marmoush in the winter. It helps when you have another top draw striker to fall back on. Frenchman Hugo Ekitike has found the back of the net 15 times this campaign and the chances of Eintracht keeping him for next season will depend on whether he can find a sixteenth. If Champions League place contention is too gauche for you then Heidenheim v Bremen and Hoffenheim v Bayern will have implications for the relegation playoff. TD

FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace v Manchester City

16.30 on BBC One & iPlayer, ITV1, STV and ITVX
One of the many advantages Manchester City have over their opponents is experience of the occasion. This is the third consecutive trip to Wembley for the final and their fourth since Pep Guardiola became manager in 2016 which was the last time Palace played in a final, losing to Manchester United in extra time. But while City may be regulars under the Arch, they are not always victors. Watford capitulated in 2019 as City ran rampant, 6-0 win. Two years ago, they beat Manchester United 2-1 but lost last season by the same scoreline in an unlikely result for Erik ten Hag’s United. That result foreshadowed what has been a difficult season for Guardiola’s team. City have probably salvaged a Champions League place but this final is their only chance of silverware. Uppermost in Pep’s mind will be their most recent encounter with Palace, last April. City won 5-2 but the game was far from comfortable. Palace took a 2-0 lead and looked to be in control until a reckless challenge by Daichi Kamada allowed Kevin de Bruyne to get his team back in the game. This is the source of optimism for Palace manager Oliver Glasner as he ponders how to overcome the favourites for this match. It goes without saying that a win for Palace would be a pivotal moment in the club’s history, immortalising those who bring it about. With so much at stake, Glasner’s task will be to keep his players focussed on the game rather than the occasion. Something they did with great effect against Villa in the semi-final. TD

Sunday

Women’s FA Cup Final: Chelsea v Manchester United

13.30 on BBC One & iPlayer
Even though she took over a side that had won five consecutive WSL titles, it has been a remarkable first season in charge for Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor. Victory today would not only seal a second domestic treble for the club, it would also be an unbeaten domestic season. That of course makes them strong favourites for this match but United are the holders and this is their third consecutive Wembley final. Given what has been going on behind the scenes at Old Trafford, it has been a remarkable season for Marc Skinner’s United side. Having lost high-profile players like Alessia Russo, Mary Earps and Katie Zelem and seemingly not in the thoughts of new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it would have been easy for the side to slip into the congested mid-table of the WSL, simply fighting to be the “best of the rest”. They had already secured Champions League football next season before last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal, ending the season on a four game winless run but had done enough to hold on to third. The odds are against United but Ella Toone does love a goal at Wembley. GS

Serie A: Inter v Lazio

19.45 on TNT Sports 2 & OneFootball
It’s the penultimate round of fixtures in Serie A, and this being Italy everyone is kicking off at the same time. Everything is still to play for, and this round of fixtures could have more drama than the final day next weekend, with six of the top nine teams facing each other. In the title race, Inter were given a lifeline last weekend when Napoli dropped points at home to a Genoa side in their infraditi. Simone Inzaghi’s side still trail by a point so they need a win here to maintain the pressure on the 2023 winners. Lazio have ambitions of their own, chasing the fourth and final Champions League spot but having the disadvantage of an inferior head-to-head record against all the sides fighting for that spot - Juventus, Bologna and Roma. TNT viewers can choose to see how Napoli get on at Parma, who have yet to guarantee top flight football next season. OneFootball viewers have the choice of all the games in this round. The relegation fight is even tighter than the title race with just a point keeping Venezia above the dotted line over Empoli and Lecce. There’s every possibility that the season could end in play-offs at either or both ends of the table. GS

Whatever you watch, have a great summer.

Graham, Terry, Jan and Gary