GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, May. 20 - One point separates five Premier League teams competing for Champions League, AI scouting is offering a new avenue for young hopefuls, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.

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KEY FIXTURES

Premier League: Manchester City vs. AFC Bournemouth, 20:00 / 15:00. City have won all seven of their Premier League home games against Bournemouth – only Arsenal (10 vs Stoke) and Man Utd (8 vs Wigan) have a better 100% home win rate against an opponent in the competition. Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 20:00 / 15:00. Palace have won six of their last eight league clashes with Wolves, who have now lost two straight games, with their impressive winning streak coming to a halt. See the Premier League table here.

TV Channels: City vs Bournemouth (Sky Sports / NBC Sports)

Results…

• Premier League: Brighton 3-2 Liverpool (Report)

TOP TALKING POINTS

PL Race for Europe

One point separates five clubs battling for Champions League qualification heading into the final matchday of the Premier League season, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously on Sunday (May 25). Liverpool and Arsenal have already qualified, and three spots are remaining.

Before the weekend, Opta’s prediction model gave Newcastle a 93.9% chance of qualifying for the Champions League. That has dropped to 83.3% following their loss to Arsenal. Before playing Bournemouth, City’s qualification probability stands at 85.5%, followed by Chelsea (58.3%), Aston Villa (45.3%), and Nottingham Forest (27.6%). Sixth-placed Manchester City have a game in hand, at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday (May 20), meaning their fate is in their own hands, unlike Villa.

Of the potential candidates for qualification, only Nottingham Forest and Chelsea face each other on the final day. City travel to Fulham, Newcastle host Everton, and Villa travel to Manchester United. See every Matchday 38 fixture here. 

AI Scouting Rises

Sports technology companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will play a key role in scouting young talent, according to the Financial Times.

A startup called Footbao is leading the way with a TikTok-style platform where young players can create an online portfolio showcasing their skills. The AI acts as an initial filter for analysts and identifies profiles that meet the specific needs of partner teams. More than 100,000 players have registered for the mobile app, most in Brazil.

The technology is already having a real-world impact. Footbao recently sent five Brazilian teenagers to train with Serie A side Lecce, having been narrowed down from a pool of 2,000 applicants.

Lineker’s BBC Exit

Gary Lineker is to leave the BBC this week after apologising for amplifying online material with antisemitic connotations. The former player, who is listed as the BBC's highest-paid presenter, was scheduled to present the 2026 World Cup and next season’s FA Cup. Watch his apology here.

The 64-year-old reposted a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda. Lineker said he deleted the post when he learned about the rat’s symbolism, adding he would "never knowingly share anything antisemitic.”

Lineker’s final appearance for the BBC, after more than a quarter of a century working as a presenter, will be the last Match of the Day of the season on Sunday.

POLL

ON THE BALL

Europe

> The Ballon d’Or ceremony has been confirmed for September 22 in Paris; See the current Ballon d’Or power rankings (More)

> Manchester United will reportedly sign Matheus Cunha after this weekend as the Brazilian has agreed personal terms; the forward has a £62.5m release clause (More) | Jeremie Frimpong is set to undergo a medical at Liverpool this week as he closes in a move from Bayer Leverkusen (More)

> Napoli (home against Cagliari) and Inter (away at Como) simultaneously play on Friday (May 23) to settle the Serie A title (More)

> Ajax manager Francesco Farioli has decided to leave the club with immediate effect (More); read into Ajax’s title collapse (More)

> Dundee have sacked manager Tony Docherty following Sunday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone (More)

Americas

> Inter Miami have just one win in their last seven games, having lost 3-0 at home to Orlando City (More); MLS standings (More)

> NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman says that, following Angel City FC’s Savy King’s collapse, the league has to “learn from the experience” and acknowledged that the game should not have continued after the incident (More)

> Club America goes through to the Liga MX Clausura semi-final on away goals following their 2-1 (Agg 2-2) win against Cruz Azul; they will face Toluca FC in the final on May 22 (More)

Rest of the World

> Kashima Antlers extended their lead in Japan to four points with a 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse after second-placed Kashiwa Reysol lost 3-0 to Machida Zelvia (More)

ROUTERS’ VOICE

Yesterday’s Poll: Is the amount of money in football today good for the game, or damaging in the long run?

🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 📈 Good for the game... (16%)

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙁 Damaging... (78%)

🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (6%)

Your punditry takes:

• 📈 D.B: “More money means more growth, more markets, and more eyeballs. It’s less an issue of the overall pot and more of what product that pot buys. Too many games, tournaments, and trading is more of a concern.”

• 🙁 G.R: “The amount of money the football club generates comes off the backs of the supporters. I can see a time when ordinary fans won't be able to go to a game. As a pensioner, I have to be careful with what I spend, my season ticket was over a thousand pounds, and there are no concessions.”

• 🙁 T.S.J: “It's at a point where no amount of money can further help the game. Players are paid ridiculous salaries, and the average fan hurts because of it.”

• ✍️ D.F: “It's not the money itself that's damaging, it's the way it's distributed. It needs to filter further down the pyramid. I'd favour a ‘tax’ of 10% of transfer and wages to be placed in a big pot each September and February, to be shared equally by all teams in the division below in May and December. That way, the wealth trickles down.”

EXTRA TIME

Meet the man who dribbled a ball 2,000km.

How much is the Europa League final worth?

Szczesny doesn’t even let his son score.

Why is Ronaldo Nazario seen as the ‘devil’ by Valladolid fans?

The history of football music.

Bellingham’s Spanish is getting good.

The (long) list of PL free agents this summer.

Diego Forlan recreates the Jabulani dip.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Put these U.S. players in order of most to least appearances in the Premier League.

• Brad Guzan

• Clint Dempsey

• Brad Friedel

• Kasey Keller

• Geoff Cameron

• Tim Howard

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Premier League

• Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (20:00)

• Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth (20:00)

*All time in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.

Answer

Brad Friedel (450), Tim Howard (399), Clint Dempsey (218), Kasey Keller (201), Geoff Cameron (168), and Brad Guzan (154).

Want more? Try our daily football Wordle – guess the name of a current or former player in six tries. Play it here.