The Euro Preview: Serie A returns as Juventus look to maintain win streak

Serie A’s winter break may be over, but it could mark the start of Juventus’ continued domination this season as they cruise to another league title.

Serie A

With the winter break behind them, Juventus look to pick up where they left off in December.

Juve play Monday against Chievo Verona in what, on paper, is a mismatch. Juventus are in first place, nine points ahead of Napoli. Chievo are in last place with just a win in 19 games.

If Juventus, fresh off capturing Italian SuperCup 1-0 against AC Milan, looked difficult to beat in the past, the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo this past summer has added another layer of difficulty for the likes of Napoli. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, despite being 33 years old, has made a big difference this season. In addition, the team’s depth has made it so that coach Massimiliano Allegri can field two completely different teams and not miss a beat.

With a 17-2-0 record, Juve are undefeated in Serie A this season. The league race isn’t the only thing on the mind of the defending Italian champions. Veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini said Ronaldo, who scored the winner against AC Milan this past Wednesday to win his first trophy with the Bianconeri, could be what tips the scale in their favor in the Champions League as well.

“Before, the Champions League was a dream. Now it is a target because Cristiano is the best player in the world and we need him to make the last step,” he told BBC Sport. “It’s the personality of Cristiano. He has fantastic skills in the field but out of the field, his attitude, how he works, how he prepares for the match, how he lives every day of his life, can help us. The team has changed.”

In other games this weekend: Napoli are at home against Lazio on Sunday. Inter Milan, currently third, host Sassuolo the previous day. In a battle for a Europa League spot, seventh-place Sampdoria play at 10th-place Fiorentina on Saturday.

La Liga

Barcelona maintained their five-point cushion over Atletico Madrid going into matchday 20.

The defending Spanish champions play on Sunday at the Camp Nou against 13th-place Leganes. It should be another opportunity for the scoring combo of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to dazzle the home crowd. The two have combined for 31 goals this season. Messi leads the league with 17. By comparison, Leganes have scored just 17 so far this season.

“Messi is an extraordinary player from another galaxy,” Barca manager Ernesto Valverde told reporters last weekend. “And it is not just that he is a goalscorer, it’s everything he creates, the goals he gives us, what he generates around him.”

Valverde’s side have been hard to beat domestically, amassing a 13-4-2 record. Atletico have tried to maintain pace, but their eight draws in 19 matches hasn’t helped matters. Instead of looking to the transfer market, manager Diego Simeone has remained focused on the teams coming up on the schedule. Next up for Atletico will be a date on the road Saturday against last-place Huesca. Atleti need to grab a victory in order to stay in the title race against a very manageble opponent.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have a tough home match against Saturday against third-place Sevilla. Currently sitting in fourth (on goal differential) and tied at 33 points with Sevilla, the game represents a real chance for Los Blancos to surge ahead after the team have recently found unusual ways to win games.

While few think Real has any chance of competing for the title, even a second-place finish would represent an amazing turnaround given the hole the team dug themselves in the first half of this season.

Ligue 1

PSG continue to soar in France as the defending league champions look to impose their game at home Saturday against Guingamp.

After 20 games, PSG, led by Neymar, have a commanding 13-point lead over Lille, putting the Paris-based club in position to clinch the league title by early spring.

“Every year, the goals are the same: win, stay 100 percent fit to be able to play as many games as possible, go as far as possible with PSG,” striker Edinson Cavani said in an interview earlier this week. “I personally have a difficult time, but I really think that knowing that we have to continue working is the only way leads to success, results, is important, and I will never give up working to be 100 percent and give my teammates the best.”

With the top of the table seemingly settled, the fight for spots in next season’s Champions League remains wide open.

Lyon, St. Etienne and Montpellier all remain in contention for the one remaining slot that automatically gains entry into the tournament’s group stage.

In the weekend’s biggest game, St. Etienne host Lyon this Sunday in a match whose outcome could have serious implications near the top of the table. Monaco, who continue to struggle in the relegation zone, play at home Saturday against Strasbourg in desperate need of three points.