The Athletic's Friday football quiz question #53
Welcome to the 53rd edition of The Athletic's Friday quiz question.
At the end of every week, we'll serve up a poser from our vault of football conundrums. It won't be easy (unless you're really good), but what better way to head into the weekend than by giving your soccer-loving brain some exercise? Chuck it in your group chats and see who knows their stuff.
Advertisement
Oh, and there's no prize, except the quiet satisfaction of a job well done.
So, without any further delay…
Can you name the seven seasons in which multiple English clubs have won European* trophies?
(* for the purposes of quizzing, we are including the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as a European honour here)
Check back later today (Friday May 2) for the answer.
P.S. Links to the previous 51 Friday quiz questions are below.
The previous quiz questions:
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10
Question 11
Question 12
Question 13
Question 14
Question 15
Question 16
Question 17
Question 18
Question 19
Question 20
Question 21
Question 22
Question 23
Question 24
Question 25
Question 26
Question 27
Question 28
Question 29
Question 30
Question 31
Question 32
Question 33
Question 34
Question 35
Question 36
Question 37
Question 38
Question 39
Question 40
Question 41
Question 42
Question 43
Question 44
Question 45
Question 46
Question 47
Question 48
Question 49
Question 50
Question 51
Question 52
(Top image artwork: Eamonn Dalton)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
Manchester United fans' survey results: Concerns about INEOS but players to blame for terrible season
We asked, and you answered. The Athletic would like to thank all of its subscribers who took part in our Manchester United end-of-season survey. Thousands of you contributed, creating an interesting temperature check on one of the world's most significant — and newsworthy — football clubs. After United's worst season of the Premier League era, we wanted to know how fans are feeling about life in and around Old Trafford. Here are the results… Talk of the Devils listeners may be familiar with 'The Andy Mitten Standard of Quality', whereby a good United season requires a top-four league finish and a piece of silverware. Erik ten Hag was the last manager to achieve the seal of approval, finishing third in the 2022-23 season and winning the League Cup. Advertisement The majority of United subscribers believe the minimum for a successful 2025-26 would be Ruben Amorim's team qualifying for the Europa League — a position best secured with a sixth-place league finish, but which can be achieved through winning a domestic trophy. Thirty-six per cent of survey takers would like Amorim's men to do one better, saying that Champions League qualification counts as the minimum level of success. United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, 24 points off Newcastle United in fifth, the lowest Champions League spot. Amorim will be heartened to learn that The Athletic subscribers believe he might one day bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford. Thirty-eight per cent of survey entrants have faith that the head coach may one day deliver the club's 21st title, while nearly 31.6 per cent believe him capable of turning the team into Champions League competitors. And 11.5 per cent of you believe Amorim's talent ceiling stops at Europa League competition, while 11.1 per cent of subscribers believe he might one day win a cup competition. 'Six months ago, after my first three games in charge with two victories and one draw, I said to you: 'The storm is coming'. Today, after this disastrous season, I want to tell you the good days are coming,' said Amorim following the final Premier League game of 2024-25. 'If there is one club in the world that has proven in the past that it can overcome any situation, any disaster, it is our club… It is Manchester United Football Club.' Apologies to Tyrell Malacia, who enjoyed a successful six-month loan at Dutch side PSV, but The Athletic wanted to know if United fans saw a future in three of their headline loanees from 2024-25. The answer was a resounding no: 64 per cent of respondents would prefer it if Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony pursued futures away from Old Trafford. Rashford is pursuing a move to Barcelona this summer. Following some impressive performances for Real Betis, Antony prefers to continue his career in La Liga. Only three per cent of respondents wanted Sancho to continue his United career. The 25-year-old will be returning to the club — however briefly — after an agreement could not be reached over personal terms with Chelsea to make his loan move permanent. The most straightforward question of our survey got our most straightforward answer: Bruno Fernandes was voted as United's most important player in our survey. The 30-year-old was awarded a litany of individual accolades for his performances this season. Fernandes won four consecutive Player of the Month awards between February and May in 2024-25 for United. He also won United's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year (an award voted by those within the dressing room) prizes. This week, the captain explained he was happy to stay at Old Trafford, despite a lucrative offer to leave from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. Fernandes is the rare, consistent shining light at United. Amorim and others will look to build around him in the summer. Outgoings will be a major point of conversation for the club this summer, and 38.5 per cent of survey respondents said they were most comfortable selling Rashford. Rasmus Hojlund endured a difficult second season at Old Trafford, leading to 21.4 per cent of subscribers being open to the striker being sold. Advertisement Amorim informed his players that he intends to remain at the club for next season following defeat in the Europa League final. He also told Alejandro Garnacho to find a new club in front of those assembled — 18.1 per cent of respondents would be open to selling the 20-year-old. Rashford and Garnacho's status as academy graduates means their potential sales would be registered as 'pure profit' in club accounts. There is more to United than on-field performance, and that was made clear by our survey. INEOS's 18 months in charge of footballing operations have seen several concerns raised about the club via fan protests and other means. In our survey, 45 per cent of respondents were concerned about the redundancies made under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his leadership group. United confirmed in February that they were set to make 150 to 200 redundancies as part of wider cost-cutting measures, following the 250 layoffs made the previous summer. It is understood that 450 members of staff have left since Ratcliffe completed his minority purchase in February 2024. Just over 19 per cent of participants expressed discomfort over INEOS's decision-making over head coaches: £21million ($28.4m) has been spent on renewing and dismissing Ten Hag, before hiring Amorim. Just over 15 per cent of you are concerned by INEOS's dealings in the transfer market. This summer will represent another opportunity for player trading, this time with Jason Wilcox operating as the club's director of football. And 14.8 per cent of you expressed 'Other' as your leading concern under INEOS. Please inform and elaborate on that topic through the comment section below, especially if the topic is ticket prices. There were split opinions over INEOS's running of the club within our survey, but the majority of answers voiced displeasure at INEOS's handling of Manchester United: 18.2 per cent of correspondents believe the minority investors to be performing at a five out of 10 level. A combined 62.9 per cent of respondents graded Ratcliffe and his executive group at a four out of 10 level or below. Advertisement A disappointing league campaign, defeat in the Europa League final will have played a role in INEOS's changed perspective in the public eye. Frustration over rising ticket prices, and the reception to the proposed new 100,000-seater stadium illustrate the difficult needle Ratcliffe and others are trying to thread. The Athletic's 2024-25 season review gave Amorim a three out of 10 grade for his 42 matches in charge. Our survey was a bit more charitable. Just over 24 per cent of respondents have the head coach a five out of 10 rating for his work from November to May. He strikes a confident and charismatic tone in press conferences and one-on-one interviews, but his adherence to a bespoke 3-4-3 tactical shape has caused frustration within some sections of the fanbase. Despite the low scoring, United fans would ideally like to give Amorim time to reshape the squad to his liking, rather than call for his immediate dismissal. Amorim himself will hope for a positive summer and start to 2025-26 to win any naysayers back onside. Nearly 50 per cent of subscribers believed the biggest issue affecting United came from player performance. One can look into how the current squad came to be and whether they are playing a style of football best suited for them. One can also look at the Premier League table and come to the much shorter conclusion that the team underperformed. Something that is reiterated by our final question. Close to 90 per cent of respondents believed the side performed 'way below expectations', with only 1.6 per cent believing United performed as expected. 'The reflection of the coach is the league,' said Amorim to TNT Sports following United's Europa League comeback victory over Lyon at Old Trafford. 'You can be good in European games, but your reflection as a team is the league. We are underperforming, but then you have to see the context. You can see that we lack a lot of characteristics in our team.' Advertisement Everyone involved in Manchester United will have to work hard to address the missing characteristics. One survey cannot encapsulate the totality of a club as huge as United, but the overall message from our respondents is clear: things need to improve. And quickly.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Spain vs France – Predicted lineup and team news
Spain take on France in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League this evening. The European champions and current Nations League holders face France in Stuttgart, with the winners to meet Portugal in Sunday's final. Advertisement It's the first meeting between the teams since Euro 2024, when La Roja eliminated France in the last four on route to tournament success. Luis de la Fuente's side will be aiming for a repeat, as the Spanish look to maintain their status as Europe's finest. Spain vs France – Predicted lineup and team news Spain team news La Roja remain without Rodri, who missed the majority of the 2024/25 campaign with an ACL injury. The Ballon d'Or winner returned during the Premier League run-in but will remain with Manchester City as he steps up his fitness ahead of the Club World Cup. There are returns to the squad for Isco and Gavi after long absences, with the former in contention to make his first international appearance since 2019. The veteran impressed as part of the Real Betis side that reached the Europa Conference League final. Advertisement Elsewhere, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres is ruled out after undergoing surgery last month. Dean Huijsen is back involved, with the newly-signed Real Madrid defender hoping to add to his two senior caps. Spain predicted lineup Spain predicted XI: Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Le Normand, Cucurella; Zubimendi, Pedri, Ruiz; Yamal,N. Williams; Morata. When is Spain vs France? Spain face France in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League on Thursday 5th June 2025. Kick-off in Stuttgart is 20:00 BST. What TV channel is Spain vs France? Viewers can watch the Nations League match live on Amazon Prime, with coverage of the game available to watch on pay-per-view for £2.49. Advertisement Read – Five international debuts to look out for this month See more – The Premier League transfer stories to watch this week Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Confirmed lineups: Mainz vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Sitting in sixth place, Mainz head into the final matchday of the season against dethroned champions Bayer Leverkusen with the aim of securing a European spot. With just about an hour to go before kick-off at MEWA Arena, the lineups have been announced and can be seen below. Confirmed Mainz vs. Bayer Leverkusen lineups: Mainz: Zentner – da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen – Caci, Kaishu, Amiri, Mwene – Nebel, Burkardt, Lee. Bayern Leverkusen: Hrádecký – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié – Tella, Palacios, Aleix García, Grimaldo – Hofmann, Schick, Wirtz
