A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Manchester City and Liverpool meet in the first blockbuster match in the Premier League this season. The teams have split the last two titles and are expected to be the frontrunners again, though City has started slowly after mostly playing without a recognized striker at the start of this season because of injuries to Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus. Jesus could start at Etihad Stadium, while Liverpool — which will go top with a win — also has to make a decision up front with in-form Diogo Jota threatening Roberto Firmino's place in attack. If Liverpool doesn't win, Leicester could end the eighth round as the leader with a victory over Wolverhampton. Arsenal is at home to Aston Villa and Tottenham visits West Bromwich Albion.
Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp smiles before the Champions League, group D soccer match between Atalanta and Liverpool, at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)
SPAIN
The coronavirus resurgence in Europe has impacted Spanish league games for Sunday. Real Madrid will travel to Valencia without Eden Hazard and Casemiro after both tested positive. A larger outbreak for Granada has forced the team to ask the league to postpone its match at second-place Real Sociedad. The league has not officially responded. Sociedad, which has won four league matches in a row, has the chance to retake the lead from Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid is seeking to keep its advantage over Barcelona which the Catalan club reduced to five points on Saturday. Madrid’s opponent, Valencia, hasn’t won in four rounds. Villarreal visits Getafe aiming to stay near the top of the table after only one league loss in eight games.
ITALY
Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp hugs Liverpool's Nathaniel Phillips at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (Peter PowellPool via AP)
League leader AC Milan will be looking to bounce back after its first defeat in more than eight months. Milan’s 23-match unbeaten run ended in a 3-0 defeat at home to Lille in the Europa League on Thursday. It hosts Hellas Verona in the Italian league knowing it will end the weekend in top spot. It is a point above second-place Sassuolo which drew against Udinese on Friday. Juventus and Atalanta can move level with Sassuolo with wins but they have tricky matches against Lazio and Inter Milan, respectively. Also, Genoa hosts Roma, Napoli visits Bologna and Torino welcomes Crotone in an early relegation fight.
GERMANY
Bayer Leverkusen hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach with fourth place in the Bundesliga at stake. Both sides have been scoring freely in recent games and the focus will be on forwards Lucas Alario and Alassane Pléa. Alario has taken advantage of Patrik Schick’s injury to score five goals in his last three league games for Leverkusen, and Pléa got a hat trick in Gladbach’s 6-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Gladbach is unbeaten in the Bundesliga since losing to Dortmund in the opening round, while Leverkusen is one of only two unbeaten teams in the division. Wolfsburg, the other, hosts Hoffenheim earlier Sunday.
FRANCE
Lille remains the only unbeaten side in the French league but will drift five points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain if it loses at Brest. The home side is down in 14th spot and its leaky defense will be wary of attacking midfielder Yusuf Yazici. The Turkey international has caught the eye recently after netting back-to-back hat tricks away from home in the Europa League. Depending on Lille's result, Patrick Vieira's Nice can move up to second spot with a French Riviera home win against Monaco. Elsewhere, Saint-Etienne coach Claude Puel is under pressure heading into his side's derby game at Lyon.
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A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:
GERMANY
Bayern Munich can seal a record 10th consecutive Bundesliga title in style with three games remaining with a victory at home over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. Bayern is hoping to continue its strong record against Dortmund after winning their last seven encounters. In Europe’s top five leagues, Bayern is tied for the record of nine consecutive titles with Juventus, which won Serie A every season from 2012 to 2020. For Dortmund, Erling Haaland ended a goal drought by scoring twice against Wolfsburg last week amid speculation over his future. Elsewhere, Leipzig hosts Union Berlin for the second time this week after winning their German Cup semifinal, and Champions League-chasing Freiburg hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bayer Leverkusen visits last-placed Greuther Fürth, Eintracht Frankfurt takes on Hoffenheim, and Cologne plays Arminia Bielefeld.
PSG's Kylian Mbappe, center right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoJeremias Gonzalez)
FRANCE
Paris Saint-Germain is just one point away from sealing a record-equaling 10th league title. With five matches left to play this season, Mauricio Pochettino’s players have the opportunity to wrap up their dominant campaign in front of their home fans against Lens at the Parc des Princes. PSG has a 15-point lead over Marseille and can be crowned even if it loses against Lens on the condition that Marseille does not beat Reims on Sunday. PSG is set to move level with Saint-Etienne, which won its 10th title in 1981 and is fighting to stay up this season. Only two of PSG's previous titles — in 1986 and 1994 — were conquered before Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG in 2011 with the aim of turning it into a world-class club. Also, Saint-Etienne hosts in-form Monaco and Montpellier travels to Lyon.
ENGLAND
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoDave Thompson)
Manchester City can move four points clear of second-placed Liverpool in the back-and-forth Premier League title race with a home win over relegation-threatened Watford. A victory for City would put pressure on Liverpool ahead of its Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday. More intrigue this weekend might lie in the race for Champions League qualification, with two candidates meeting at Emirates Stadium when fifth-placed Arsenal hosts sixth-placed Manchester United. Arsenal is tied on points with fourth-placed Tottenham, with United three points back. Tottenham visits Brentford in a match between Christian Eriksen's past and present clubs. Last-placed Norwich is eight points from safety heading into a home match against Newcastle, and Leicester hosts Aston Villa in the other game.
SPAIN
Real Betis and Valencia play the final of Spain’s Copa del Rey in Betis’ hometown of Seville. The match will be at Estadio La Cartuja, a neutral ground where Spain’s national team played its group phase matches for last year’s European Championship. Valencia will be seeking its ninth Copa del Rey after winning No. 8 in 2019. Betis’ second and last cup title came back in 2005. The winner will also earn a Europa League berth.
ITALY
Inter Milan forward Edin Džeko could bring up a century of Serie A goals by scoring twice against his former club as the defending champion hosts Roma. Džeko has a total of 98 goals in the Italian league — 13 for Inter this season and the rest in five years at Roma. A win would send Inter to the top of Serie A, with current leader AC Milan playing at Lazio on Sunday. Inter will also be buoyed after beating Milan 3-0 midweek to reach the Italian Cup final. A win could reignite Roma’s challenge for a Champions League berth. Atalanta has seen its hopes of a top-four finish evaporate following a run of three straight defeats and it visits relegation-threatened Venezia. Two other sides battling the drop, Sampdoria and Spezia, travel to Hellas Verona and Torino respectively.
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