A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Manchester United needs a victory at second-to-last West Bromwich Albion to stay in sight of Manchester City in the Premier League race. United has dropped eight points behind City after winning just one of its last four games. West Brom is 13 points from safety and looks destined for relegation after just one win in 13. Everton can move level on points with fourth-place Liverpool with a home win over third-to-last Fulham, while Arsenal hosts Leeds in a match between mid-table teams. Wolverhampton visits Southampton in the early kickoff.
SPAIN
Real Madrid hosts Valencia seeking revenge for its most lopsided loss in the league. Valencia, which has struggled this campaign, dealt Madrid a 4-1 defeat at Mestalla Stadium in November. Carlos Soler scored three goals from the penalty spot in that particularly error-prone effort by Madrid. Madrid cannot afford to fall any further behind runaway leader Atlético Madrid, which is eight points clear with a game in hand. Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard are still out with injuries. Fifth-place Villarreal faces Real Betis seeking to end a run of four draws. Real Sociedad plays Getafe before it prepares for its trip to Turin, Italy, where it will meet Manchester United in the Europa League. Levante hosts Osasuna before back-to-back games against Atlético over the coming week.
ITALY
Inter Milan can move to the top of Serie A but it faces an in-form Lazio side which is looking for a seventh successive win. A win would move Inter a point above Milan after the leader lost at Spezia 2-0 on Saturday. Victory would move Lazio into the top four. It is level on points with Roma, which would move into third with a win at home to Udinese. At the other end of the table, relegation-threatened sides Cagliari and Crotone have tough home games against Atalanta and Sassuolo, respectively. Also, Sampdoria hosts struggling Fiorentina.
GERMANY
The Bundesliga battle for Champions League places takes center stage with Eintracht Frankfurt hosting Cologne and Wolfsburg dueling with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Frankfurt is the league’s most in-form team with six wins from seven games this year. Bayer Leverkusen is ahead on goal difference after drawing with Mainz 2-2 on Saturday but Frankfurt can reclaim fourth and even go to third depending on Wolfsburg’s result against Gladbach. Third-place Wolfsburg is two points ahead of Frankfurt ahead of its late game, and unbeaten at home. But Gladbach will see the opportunity to boost its own chances of Champions League qualification. Gladbach is just four points behind Frankfurt.
FRANCE
Lille needs only a draw at home against mid-table Brest to reclaim first place from Paris Saint-Germain. But a victory will maintain its three-point lead over defending champion PSG, and move coach Christophe Galtier's impressive side five points clear of third-place Lyon. As Lille seeks an eighth straight win overall, Monaco is also in fine form and can notch a ninth straight victory by beating Lorient at home in the lunchtime kickoff. While Lille’s defense has been rock solid in allowing only one goal in the past seven games, Monaco has conceded 10 in eight matches. Still, coach Niko Kovac's resurgent Monaco is poised to move one point behind Lyon.
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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.
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
