The Euro Preview: Fight for top four dominates La Liga and Serie A
The battle for a spot in next season’s European competitions looks to dominate the final weeks of both La Liga and Serie A.
La Liga
After another week loaded with Champions League action, attention turns this weekend to the teams looking to qualify for next season’s tournament. With Barcelona seemingly running away with the title after a 2-0 win last Saturday against Atletico Madrid, the battle to finish in the top four will dominate the remainder of the season.
With seven matchdays left in the season, six teams will be slugging it out over the next two months. While Atleti, who are in second place, have a slight edge, the remaining five clubs (including surprise sides Getafe and Alaves) will have to put together a strong finish.
First the title race: Barcelona, with Lionel Messi leading all scorers with 33 goals, play Saturday at Huesca, while Atleti are at home the same day against Celta Vigo.
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In the battle for top four, third-place Real Madrid will have the benefit of knowing how everyone else has done since they play at home Monday against Leganes. On Saturday, Sevilla are at home Saturday against Real Betis, while Getafe play the following day at Valladolid, who are looking to avoid the drop. Also on Sunday, Valencia host Levante.
Serie A
In Italy, where the title race is essentially wrapped up, Juventus (who just need a draw this weekend to clinch the title) and second-place Napoli are assured a place in the Champions League. Third and fourth, however, are up for grabs and as many as seven teams are fighting for those spots. With seven matchdays to go, it’s hard to call how things will play out.
Juve, who have seen leadership and goals out of teenager Moise Kean during the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, are on the road against Spal, while Napoli travel to Verona the following day to play Chievo.
Here’s a look at the top half of the table and the fight for the top four:
- Juventus – 84
- Napoli – 64
- Inter Milan – 57
- AC Milan – 52
- Atalanta – 52
- Roma – 51
- Lazio – 49
- Torino – 49
- Sampdoria – 45
The AC Milan-Lazio match on Saturday at the San Siro is as big as they come. The derby between Sampdoria and Genoa the following day could also impact the top half of the table and features joint top scorer Fabio Quagliarella (tied at 21 goals with AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek) looking to add to his impressive season tally.
Inter Milan, meanwhile, have seen the return of striker Mauro Icardi just in time to help give his club a boost down the stretch. They play at Frosinone on Sunday in another must-win game.
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Bundesliga
The title race in Germany remains the tightest of Europe’s top five domestic competitions following Bayern Munich’s 5-0 thrashing last Saturday of Borussia Dortmund.
The result leaves Bayern top of the table with 64 points and BVB just a point behind them. With six matchdays left in the season, it still remains a wide-open contest. Nonetheless, the psychological edge seems to belong to the defending champions after dominating Der Klassiker.
Dortmund host Mainz on Saturday, while Bayern travel to Dusseldorf to take on Fortuna the following day.
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Bayern players said they’re upbeat, but know they still have to win games to repeat as champions.
“It feels great [to defeat Borussia Dortmund], but it’s not the end of the season,” Bayern striker Thomas Muller said after the game. “We’re a point ahead, so we know we have to continue to ride this wave after sending out this signal so we win our next games.”