Wow – May really is going to be a sports’ fans dream, with some mouth-watering fixtures on offer, but which matches are most tempting – footie or rugby?!
London’s two biggest stadia – Wembley and Twickenham – will go head to head on two separate occasions this month with major fixtures of both the rugby and football calendars clashing.
The country’s two best rugby union sides will come face to face at 3pm on Saturday, May 25, in the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham – just hours before the whole world tunes in to watch the football’s Champions League Final at Wembley.
A fortnight earlier, on Saturday, May 11, the FA Cup Final at Wembley clashes with a weekend of International Rugby Sevens at Twickenham.
The Champions League Final is the most prestigious event in European club football – and probably the most widely watched football game on the planet. The 2013 European Cup Final will see Barcelona or last year’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich take on either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in what will be a record-breaking second Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium in three years.
Meanwhile, around eight miles south of Wembley, the biggest domestic club final in world rugby returns to a sold-out Twickenham with the two best-placed sides in the Aviva Premiership squaring off in a winner-takes-all season-ending encounter. London-based Saracens currently top the league table and look a safe bet to face Leicester, Northampton or local favourites Harlequins, last year’s winners, in the final.
The FA Cup Final on May 11 is the only game which, at the time of writing, has two confirmed opponents, promising a north-west clash between holders Manchester City and Wigan Atheletic.
Given that both sets of fans will be travelling some distance, it’s been rumoured that the scheduled 5:15pm kick-off could be brought forward to 3pm to help fans get home more easily after the match.
If that were to happen, ultimate sports fans will find it tricky to take in the day’s other major sporting events – the Marriot London Sevens at Twickenham.
This weekend – part of the HSBC Sevens World Series – is a celebration of the high-octane, fast-moving format of the game, featuring the 16 best international seven sides, and is usually played out in a carnival atmosphere at Twickenham, with many fans turning up in fancy dress.
There are four competitions in total meaning the action comes thick and fast – very much like London’s sports calendar in May.
Have fun watching, whether you’re lucky enough to bag tickets to watch these great spectacles live, or just catch it on the TV.
If you had to choose just one of these great contests to watch – which would it be?
And speaking of great TV in May (!) you can catch FootieBugs director Lee Hendrie talking to another footballing legend Paul Merson on Sky Sports’ Fantasy Football show at 10pm this Friday evening. Always worth a view!
