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With the leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France nearing their denouement, we pick out what is left to play for in the final weeks of the season.
Napoli may have won Serie A on Thursday night, but it's beyond fascinating that the Partenopei halting their 33-year wait for a Scudetto remains the only confirmed title success in any of Europe’s top-five leagues.
The Premier League is undecided, despite Arsenal being supplanted by Manchester City on Wednesday. Bayern Munich faces the tightest tussle for the Bundesliga in years, with Borussia Dortmund intent on taking them down to the wire this term, and inconsistent results in Paris have seen Paris Saint-Germain fail to pull away from the chasing pack.
Barcelona endured a torrid European campaign but have been the best side in an average LaLiga campaign, and the Blaugrana’s first title success since the 2018-19 campaign could happen against local rivals Espanyol the next time they take to the field on May 14.
Be that as it may, the race to reign supreme domestically does not tell the complete story of the intrigue across the major competitions. The relegation tussle in England has left everyone guessing for weeks, as does the battle to avoid the drop in France, where four sides are losing their top-flight status.
There could be a high-profile exit from LaLiga this season, with one of the historic clubs demoted to LaLiga 2 in a few weeks. Most of the Europa League and Europa Conference League spots are still undecided, so the concluding gameweeks are bound to be exciting.
Premier League
Arsenal were in control of their destiny, but a defeat by Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens and the subsequent wins over Fulham and West Ham United have put them a point ahead of the Gunners with one game outstanding.
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07:45 - 03.05.2023
ANALYSIS Decisive Odegaard unloads Arsenal’s Manchester City hurt on egregious Chelsea
The Gunners captain scored twice in the opening half-hour in the North London side’s 3-1 success over Frank Lampard’s men to end a four-game winless run.
However, that title race is not where the excitement lies. The battle at the bottom offers more excitement, with the bottom five separated by 10 points.
There have been six managerial changes at Southampton, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Leicester City and West Ham United, with the Tricky Trees and West Ham the only clubs to have retained coaches they started the campaign with.
The Saints and Leeds account for four changes, highlighting the desperation to stay in the big time. These teams’ run-ins (below) throw up mouth-watering head-to-head clashes, which could potentially decide their fates.
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Leeds ostensibly looks to have the toughest run-in, with games against the three sides in the top seven, so it remains to be seen if Sam Allardyce weaves the magic wand.
The Champions League race seems to be in Newcastle United’s hands, even if Eddie Howe’s troops must outwit tough opposition to return to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Spain
Barcelona are expected to become LaLiga champions in round 34, but what is happening below them is thrilling.
Valencia are embroiled in a relegation tussle involving six sides, with Elche’s fate already sealed.
Three of the teams they face are in the bottom half of the standings, with the clash with Espanyol in the penultimate round of the campaign an undoubted six-pointer.
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Bundesliga title race
To get a measure of how Bayern have operated in relative comfort in the last decade or so, look back at the final placements between first and second place in those campaigns.
While two points separated Bayern from Borussia Dortmund in 2018-19, the second nearest margin was an eight-point gap last season, and the widest was in 2012-13 when the Bavarians finished 25 points clear of BVB. In nearly every season, it was double digits.
Thus, it is understandable that there is excitement with Thomas Tuchel’s troops only a point ahead of Dortmund with four games to go. Edin Terzic’s side led the standings before round 30, but a 1-1 draw at Bochum and FC Hollywood’s 2-0 success over cellar-dwelling Hertha Berlin saw them reclaim top spot.
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Three of Bayern’s opponents are in the bottom half, while Dortmund must defeat Wolfsburg and Mainz, teams chasing a European spot, to claim their first Bundesliga title since 2012.
Serie A
Victor Osimhen's Napoli have been crowned champions, so the battle for the Champions League positions remains Serie A’s intriguing component.
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22:00 - 31.03.2023
SERIE A Champions League tussle set for fresh twists in round 28
Eleven points separate second-placed Lazio from Juventus in seventh, but the fascinating six-way battle for three spots is far more nuanced.
Sixth-placed Lazio and Roma in seventh place are separated by six points going into the remaining five gameweeks of 2022-23. Sandwiched between the clubs are Juventus, Inter Milan, Atalanta and AC Milan, with La Dea and the Rossoneri level on points with Jose Mourinho’s men.
This weekend sets up attention-grabbing ties between Milan and Lazio, Roma and Inter and Atalanta and Juventus, the six teams chasing the three spots behind the champions.
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The run-in is expected to throw up even more remarkable results, especially as the Milan clubs face off in Europe’s premier club competition.
At the bottom, only four points separate Spezia (18th), Hellas Verona (17th) and Lecce (16th) in the standings, and the final five rounds are bound to throw up unforeseen curveballs.
Second-bottom Cremonese are six points from safety, a situation that hurts because the side from Cremona could have been four points back if they held on against Milan in midweek.
Luciano Spalletti’s men may have ended a generation’s pain, but there is still a lot to play for in Serie A.
France
Paris Saint-Germain have faced several distractions all season, but the latest Lionel Messi incident is one the club did not need with the Ligue 1 title hanging in the balance.
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12:15 - 05.05.2023
Lionel Messi may never play for PSG again, here is why
Argentine superstar may have played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain following a recent dispute
The Parisians have suspended the World Cup winner for a fortnight, and their recent defeat by Lorient has seen the gap at the top reduced to five points with five games to play.
Lens are six points adrift of Christophe Galtier’s side, so the Pas-de-Calais outfit could pounce on any slips by the top two but do battle with second-placed Olympique Marseille this weekend.
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At the bottom, 14th-placed Brest and Nantes in 17th are separated by three points, with the final relegation spot still undecided.
Nigeria international Moses Simon could suffer the ignominy of demotion to Ligue 2 if the Yellow Canaries fail to pick up enough points against Strasbourg in 16th place and bottom club Angers in the final rounds of the campaign.
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