A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Old rivals Liverpool and Manchester United meet in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Liverpool's poor recent form gives United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer an excellent chance of his first win over Liverpool as a coach. Jürgen Klopp's team has won just one of its last six games in all competitions and failed to score in four of those six matches. Liverpool and United drew 0-0 in the Premier League a week ago at Anfield. Chelsea has won just three of its last nine games as it faces second-tier Luton for a place in the fifth round and Leicester plays Brentford without injured forward Jamie Vardy. Fulham faces Burnley and Everton takes on Sheffield Wednesday.
SPAIN
Atlético Madrid hosts Valencia and is seeking a seventh straight win in the Spanish league to strengthen its hold at the top. Atlético midfielder Héctor Herrera is back from injury, but defender Kieran Trippier remains suspended for breaking betting rules in England and Mario Hermoso is injured. Diego Simeone’s side leads second-place Real Madrid by four points and has played two fewer games. Barcelona needs to win at Elche to reclaim third place from Sevilla. Lionel Messi will miss the match serving the second of a two-game suspension for hitting an Athletic Bilbao player in the Spanish Super Cup final. Barcelona will have United States defender Sergiño Dest back from injury for the game. Coach Ronald Koeman says his players must improve at penalties after missing seven of 12 spot kicks this campaign, including two against a third-tier team in the Copa del Rey midweek. Granada visits Osasuna, while Eibar is at Celta Vigo.
ITALY
Sixth-place Juventus has the chance to gain some ground in the Serie A title race when it hosts Bologna. With a win, the nine-time defending champion can move within seven points of Italian league leader AC Milan, which was beaten 3-0 at home by Atalanta on Saturday. Second-place Inter Milan also dropped points with a 0-0 draw at Udinese. Even after playing Bologna, Juventus will still have a match in hand. Fifth-place Napoli faces a tricky visit to ninth-place Hellas Verona, and seventh-place Lazio hosts eighth-place Sassuolo. Genoa plays Cagliari in a matchup of two teams fighting to avoid the drop zone while relegation-threatened Parma hosts Sampdoria.
GERMANY
Bayern Munich can stretch its lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a win over Schalke after its main rivals — Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund — all lost their games. Bayern hammered Schalke 8-0 on the opening day of the season and will be confident of another win against a team which is last in the league and in financial trouble. There are some bright spots for Schalke, with veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar returning to the club and the 19-year-old Matthew Hoppe on a good run of scoring form. Hoffenheim hosts Cologne in the other game.
FRANCE
Second-place Lille needs to win at fifth-place Rennes to stay level on points with leader Paris Saint-Germain, which has a much better goal difference. It promises to be a tight game in chilly Brittany. Rennes has found its form again after being knocked out of the Champions League group stage and is unbeaten in seven games, winning five of those. If Lille loses, Lyon can move into second place with a win away to local rival Saint-Etienne, which has several players out with the coronavirus. Former France coach Raymond Domenech is unbeaten since taking charge of struggling Nantes, which is just above the relegation zone. But after three gritty draws Domenech will hope for a first win when his side goes to midtable Metz.
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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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