A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Friday:
ENGLAND
Leicester hosts Newcastle while sitting in third place in the Premier League, five points ahead of fifth-place West Ham with four games to go as it chases a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season. It's the easiest of Leicester's remaining fixtures, with games to come against Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham. Newcastle is almost safe from relegation as the team is nine points above the bottom three.
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)
SPAIN
Real Sociedad looks to strengthen its hold on fifth place and a Europa League spot when it hosts relegation-threatened Elche in the Spanish league. The Basque Country club holds a one-point lead over sixth-place Villarreal and is two points ahead of eighth-place Real Betis. Elche is second-to-last in the 20-team standings, one point from safety.
GERMANY
Markus Weinzierl makes his second debut as Augsburg coach at his former team Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. Weinzierl led Augsburg through its most successful spell between 2012-16 before he left for Schalke. Both that job and his next at Stuttgart ended prematurely. Weinzierl hasn’t coached since he was fired by Stuttgart in 2019 following a 6-0 loss to Augsburg. Now he takes over an Augsburg side that was unable to pull away from the relegation zone under former coach Heiko Herrlich, who was finally fired on April 26. Augsburg is just three points from danger with three rounds of the season remaining.
FRANCE
Much is at stake as Lens hosts Lille in what promises to be a hard-fought contest between the northern sides. Heading into the 36th of 38 rounds Lille has a one-point lead from Paris Saint-Germain at the top, while the battle for fifth place and a Europa League spot is equally tight. Lens is fifth but can ill afford a slip because it is level on points with Marseille and only two ahead of Rennes in seventh. A victory for Lens would do defending champion PSG a huge favor ahead of its trip to face Rennes on Sunday in a weekend where the title race and chase for European places could be shaken up.
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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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