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04/18/19 02:34:00
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04/18 14:31 CDT What to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe
What to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe
By The Associated Press
What to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe this weekend:
ITALY
Aiming to quickly move on from its Champions League elimination, Juventus needs
only a draw at home against Fiorentina on Saturday to clinch a record-extending
eighth straight Serie A title.
Juventus is 17 points ahead of second-place Napoli with six rounds remaining
and the Bianconeri also hold the tiebreaker over their southern rival with a
better head-to-head record.
However, Juventus took a major psychological hit when it was beaten by a more
inexperienced Ajax team on Tuesday.
Forward Paulo Dybala is out for up to two weeks after picking up a muscle
injury against Ajax, but Cristiano Ronaldo likely won't be rested again after
sitting out a loss at Spal last weekend --- when Juventus wasted a chance to
clinch.
If Juventus loses to Fiorentina, it could still seal the championship on Monday
if Napoli fails to beat Atalanta.
There are no matches on Sunday due to the Easter holiday.
Also Saturday, third-place Inter Milan hosts fifth-place Roma amid a tight
fight for the Champions League places, while fourth-place AC Milan visits Parma.
--- By Andrew Dampf
FRANCE
Paris Saint-Germain looks to make it fourth time lucky and finally seal the
French title this weekend.
After losing the last two games, PSG can guarantee the eighth title in its
history with a home win against Monaco on Sunday. The celebrations can start
earlier in the day, though, if second-place Lille fails to win at Toulouse.
PSG striker Kylian Mbappe, the French league's top scorer with 27 goals, will
hope to return after being dropped in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat at Nantes. PSG
coach Thomas Tuchel did not publicly give his reasons for leaving Mbappe out
when the club needed a win.
Lille looks increasingly like guaranteeing second place and an automatic place
in next season's Champions League, but the race for third place and a spot in
the qualifying rounds remains more open.
With six games remaining, third-place Lyon leads Saint-Etienne by three points
and fifth-place Marseille by five.
Lyon hosts Angers on Friday night, Marseille travels to play relegation
candidate Guingamp on Saturday, and Saint-Etienne has the toughest-looking
match with a visit to seventh-place Reims on Sunday.
__ By Jerome Pugmire
ENGLAND
Manchester City is out for revenge in the last match of its trilogy against
Tottenham.
The English champions were eliminated from the Champions League by Spurs in
agonizing fashion on Wednesday, with an injury-time goal ruled out for offside
by the video assistant referee in the second leg. They ended up exiting the
competition on away goals in the quarterfinals.
City must quickly get over that disappointment, with Tottenham returning to
Etihad Stadium for a Saturday lunchtime kickoff and seeking a win that could
also damage the hosts' Premier League title chances.
City is two points behind Liverpool having played a game fewer. The first of
Liverpool's four remaining matches is on Sunday at third-to-last Cardiff, which
could climb out of the relegation zone with a win.
Tottenham is in third place, one point clear of Arsenal and Chelsea and three
points ahead of Manchester United. Arsenal hosts Crystal Palace, Chelsea is at
home to Burnley, and United visits Everton.
In the fight to avoid relegation, fourth-to-last Brighton, which is two points
ahead of Cardiff, visits Wolverhampton Wanderers.
--- By Steve Douglas
SPAIN
With a spot in the Champions League semifinals secured, Barcelona turns its
focus to taking another step toward clinching the Spanish league title.
Barcelona has a nine-point lead over Atletico Madrid, and the goal is to seal
the title as soon as possible so it can fully focus on the European tournament
it hasn't won since 2015.
Barcelona hosts Real Sociedad on Saturday and will try to rebound from a
scoreless draw at last-place Huesca last weekend, when it rested Lionel Messi
and other regular starters ahead of the Champions League match against
Manchester United on Tuesday.
Atletico Madrid visits Eibar on Saturday, while third-place Real Madrid, which
trails the city rival by four points, hosts Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
In the fight for the final Champions League spot, fourth-place Sevilla visits
fifth-place Getafe on Sunday, with the teams separated by one point with six
rounds remaining. Sixth-place Valencia, three points behind Sevilla, visits
Real Betis on Sunday.
--- By Tales Azzoni
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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