The Euro Preview: Leaders hold, Pulisic receives recognition

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus all remain atop their respective tables. Christian Pulisic named to Bundesliga team of the half-season.

La Liga

Let’s get the basic info out of the way:

Real Madrid remain atop the La Liga table, leading Barcelona and Sevilla by four points while still possessing a game in hand. Barca and Sevilla are tied with 42 points each, but the former has a 19 goal lead in goal difference. Sevilla missed a golden chance to take the second spot on Sunday, but lost 3-1 away to Espanyol.

Real Madrid travel to eighth-place Celta Vigo, who have won three of their last four league matches, but the leaders should have no problem securing another three points on Sunday. Barca host seventh-place Athletic Bilbao, who are unbeaten in their last five, but only won two during that stretch. Finally, Sevilla face sixth-place Villarreal, who are only two points behind third-place Atletico Madrid.

Now, on to the important part. Look at this friggin’ Lionel Messi goal from Barcelona’s first-leg Copa del Rey semifinal win over Atleti:

Messi takes one touch towards goal and then unleashes a heat-seeking missile off the inside of the far post. Let us know if you were able to watch that goal less than 50 times.

Bundesliga

If you haven’t noticed, Christian Pulisic is a favorite here at the Euro Preview. Our adoration has been vindicated as the young American was named to the “Team of the Hinrunde,” which is made up of the best players of the first half of the Bundesliga season. Pulisic was certainly deserving, starting in most of his team’s matches and constantly terrorizing opposing defenses with his pace and skill.

Borussia Dortmund currently sit fourth in the league table, settling into a group that will fight for third place as Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig continue to pull away from the rest of the field. BVB have only won two of their last five, but are unbeaten over the same stretch. Unfortunately for them, they play host to Leipzig on Saturday.

Bayern Munich can’t stop winning at the moment and sit atop the Bundesliga table with a three point cushion. They face 11th-place Schalke in Munich on Saturday. Third-place Eintracht Frankfurt have lost two of their last four and lead Dortmund by a single point. They have the pleasure of hosting last place Darmstadt — who have collected all of nine (!) points this season — on Sunday.

Serie A

Back-to-back league wins have allowed Serie A leaders Juventus to put four points between them and second-place Roma with a game in hand. Juve host fourth-place Inter Milan in the Serie A game of the week. Inter have won their last six league games in a row.

Roma are coming off a bad loss away to 13th-place Sampdoria and have to wait until Tuesday for their next match against eighth-place Fiorentina, winners of three of their last four league matches.

The lone Saturday Serie A match sees third-place Napoli travel to 12th-place Bologna. And, in case you were wondering, yes, the gross sandwich meat is named after the Italian city.

Next: January transfer window: Premier League winners and losers

Bonus Goal

Another young American is making waves in Europe. Emerson Hyndman recently joined Rangers in Scotland on loan from Bournemouth. He has made immediate impact for the “other” club in the Scottish Premiership, scoring in each of his first two appearances. His latest, an equalizer against Hearts, was a thing of beauty.

https://twitter.com/rodmacneil/status/826890163095740417

After a poor clearance by the Hearts keeper, Hyndman finds himself in the right spot and roofs a left-footed volley. Needless to say, Rangers supporters are quite happy with their new addition. It’s also a safe bet that USMNT manager Bruce Arena is keeping close tabs on the young midfielder.