A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Friday:
ENGLAND
A Friday night visit by Leicester is enough to give Southampton the chills. In October 2019, it was on a wet and wild Friday night at St. Mary's Stadium that Leicester ran out a 9-0 winner over 10-man Southampton to tie the biggest margin of victory in Premier League history. There's a vast gulf between the teams two seasons on, with Leicester in third place and on course to sealing qualification for the Champions League while Southampton has slumped to 15th place on the back of just two wins in 15 games since Jan. 4. Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand are missing for Southampton, while Leicester's Kelechi Iheanacho is arguably the form striker in the league with nine goals in his last seven games.
Leicester's Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy celebrate at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Monday, April 26, 2021. (Andrew BoyersPool via AP)
GERMANY
Leipzig visits Werder Bremen in the semifinals of the German Cup. It's Leipzig's first game since coach Julian Nagelsmann was appointed to the Bayern Munich job for next season. Nagelsmann is keen to end his time at Leipzig on a high with what would be the team's first major trophy. Leipzig came closest when it lost the 2019 final 3-0 to Bayern. Bremen is aiming for its first final since 2010.
SPAIN
FILE - In this Feb.3, 2018 file photo Hoffenheim's former head coach Julian Nagelsmann attends the warm up for the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC Berlin and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Berlin, Germany. (AP PhotoMichael Sohn, file)
Injury-hit Levante visits Celta Vigo needing a win to end a three-game losing run in the Spanish league. Levante has been outscored 7-1 during its losing streak, and coach Paco López wants to keep his team safely in the middle of the standings with the season winding down. López will have to patch together a midfield with Mikael Malsa suspended and Nemanaja Radoja, José Campaña and Nikola Vukcevic injured. Celta is coming off a win as it seeks to remain in the top half of the table.
FRANCE
In-form Marseille continues its push for fifth place and a Europa League spot when it hosts lowly Strasbourg. A win would move Marseille over Lens and into fifth spot with Lens facing a tough trip to defending champion Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Goal-scoring midfielder Dimitri Payet is getting his touch and confidence back under Jorge Sampaoli's leadership. The Argentine coach has transformed the side's attitude and belief since his arrival, and Marseille is chasing a sixth win in eight games.
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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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