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The 2024/25 elite European football season has reached the point of the campaign where silverware is won. In both England and France, the league titles have already been wrapped up, with both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain romping to Premier League and Ligue 1 glory, respectively. Bayern Munich and Barcelona look set to follow in their footsteps, while Inter Milan and Napoli’s Serie A title fight looks set to go down to the wire.
In each country’s domestic cup competitions, though, it’s a different story entirely. The aforementioned Barca have indeed just claimed the Copa Del Rey with a thrilling victory against arch-rivals Real Madrid in Seville. However, only PSG out of the rest of the continent’s league champions will feature in an upcoming final.
Here, we will be previewing all four of the mouthwatering encounters upcoming, and choosing our picks as to which team will end the season with silverware.
FA Cup Final – Manchester City vs Crystal Palace
Manchester City’s 2024/25 season has been an unmitigated disaster. They headed into the campaign as the reigning Premier League champions, having won the league in each of the last four seasons.
However, their title defense couldn’t have gone any worse, and their sole remaining chance of silverware comes in the upcoming FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, a game which sports betting sites make the Blues a huge favorite to win. The latest from Bovada’s sport betting odds price City as a 2/5 favorite to lift the trophy at Wembley, with their London opponents priced at 2/1. And honestly, it’s hard to look past Pep Guardiola’s men.
Admittedly, they have had a difficult season, to say the very least. The early season-ending injury to talismanic midfielder Rodri proved more debilitating than anyone could have imagined. That triggered them to throw away three-goal leads against the likes of Feyenoord, as well as lose to domestic rivals Manchester United, on home turf no less.
Man City blew a 3-0 lead in the final 15 minutes to finish with a 3-3 draw vs Feyenoord 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/4X5giAsLog
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) November 26, 2024
However, the Blues have bounced back in recent weeks. They look set to secure a spot in the top five and qualify for the Champions League next season, and their recent come-from-behind 5-2 victory against Crystal Palace at the Etihad shows that they have enough about them to see off the Eagles’ challenge.
Coupe de France – PSG vs Stade Reims
Over in France, the domestic cup has been a wild ride this season. Two fourth-tier sides made it through to the quarter-finals, namely Stade Briochin and Cannes, with the latter of that duo going on to reach the final four. There, they met Stade Reims, and they were in with a chance of reaching the final until a Maltese midfielder bagged a second-half winner for the Ligue 1 side and secured their spot in the final instead.
PSG, unquestionably French football’s dominant force, had a similarly difficult time in the semifinals. They met second-tier outfit Dunkerque, and found themselves 2-0 down after 27 minutes. As one might expect from a powerhouse such as the Parisians, the giants rallied, winning 4-2 and securing their spot in the final for the second straight year.
We expect Luis Enrique’s men to flex their muscles and win this one comfortably. PSG are in the hunt for a famous treble this term as they’re also through to the Champions League semi-finals in addition to the Ligue 1 crown they have already won. While Reims will be excited for their big day out, they could well be humbled on the grandest stage.
DFB Pokal – RB Leipzig vs Arminia Bielefeld
Last season, second-tier Kaiserslautern shocked the world as they reached the German Cup final against all odds. This year, another second division outfit has reached the Berlin showpiece in the form of Arminia Bielefeld, defeating reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals. Unfortunately for them, they will come up against an RB Leipzig side that won back-to-back DFB Pokals in 2022 and 2023, and it’s the East Germans that have been made a huge 1/4 favorite to make it three crowns in four seasons.
However, the Red Bulls have flattered to deceive this season. Despite boasting talented young superstars such as Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons, Leipzig finds themselves down in fifth place in the Bundesliga table, and a recent 4-0 drubbing away at Eintracht Frankfurt has ensured that their campaign will end with a whimper.
Bielefeld will take hope from that. They are currently in second place in the 2. Bundesliga and are just one victory away from promotion. They are certainly the form team, and while they don’t have the superstars of their more illustrious opponents, they have plenty of momentum. Here, we could well see an almighty upset; don’t be surprised to see a German Cup winner from outside of the top flight for the first time since 1992.
Coppa Italia – AC Milan vs Bologna
AC Milan ended cross-city rivals Inter Milan’s treble hopes when they defeated them in the semifinal of the Coppa Italia. Now, they meet a Bologna side that will be appearing in its first cup final since 1974. And while the Rossoneri are the more recognizable name, it’s the Emilia-Romagna outfit that is the form team.
Bologna have recently beaten both Inter Milan and Lazio in recent weeks and are currently in with a shot of qualifying for the Champions League for the second straight year. They are a 6/5 underdog to lift the trophy for the third time in their history, and we can see them upsetting the odds when the two heavyweights meet at the Stadio Olimpico.
