Title races, UCL places, and more: What's left to be decided across Europe?
We made it. Europe’s top five leagues will wrap up their respective seasons this weekend, and there’s still plenty to be decided across the board. Below, we run down what’s left to play for ahead of a dramatic two days.
Premier League
All matches to be played Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET.
All eyes on the top four
It’s smooth sailing in Manchester – for both champions City and second-place United – but just beneath the top two, a fascinating season-long battle will be decided on Sunday. Three into two simply doesn’t work: One of Chelsea, Liverpool, or Leicester City will end up just missing out on the top four and thus a place in next season’s Champions League.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Chelsea | 67 | +23 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 66 | +24 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 66 | +20 |
The respective fixtures are as follows:
- Chelsea: Away against Aston Villa
- Liverpool: Home against Crystal Palace
- Leicester City: Home against Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea’s equation is the simplest of the bunch: Win and you’re in. Any victory over Villa will secure third place for Thomas Tuchel’s side. Should the Blues fall out of the top four, they could still reach next season’s Champions League by beating Manchester City in this year’s final on May 29.
After spending a huge chunk of the season on the outside looking in, Liverpool crept into the top four earlier in the week with a win over Burnley, leapfrogging Leicester by virtue of their superior goal difference; the Reds, incredibly, were eighth with 10 matches remaining, a full 10 points back of the Foxes.
If both contenders win this weekend, Leicester could finish fourth but would need to rack up the goals – and likely not concede any – to have a chance.
European dreams still flickering
Leicester winning the FA Cup earlier this month means the fifth- and sixth-place teams in England will qualify for next season’s Europa League.
West Ham United, Tottenham, and Everton are all in contention to finish sixth.
Whoever ends up in seventh will be rewarded with a spot in the playoff round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The newly formed tournament, which begins next season, is effectively a step down from the Europa League.
Arsenal are in with a chance of grabbing that berth and keeping their 25-year streak of continental participation alive, while Leeds United have a mathematical chance but would need an improbable combination of results.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | West Ham | 62 | +12 |
| 7 | Tottenham | 59 | +21 |
| 8 | Everton | 59 | +4 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 58 | +14 |
| 10 | Leeds | 56 | +6 |
The respective fixtures are as follows:
- West Ham: Home against Southampton
- Tottenham: Away against Leicester
- Everton: Away against Manchester City
- Arsenal: Home against Brighton
- Leeds: Home against West Bromwich Albion
Buckle up and prepare for some drama in England.
La Liga
All matches discussed to played Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Title race goes to the wire
Spain’s top prize will end up in Madrid one way or another. City rivals Atletico and Real Madrid are the last teams standing in the battle for the La Liga title.
Atletico, sitting on 83 points, hold a two-point edge over Zinedine Zidane’s side; an away win over relegation candidates Real Valladolid will do the trick and deliver Diego Simeone and Co. their first league crown since 2014. A draw could be enough, too, but only if Real Madrid lose at home to Villarreal; Los Blancos hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atleti and would nab the crown if both sides finish level on 84 points.
A bad midseason dip in form made things hairy for Atletico, but all signs point to the Rojiblancos just getting over the line.
The fight for European places
Real Sociedad, Real Betis, and the aforementioned Villarreal are in a three-way scrap to determine who reaches the Europa League and who has to settle for a spot in the Conference League playoffs.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 59 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 58 |
| 7 | Villarreal | 58 |
Sociedad and Betis both boast superior head-to-head records against Villarreal, meaning the Yellow Submarine can only jump into the top six – and thus the Europa League – with some help.
Unai Emery’s men are taking on title-chasing Real Madrid, while Sociedad visit Osasuna, and Betis face Celta Vigo.
Avoiding the drop
At the foot of the standings, only Eibar have already been relegated. Two of Valladolid, Elche, and Huesca will join them in dropping down. Huesca, currently safe in 17th place, control their own fate.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Huesca | 33 |
| 18 | Elche | 33 |
| 19 | Real Valladolid | 31 |
Huesca host Valencia on Saturday, while Elche welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Estadio Martinez Valero. A Valladolid win over Atleti, meanwhile, would potentially rock the boat at both ends of the table.
Serie A
All matches discussed to be played Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET.
A dramatic day for Juventus
Failing to retain the Scudetto is the least of Andrea Pirlo’s concerns right now.
Deposed titleholders Juventus know that Champions League qualification is out of their control. Sitting fifth ahead of their trip to Bologna, Pirlo and Co. will miss out on Europe’s premier competition for the first time in a decade unless they get a helping hand elsewhere. It’s quite the fall from grace after nine consecutive seasons atop the mountain.
AC Milan and the red-hot Napoli are in pole position, both owning a one-point advantage and various tiebreakers over the Bianconeri.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | AC Milan | 76 |
| 4 | Napoli | 76 |
| 5 | Juventus | 75 |
Milan have the trickiest test of the trio, as the Rossoneri visit Atalanta. That said, the latter are coming off a draining midweek defeat to Juve in the Coppa Italia final and already have a top-four finish locked up.
Napoli, with 10 wins in their last 14 games, have soared back up the standings; Gennaro Gattuso’s high-flying side has lost just once since the beginning of March. The Partenopei host midtable Hellas Verona.
The final European places
Lazio have already secured a Europa League berth, meaning the only other prize on offer in Italy is a place in the Conference League. That will go to one of Roma or Sassuolo. The former, who will have Jose Mourinho behind the bench next season, currently sit seventh with a two-point edge over chasing Sassuolo. Roma visit Spezia this weekend, while the Neroverdi host Lazio in their concurrent fixture.
Bundesliga
All matches to be played Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Much of the drama has already been sapped in Germany.
Bayern Munich – of course – are champions, and the top-four spots are locked in. Ditto for the Europa League berths.
That leaves the Europa Conference League, where four teams are vying for one place. Seventh position in the table currently belongs to Union Berlin, with Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart, and Freiburg in hot pursuit.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Union Berlin | 47 | +6 |
| 8 | Monchengladbach | 46 | +6 |
| 9 | Stuttgart | 45 | +3 |
| 10 | Freiburg | 45 | +2 |
The respective fixtures are as follows:
- Union Berlin: Home against RB Leipzig
- Monchengladbach: Away against Werder Bremen
- Stuttgart: Home against Arminia Bielefeld
- Freiburg: Away against Eintracht Frankfurt
Who will avoid relegation?
Basement dwellers Schalke were officially sent down an eternity ago, but the remaining relegation places are still undecided. Whoever finishes 17th will automatically join the Gelsenkirchen side in the second tier. The 16th-place finisher, meanwhile, will head to the always tense relegation playoff.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Arminia Bielefeld | 32 | -28 |
| 16 | Werder Bremen | 31 | -19 |
| 17 | FC Koln | 30 | -27 |
The respective fixtures are as follows:
- Arminia Bielefeld: Away against Stuttgart
- Werder Bremen: Home against Mainz
- FC Koln: Home against Schalke
Werder Bremen, Bundesliga title winners in 2004, could be in serious trouble.
Ligue 1
All matches to be played Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Will PSG retain the crown?
Unless there’s a twist on Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain will lose their ironclad grip on the Ligue 1 title. The capital-based club sits second in the table behind leaders Lille, who have kept their nerve down the stretch to maintain an advantage that most expected to disappear. Victory for Christophe Galtier’s team would clinch Les Dogues’ first Ligue 1 conquest in a decade.
Monaco, currently third, have a mathematical chance to claim the trophy but would need both title rivals to lose, plus a huge swing in goal difference, to become surprise champions at the 11th hour.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lille | 80 | +40 |
| 2 | PSG | 79 | +56 |
| 3 | Monaco | 77 | +34 |
The respective fixtures are as follows:
- Lille: Away against Angers
- PSG: Away against Brest
- Monaco: Away against Lens
European places to be finalized
Only the top three teams in France reach the Champions League proper, with the third-place finisher entering the qualifying stages of the competition. Lyon, sitting fourth and just a point behind Monaco, are still in contention ahead of their meeting with Nice.
Marseille and Lens occupy the Europa League and Conference League places, respectively, but things can change on Sunday with Rennes still in with a shot of reaching the nascent event.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Marseille | 59 | +7 |
| 6 | Lens | 56 | +1 |
| 7 | Rennes | 55 | +10 |
A wild relegation scrap
The two automatic relegation spots have already been decided – sorry, Dijon and Nimes – but there’s an almighty battle to avoid finishing 18th, which sends someone to the relegation playoff. Any one of five teams could end up in that unenviable position.
| Position | Club | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Bordeaux | 42 | -15 |
| 15 | Strasbourg | 41 | -9 |
| 16 | Brest | 41 | -14 |
| 17 | Lorient | 41 | -18 |
| 18 | Nantes | 40 | -7 |
The various permutations can be found here.
