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Top European leagues: Where they stand

2023-05-12 09:17
Europe's top leagues are nearing the end of the season, with titles, places in Europe and safety from...
Top European leagues: Where they stand

Europe's top leagues are nearing the end of the season, with titles, places in Europe and safety from relegation up for grabs.

Here, AFP Sport takes a look at what is still to play for across the continent:

English Premier League

Title: Reigning champions Manchester City need three wins from their final four matches to be sure of holding off second-placed Arsenal. Pep Guardiola's side sit one point clear with a game in hand as they chase a fifth title in six seasons.

Europe: Newcastle and Manchester United occupy the two final Champions League places but have in-form Liverpool in hot pursuit. Jurgen Klopp's men are one point behind Man United and three adrift of the Magpies, but have played a game more. Tottenham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford are fighting for the other European spots.

Relegation: Bottom club Southampton are eight points from safety with three games left, but the next four clubs are separated by only three points. Two of Leeds, Leicester, Everton and Nottingham Forest will likely join the Saints in going down.

Spanish La Liga

Title: Barcelona can secure a first La Liga title since 2019 with four games to spare if they beat local rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

Europe: Second-placed Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have all but wrapped up places in next season's Champions League. Real Sociedad appear poised to join them, holding a seven-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal with only five games remaining. There are just three points between seventh-placed Girona and 11th-placed Sevilla in the fight to reach the Europa Conference League.

Relegation: Elche have already been relegated. Second-bottom Espanyol are three points from safety, with six-time champions Valencia only out of the bottom three on head-to-head record ahead of Getafe. Real Valladolid, Cadiz and Almeria are all also in trouble.

Italian Serie A

Title: Napoli have already clinched their first Scudetto since 1990.

Europe: AC Milan sit two points behind fourth-placed city rivals Inter Milan with four matches left. Third-placed Lazio and second-placed Juventus, who could yet have a points deduction reinstated, can also still be caught in the race for the Champions League. Atalanta and Roma are both five points behind Inter.

Relegation: Sampdoria have already been relegated. Cremonese are six points from survival, with Spezia three behind 17th-placed Verona.

German Bundesliga

Title: Bayern Munich are just one point clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund heading into the last three matches of the season. The Bavarian giants are bidding for an 11th straight title.

Europe: RB Leipzig sit third, one point ahead of fourth-placed Union Berlin and fifth-placed Freiburg. Bayer Leverkusen are two points clear of Wolfsburg in the fight to qualify for the Conference League.

Relegation: Hertha Berlin sit bottom, but only three points off the relegation play-off spot, occupied by Stuttgart. Bochum are 17th, behind Stuttgart on goal difference. A run of three wins in four games has taken Schalke two points away from the drop zone.

French Ligue 1

Title: Paris Saint-Germain appear set to win a record 11th Ligue 1 title despite a poor season. PSG sit six points clear of Lens with four games left.

Europe: Second-placed Lens are two points ahead of Marseille in the battle for automatic Champions League qualification. Fourth-placed Monaco appear likely to reach the Europa League, six points behind OM and five clear of fifth-placed Lille.

Relegation: Angers have been relegated. Four teams will go down in total as Ligue 1 changes from 20 to 18 clubs next season. Ajaccio and Troyes look destined for the drop, with one of Nantes, Auxerre, Brest and Strasbourg to join them.

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Title: Benfica are four points clear of title rivals Porto with three games to play.

Europe: Braga, five points behind Porto and four above fourth-placed Sporting Lisbon, are well-placed to secure a place in Champions League qualifying.

Relegation: The bottom three of Santa Clara, Pacos de Ferreira and Maritimo are all at least five points from guaranteed safety, fighting each other to go into the relegation play-off.

Dutch Eredivisie

Title: Feyenoord will lift their first title since 2017 and just their second this century with victory over Go Ahead Eagles this weekend. The Rotterdam giants are eight points ahead of PSV Eindhoven with three matches left.

Europe: PSV are five points ahead of Ajax in the race for the second Champions League spot. This season's Conference League semi-finalists AZ Alkmaar are just two points behind Ajax, chasing Europa League qualification.

Relegation: Cambuur and Groningen have been relegated. Excelsior, Emmen, Voldendam and Vitesse Arnhem are trying to avoid a relegation play-off.

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