Cup finals to the fore

The European club competition season may have drawn to a close on Wednesday with AC Milan's success in the UEFA Champions League final, but there is still plenty of silverware to be handed out across the continent this weekend, with cup finals taking centre stage.

UEFA Cup spots
After defeating Juventus FC at Old Trafford, Milan are on course to win the Italian Cup, having established a 4-1 first-leg lead against AS Roma ahead of Saturday's return at the San Siro. The Roman club will qualify for the UEFA Cup irrespective of the result, while the winners of the French Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain FC and AJ Auxerre will join them in the first-round draw.

Lowly finish
Both clubs are desperate to win the Stade de France showpiece. PSG finished a lowly eleventh in Ligue 1, their worst finish since 1988, and coach Luis Fernandez is hopeful of ending his spell at the Parc des Princes with a first trophy since 1998 prior to being replaced by Vahid Halilhodzic. Lionel Potillon and Frédéric Déhu are doubts for PSG and Auxerre may have a psychological edge after defeating the Parisians 2-0 on the final day of the season to finish sixth.

'Sparring partners'
The Olympiastadion in Berlin will host the German Cup final, where champions FC Bayern München are looking to repeat their double successes of 1969, 1986 and 2000 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Like Roma, Kaiserslautern are assured a place in Europe, but coach Eric Gerets will not settle for that. "We want to win the cup," he said. "We're not going to Berlin to do some shopping or to act as sparring partners."

'Huge blow'
Bayern won their 18th title with four games to spare, ending the season 13 places and 35 points clear of their final opponents. Sebastian Deisler will miss the final with 'flu and Claudio Pizarro and Zé Roberto are both doubtful. Robert Kovac, Roque Santa Cruz, Hasan Salihamidzic and Alexander Zickler are also missing, while Kaiserslautern will be without Ciriaco Sforza. "It's a huge blow," said Gerets.

'Amazing season'
Rangers FC are also looking to add the domestic cup to the their league crown against Dundee FC on Saturday, though the Glasgow club have also won the Scottish League Cup this season. "If we do it, it will have been an amazing season," said manager Alex McLeish. Bundesliga champions FK Austria Wien meet FC Kärnten in the Austrian Cup final on Sunday, the same day that Feyenoord tackle FC Utrecht in the Dutch Cup. If Utrecht win they will qualify for the UEFA Cup, defeat will open the door for Roda JC.

Title deciders
The Swiss and Israeli championships will be decided on Saturday. Grasshopper-Club will win the Nationalliga if they beat BSC Young Boys, though FC Basel would be champions if Grasshoppers slipped up and they beat Neuchâtel Xamax FC. "We have to hold our nerve," said Grasshoppers coach Marcel Koller. The triumphant team will claim Switzerland's berth in Champions League qualifying.

Tight finish
In Israel, Maccabi Tel-Aviv are looking to clinch their first championship in seven years. Tel-Aviv lead Maccabi Haifa on goal difference going into the final day and their chances have been done no harm by the decision to stage their away match against Hapoel Petah-Tikva at the national stadium rather than the compact Petach-Tivka ground. Second-placed Maccabi Haifa visit FC Ashdod, while reigning champions Hapoel Tel-Aviv - who are two points further back - face Hapoel Kfar Saba.

Three in contention
Three teams are also in contention in Spain, where there are three rounds to play. An RC Deportivo La Coruña victory at home to Club Atlético de Madrid is imperative if they are to remain in contention, although Real Sociedad and Real Madrid CF, six and five points clear of Deportivo, remain the chief challengers. Madrid tackle RC Celta de Vigo at home, while deposed champions Valencia CF are Real's opponents in San Sebastian.