A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
The race for the Premier League's top four takes center stage as Manchester United heads to Tottenham and West Ham hosts Leicester. United can consolidate second place with a win at seventh-place Tottenham, which won 6-1 at Old Trafford at the start of the season. Four points separate third-place Leicester and West Ham, which dropped to sixth after Saturday's results. Chelsea and Liverpool are between them. Newcastle is three points clear of the bottom three going into its match at Burnley, while last-place Sheffield United is on the verge of relegation ahead of a home game against Arsenal.
SPAIN
Atlético Madrid needs at least a point from its visit to sixth-place Real Betis to regain the lead in the Spanish league. Real Madrid moved to the top — thanks to a better head-to-head tiebreaker — after beating Barcelona 2-1 in the clásico in Madrid on Saturday. Barcelona stayed one point behind the Madrid city rivals. Seeking its first league title since 2014, Atlético has won only one of its last three league matches. Also Sunday, Valencia hosts fifth-place Real Sociedad and Granada visits relegation-threatened Valladolid. It will be Valencia's first match since defender Mouctar Diakhaby accused an opponent of racially insulting him last weekend.
ITALY
Inter Milan is aiming for an 11th straight win to restore its 11-point lead atop Serie A when it hosts relegation-threatened Cagliari. Behind it there is a tight battle for second place. AC Milan currently occupies that position and won 3-1 at Parma on Saturday. But Juventus can move to within a point of the Rossoneri with a win at home to Genoa. Atalanta is just a point behind Juve and visits Fiorentina while fifth-place Napoli travels to Sampdoria. Lazio and Roma are also within sight of the top four and the Champions League places. Lazio and Roma play Hellas Verona and Bologna respectively.
FRANCE
It looks like a huge mismatch as third-place Monaco hosts last-place Dijon. While Monaco has lost once in the last 19 games overall, Dijon is facing a 13th straight defeat. Fourth-place Lyon has a tougher-looking home game against midtable Angers. Lyon, which is one point behind Monaco in the chase for a Champions League spot, will be without midfielder Houssem Aouar and forward Tino Kadewere. They are both injured. Fifth-place Lens has five players out due to coronavirus for the home game against Lorient. Rennes continues its push for fifth and a Europa League spot against visiting Nantes. Nantes won the last of its eight league titles 20 years ago but is now languishing in 19th place. Nantes coach Antoine Kombouare played down a locker room clash with captain Nicolas Pallois, saying it was a healthy part of the game.
GERMANY
The Bundesliga’s relegation fight heats up with last-place Schalke hosting Augsburg before Cologne welcomes Mainz. Mainz can leave the relegation zone with a win, and it has looked a different outfit since Bo Svensson took over as coach. Svensson’s team is unbeaten in four games. Cologne is 17th in the 18-team division — two points below Mainz — and on a seven-game winless run since beating Borussia Mönchengladbach. Schalke is 16 points from safety with seven games to play but the Gelsenkirchen-based club still has pride at stake as it prepares for life in the second division. A win over 11th-place Augsburg would be just the team’s second league win in a season that Schalke fans will want to forget.
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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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