Julius OkorieFuneral of the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is no doubt the biggest issue across the globe today.
The football loving pope did not only touch lives winning souls for Christ and speaking for the down trodden and the voiceless, he also took time to relate with top players of the round leather game.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe likes of Late Diego Maradona and World Cup winner, Lionel Messi from his country Argentina, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola and many other top footballers had the opportunity of meeting with the pope during his 12 year reign as head of the Catholic Church.
His love for his hometown Argentinian club San Lorenzo is legendary. In Tribute to the pope all La liga matches scheduled for today have been postponed and will now be played on May 4th and 5th respectively.
But for those who are still eager to have some dose of soccer action today, the Copa Del Rey final in Sevilla is perhaps the place to have a look in as Barcelona take on Real Madrid.
READ ALSO:Copa del Rey: How Barcelona, Atletico Madrid Thrilled Fans With Goals
Barcelona are the highest winners of the Copa Del Rey with 31 titles in the kitty while eyeing the 32nd title. They have also been runners up 11 times.
As for Real Madrid, they have won the title 20 times and finished as runners up 20 times. Madrid will therefore be eyeing their 21st title, so safe to say that both teams are veterans of this championship and the contest today will be full be full of fireworks.
Away from the Copa Del Rey, the first semifinal of the FA Cup between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa will be taking place at Wembley with the second semi-final clash between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City billed for Sunday April 27.
The fact that Aston Villa have failed to win any of their last four games against Crystal Palace, conceding 13 goals in the process makes today’s semi-final all the more intriguing, as Emery’s men may ordinarily edge this battle on paper. That is not to say that the Lions will be easy prey.
Either Nottingham Forest or Manchester City will be standing in the victor’s way of stardom, which Palace are yet to achieve in the prestigious competition, while the Villans are bidding to reach final number 12
Twice before Crystal Palace have contested an FA Cup final, and twice they fell to the superiority of Manchester United, firstly suffering heartbreak in the 1990 edition following a replay and then being subjected to extra-time misery against the Red Devils 26 years later.
However, the third time may just be the charm for the capital outfit, who have taken down Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall and most recently Fulham en route to the home of English football, impressively slaying the latter 3-0 in the last eight
If the Eagles’ FA Cup semi-final history is anything to go by, the Palace army have every reason to be optimistic; their side have alternated between defeats and wins in their previous five matches at this stage of the tournament, most recently losing to Chelsea in 2022, suggesting that victory is on the cards if that trend is to continue.
While it is FA Cup or bust for Crystal Palace, the Lions cannot afford to prioritise one competition over the other at this late stage, but a stellar 17-game scoring sequence across all competitions is aiding their quest on both fronts.
Vengeance will also be firmly on the minds of Emery’s side, who were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Crystal Palace earlier this season and also suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at Selhurst Park as recently as February, further raising the stakes for a captivating Wembley contest.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
