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The Euro Preview: Barcelona have chance to extend lead, Roma-Milan battle for fourth

By Clemente Lisi

GIRONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 27: FC Barcelona players celebrate the goal of Nelson Semedo, defender during the La Liga match between Girona FC and FC Barcelona at Montilivi Stadium on January 27, 2019 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Sanchez Martinez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GIRONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 27: FC Barcelona players celebrate the goal of Nelson Semedo, defender during the La Liga match between Girona FC and FC Barcelona at Montilivi Stadium on January 27, 2019 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Sanchez Martinez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Barcelona look to take advantage of a favorable matchday to pad their five-point lead, while over in Italy the battle for fourth place pits Roma against AC Milan.

La Liga

Barcelona maintained their five-point La Liga lead last weekend entering matchday 22, but will look to try and pad out that advantage on Saturday.

The Catalan giants host seventh-place Valencia at the Camp Nou to start February, while second-place Atletico Madrid take to the road to play eighth-place Real Betis the following day.

The one thing Barcelona need to worry about is the absence of midfielder Sergio Busquets, suspended due to yellow card accumulation, although the roster is deep enough to fill the void he leaves behind.

While Valencia and Real Betis are tied on points with 26, Barca have the edge going into this weekend. Not only have Barcelona been unstoppable and are at home, but Valencia have only managed to win six games this season.

In other games: Real Madrid, currently in third, play at home Sunday against Alaves, while fourth-place Sevilla are on the road Saturday at Celta Vigo.

Serie A

Juventus are flying high after last Sunday’s win against Lazio, creating an 11-point gap between themselves and second-place Napoli.

The Partenopei will try to chip away at that lead when they host sixth-place Sampdoria on Saturday at the Stadio San Paolo. Juve play the same day at home against 12th-place Parma. With the Old Lady having the a more favorable matchday, it’s possible they could increase their lead further his weekend.

At the same time, Roma host a surging AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday in the biggest game of matchday 22. The Rossoneri have a single point lead over Roma, with this game key as both clubs battle for a Champions League spot.

In other games to watch: Inter Milan, in third place, play Bologna on Sunday, while Lazio are at Frosinone the following day.

Inter, in poor form as of late, are reportedly trying to woo former Juve and Italy manager Antonio Conte with Luciano Spalletti expected to leave this summer.

Bundesliga

In Germany, the title race remains tight as league leaders Borussia Dortmund keeps winning as do second-place Bayern Munich.

Dortmund have a six-point edge atop the table going into matchday 20. BVB play at fifth-place Eintracht in Frankfurt on Saturday. Frankfurt are pushing for a spot in Europe and feature scorer Luka Jovic who has 13 goals in 17 games.

Bayern, meanwhile, are also on the road, playing on Saturday against ninth-place Bayer in Leverkusen. The game could also mark the returns of Bayern stalwarts Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben, who returned to the training ground earlier this week.

In another key game, Hertha Berlin host Wolfsburg on Saturday in a battle of seventh-place teams tied at 28 points.

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