A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
The final two Champions League places are up for grabs on the final day of the Premier League season. Chelsea will be sure of joining Manchester rivals City and United in the competition if it wins, and a victory for Liverpool will also almost certainly be rewarded with a Champions League spot. Chelsea is at Aston Villa and Liverpool hosts Crystal Palace — opponents with nothing to play for. Fifth-place Leicester realistically needs to beat Tottenham and hope either Chelsea or Liverpool fails to win. Brendan Rodgers’ side was in the top four for most of last season before missing out on the final day and a repeat looms for Leicester after dropping out of the qualification places by losing at Chelsea on Tuesday. Sixth-place West Ham hosts Southampton and is set for Europa League qualification. Trailing West Ham by three points are Tottenham and Everton, which plays at champion Man City. Tottenham is in seventh place and holds the spot that earns a place in the new third-tier Europa Conference League but it could be overtaken by north London rival Arsenal, which is a point behind going into the game against Brighton. All the relegation places have already been sealed with Sheffield United, Fulham and West Bromwich going down.
FRANCE
Lille needs a victory at Angers to guarantee a first championship for 10 years and cause a huge upset by stopping Paris Saint-Germain from retaining a title it is so used to winning. But PSG may have a tougher game because it is at a Brest side in 16th place and not safe from 18th — the promotion-relegation playoff. Third-place Monaco is an outside contender to win its first title since 2017. But the principality side needs both Lille and PSG to lose as well as a superior goal difference to Lille if they finish level on 80 points. Monaco can also ill afford a slip at sixth-place Lens since it is only one point ahead of fourth-place Lyon. If Monaco draws and Lyon wins at home to Nice then Lyon takes third and enters Champions League qualifying.
ITALY
The race for the Champions League positions heads into the final day with three teams fighting it out for the final two berths. AC Milan, which is bidding to return to Europe’s elite after an eight-year absence, visits already-qualified Atalanta. Napoli hosts Hellas Verona. Milan and Napoli are a point ahead of fifth-place Juventus, which visits Bologna in what could be Andrea Pirlo’s last match after just one year as coach of the Bianconeri. Newly crowned Serie A champion Inter Milan will celebrate its title when it hosts Udinese, with 1,000 guests allowed to be present at San Siro. Lazio and Roma visit Sassuolo and Spezia, respectively, and Torino hosts Benevento.
SPAIN
Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla can set a new club record for points earned in a season if it beats Alavés at home on the final day of the Spanish league. Sevilla has 74 points, two fewer than the record of 76 set by the team in 2014-15 under Unai Emery. Sevilla locked up a Champions League berth weeks ago and had come close to entering the title fight before stumbling in recent rounds. It is locked into a fourth-place finish regardless of the outcome. Getafe also visits Granada with nothing at stake for either side.
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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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