The Euro Preview: Do Napoli already have the Serie A title won?

Can Napoli take advantage of a favorable schedule to put an end to Juve’s Serie A domination?

Serie A

At a time when domestic leagues are undervalued in favor of trying to win the Champions League, Napoli’s determination and passion as they try to win a first league title in 28 years has been both refreshing and exciting.

Italy’s title race between Juventus and Napoli has been the closest of all of Europe’s biggest leagues as competition for the top spot remains close. The pressure is on Juve now given how difficult their remaining games will be. While Juventus have bounced back before, Napoli’s intensity may ultimately fuel them to the title. There are other reasons Napoli look like strong title contenders.

Never have a team in second place looked like the favorites to win a league title. That’s the position Napoli currently find themselves in after last Sunday’s stunning 1-0 win against first-place Juventus in Turin. While the victory closed a four-point gap, the momentum now seems to be on the Partenopei‘s side with four matchdays to go.

The Serie A title race continues this weekend with two big games: Juventus travel to the San Siro on Saturday to play Inter Milan; Napoli are on the road Sunday to take on Fiorentina.

Maybe it’s the way Napoli won at the Allianz Stadium — on a towering header from defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the 90th minute — and their commitment to attacking and entertaining soccer in a league known traditionally known for its defensive tactics that has put manager Maurizio Sarri’s men in this position.

“It wasn’t perfect … If we had raised the tempo a bit earlier, we could’ve finished it quicker,” Sarri said in an interview with Mediaset Premium. “We wanted to come here, take the initiative and force Juventus to play only on the counter-attack. We only ever allowed them something on set plays, as they are more physical, but otherwise we controlled the match and the victory was a logical consequence of that.”

Napoli look to be the favorites at this juncture. Maybe that’s because they’re playing the best soccer in Europe (ask Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, who made this observation months back, when the sides met twice in the group stage of the Champions League) and that they have nothing else to play for this season. Juve are not only vying for the title, but also have to contest the Coppa Italia final next month and until recently were in the Champions League. Even with a deep bench, this many games can’t help the Bianconeri.

Maybe it’s the passionate fans, who greeted the Napoli team bus at 3 a.m. as if their team had already won the title. This is a fanbase that has been waiting for a league title since 1990, when they featured Diego Maradona in the starting lineup. The only thing that seems certain is that this race will go down to the final weekend.

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La Liga

Barcelona, after capturing the Copa del Rey last Saturday following a 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid, look to get a step closer to clinching the league title this weekend. Barca will be on the road on Sunday to play 18th-place Deportivo La Coruna.

While Barcelona are a far superior team, they will have to contend with a club desperate for points as they try to avoid relegation. Las Palmas and Malaga, in 19th and 20th plac, respectively, have already officially been relegated. The three lowest-placed Liga teams are relegated to Spain’s Segunda Division and replaced by the top two clubs in that division plus the winner of a playoff series.

Atletico Madrid, currently in second, play Sunday on the road against 13th-place Alaves, who reached 41 points and are safe.

Real Madrid, currently in third, host 15th-place Leganes on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite their domestic troubles, Real Madrid are still in the hunt for a third straight Champions League title as well as a top four finish in the league with four games left to play.

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“We’re talking about La Liga, which has been problematic for us this year, particularly at home … But we’ve also done good things this year and we have to look at the positives,” Real manager Zinedine Zidane told the club’s official website. “We’re in for a great end to the season and we have to think about the semifinal.”

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Bundesliga

With the title race over, the main stories in the Bundesliga focus on the Champions League spots and the relegation playoff.

Schalke cemented second place last weekend, and are now seven points clear of fifth-place Hoffenheim following their 2-2 draw against FC Koln. That didn’t help the Cologne-based club on the brink of relegation. Currently last, the team are three points behind Hamburg and eight behind Freiburg. FC Koln play Freiburg, level with Mainz and Wolfsburg on 30 points, on Saturday in a game that will prove pivotal in the race to finish above the relegation playoff spot.

Hamburg take on Wolfsburg on Saturday in another do-or-die clash to avoid relegation.