A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Title-holder Liverpool hosts 2016 champion Leicester in the Premier League with Jürgen Klopp's team aiming to set an outright record at Anfield. Liverpool has not lost its last 63 league games at home. That matches a club record set in December 1980 which was ended by a defeat to Leicester. Leicester trails league leader Tottenham by two points and can go top outright if it wins. Liverpool will move level with Spurs on points with a victory. In a game between two teams with 16 top-tier titles between them, Leeds (3) hosts Arsenal (13) at Elland Road. Also Sunday, Fulham hosts Everton, and West Ham travels to last-place Sheffield United.
SPAIN
Spanish leader Real Sociedad visits Cádiz looking to add to its five-match winning streak and go three points clear at the top of the league. Sociedad leads Atlético Madrid on goal difference. The Basque Country club is led by Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored six goals in its winning run. Cádiz, which has impressed since its return to the topflight, is in sixth place. But it will be without striker Álvaro Negredo due to a muscle injury and Anthony Lozano after the forward tested positive for the coronavirus. Also, Valencia tries to build on its 4-1 rout of Real Madrid last round when it visits Alavés. Granada welcomes last-place Valladolid, and Eibar searches for its first home win of the season against Getafe.
GERMANY
Union Berlin was expected to struggle in its second season in the Bundesliga, particularly after seeing a host of players including goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz leave in the offseason. But Urs Fischer’s team started the eighth round in fifth place and is on a six-game unbeaten run. Union next travels to Cologne, which is on a 17-game run without a win including last season. Fischer still expects a tough test for his side. “In the previous games against Werder Bremen (1-1) and Bayern Munich (1-2), the Cologne players were very compact. They’re well organized,” Fischer said. Cologne forward Sebastian Andersson was one of those who left Union in the offseason and will be keen to add to his two league goals so far. Winless Mainz visits Freiburg in the other game.
ITALY
League leader AC Milan faces one of its sternest tests yet when it visits Napoli. Milan is one of only three sides unbeaten in Serie A this season, along with Juventus and Sassuolo, and is a point ahead of second-placed Juventus. Fourth-placed Napoli can move level with Milan with a win. Sassuolo will be looking to take advantage of any slip by Milan to move to a once-unthinkable top. It is only two points behind the Rossoneri and visits Hellas Verona. It is only Sassuolo’s eighth season in the Italian top-flight and the team has never finished higher than sixth. Also, it’s: Fiorentina vs. Benevento, Inter Milan vs. Torino, Roma vs. Parma, Sampdoria vs. Bologna, and Udinese vs. Genoa.
FRANCE
Lille has not won in three games and recently lost its unbeaten record, but coach Christophe Galtier's side needs only a draw at home to struggling Lorient to overtake Monaco and reclaim second place. However, a win would move Lille just two points behind league leader Paris Saint-Germain after its 3-2 defeat at Monaco on Friday. In other games, improving Lyon looks to make it eight games unbeaten and close in on the top three positions when it visits Angers, and Montpellier is at home to 19th-place Strasbourg.
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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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