A look at what’s happening in European soccer with the first legs of the quarterfinals of the Europa League on Thursday:
GRANADA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED
Marcus Rashford is back with Manchester United after he limped off against Brighton on Sunday. He trained Wednesday and will travel for the Granada game. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Rashford could start but won’t play 90 minutes. Granada is playing in its first European campaign. Hosting Manchester United seemed far-fetched when Granada began its Europa League season against Teuta in Albania in the second qualifying round in September, but the club from southern Spain has come through 13 games, knocking out Napoli on the way.
Arsenal's Calum Chambers after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Catherine IvillPool via AP)
ARSENAL VS. SLAVIA PRAGUE
The buildup to the Arsenal match has been dominated by allegations that Slavia defender Ondřej Kúdela racially abused Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in the last round. UEFA provisionally suspended Kúdela for the game at Arsenal after opening proceedings on a racism charge. Scottish police are also investigating. Slavia said Kúdela was ill and wouldn't have played anyway against Arsenal. For the North London club, it's a chance to end a three-game losing run and take a big step toward reaching the Europa League semifinals for the third time in four years. Fullback Kieran Tierney is out after damaging knee ligaments against Liverpool on Saturday.
AJAX VS. ROMA
Villareal's Pau Torres celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Europa League round of 16 first leg soccer match between Dynamo Kyiv and Villarreal at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 11, 2021. (AP PhotoEfrem Lukatsky)
Ajax could field 21-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen against Roma after veteran backup Maarten Stekelenburg injured himself in the warmup before Sunday's 2-1 win over Heerenveen. André Onana was banned for a year in February in a doping case. Defender Daley Blind is out after tearing ankle ligaments when playing for the Netherlands against Gibraltar and striker Sebastien Haller is ineligible for the Europa League after Ajax failed to register him. Ajax is unbeaten in 24 games and is closing in on the Dutch title. Roma is the last Italian club in the Champions League or Europa League. The club is in seventh place in Serie A and could miss out on European competition next season after a disappointing 2-2 draw with Sassuolo in its last match.
DINAMO ZAGREB VS. VILLARREAL
Villarreal, coming off five straight wins in all competitions, enters the match with striker Gerard Moreno enjoying one of the best moments of his career. After scoring with Spain’s national team in a World Cup qualifier last week, he netted the first hat trick of his career in Villarreal’s 3-0 win over Granada in the Spanish league on Saturday. Zagreb is in its first European quarterfinal since the 1969-70 season after surprising Tottenham in the last round.
Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Roma and Sassuolo, at the Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Fabio RossiLaPresse via AP)
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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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