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The Euro Preview: Barcelona and Bayern unstoppable, Inter Milan charge ahead

By Clemente Lisi

MILAN, ITALY - DECEMBER 03: Mauro Emanuel Icardi of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates his goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Chievo Verona at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 3, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
MILAN, ITALY - DECEMBER 03: Mauro Emanuel Icardi of FC Internazionale Milano celebrates his goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Chievo Verona at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 3, 2017 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona and Bayern Munich continue to hold commanding leads in La Liga and Bundesliga, respectively, while Inter Milan top the Serie A table.

La Liga

Barcelona continue to lead the pack in Spain after title contenders Valencia failed to take advantage of Barca’s 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo last weekend, which had temporarily appeared to open up the Liga race on Saturday. At the same time, the two Madrid clubs — mighty Real and Atletico — have had inconsistent seasons. That has all allowed for the Catalan giants to stay in first place. By Sunday, Barcelona had a commanding five-point lead against second-place Valencia.

That very mediocrity at the top of the table (which includes a Real Madrid side that will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup this coming Wednesday) has helped Barcelona immensely as the season’s halfway mark approaches. While Barcelona haven’t been great, the teams chasing them have been even worse. Barca have done just enough this season to stay ahead of the pack and that’s due in large part to Lionel Messi.

The Argentine great, who has scored 13 goals and recorded four assists this season in La Liga, remains the major reason Barcelona are in first place. He’s scored nearly a third of the team’s 36 total goals over 14 matches. This Messi-dependent side (especially following the departure of Neymar over the summer) need to show more depth. Their aging roster notwithstanding, Barcelona could find themselves in major trouble should Messi be sidelined for any reason.

Valencia host Celta Vigo on Saturday in a game that’s expected to be tense, while Barcelona look to further pad their advantage when they play Villarreal on the road.

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich have won the last five German league titles. There’s no reason to believe they won’t win another this season. The German giants currently hold a six-point edge over second-place RB Leipzig. Borussia Dortmund, who got off to a strong start but have been in a tailspin the past two months, have fallen to sixth. Dortmund have registered just one victory in 11 matches, and that came in the German Cup in October against third-division side FC Magdaburg, a terrible record for a club of BVB’s stature.

The story in Germany isn’t so much how poorly Peter Bosz’s team have been playing, but Bayern’s ability to overcome a slow start and take over first place following the firing two months ago of coach Carlo Ancelotti. While Bosz could end up being out of work if this streak continues, Bayern’s 3-1 victory against promoted side Hannover at the Allianz Arena on Saturday was the latest example of how easily this team can sweep aside Bundesliga competition under Jupp Heynckes.

The teams vying for the title can’t compete with Bayern. RB Leipzig lost to Hoffenheim 4-0, while Schalke, currently in third place, could only muster a draw against last-place Koln. Losing too many points to lower-level clubs — while Bayern Munich continue to amass wins — could very well see this title race come to an end in the next few weeks. While Bayern fans rejoice, neutrals can only watch in despair as competition for the Meisterschale wanes.

Bayern Munich travel to Frankfurt this Saturday to face Eintracht, while RB Leipzig host Mainz the same day.

Next: United (somehow) beat Arsenal: 3 things we learned

Serie A

While everyone was busy worrying about Juventus and Napoli, Inter Milan took command of the standings in Italy in what may be the most-competitive title race of any major league in Europe. Juve’s 1-0 victory against Napoli last Friday and Inter’s 5-0 trashing of Chievo Verona pushed the Nerazzurri to the top of the table. They currently hold a one-point lead over Napoli and a two-point lead over Juventus. Roma are five points back of Inter Milan, but have a game in hand.

Under coach Luciano Spalletti’s leadership, Inter Milan have emerged as a title contender — and just in time for Saturday’s big match in Turin versus Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus.

“The opportunity is the same as always; every game offers three points, three very important points,” Spalletti told reporters after the Chievo win. “When the others win we have to win to keep pace, when the others lose we have to win to pick up three points.”

Napoli, meanwhile, will also try to keep pace. They host Fiorentina on Sunday in a game that could damage Napoli’s title hopes should they fail to pick up the win. The Scudetto race, while still in its early stages, is evolving into a five-team competition (if you also include Lazio, on 32 points with a game in hand) that could very well come down to the final day, like in 2002.

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