Titles & relegation: What's left to play for in Europe?
Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
The climax to the 2020/21 club football campaign across Europe is already shaping up to be one of the most thrilling closing chapters in recent memory, and with points, positions, survival and league titles still up for grabs, intensity levels are certain to skyrocket.
Ahead of another crucial midweek fixture programme, we’ve taken a look at how things are developing in some the most compelling plotlines across the across the continent. Remember – you can find betting tips for all the latest games on our match predictions page.
La Liga
Title race – who can still win it?
Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla can all still win the title in Spain, though current leaders – Diego Simeone’s Colchoneros – hold all the cards following their 0-0 draw at Camp Nou. Atletico’s final trio of fixtures against Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Real Valladolid could offer up a title winning points haul.
All four clubs are already guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League.
Europa League qualification – who is in the mix?
Real Sociedad, Europa League finalists Villarreal and Real Betis are battling it out for two continental qualification berths below the four-way title skirmish. Betis have a game in hand (vs Granada) over Villarreal in 6th and they could still leapfrog the Yellow Submarine, who will have one eye on their UEL final against Manchester United.
Relegation – who could go down?
With just a five-point spread between Getafe in 15th and Eibar at the foot of the table, any three from the division’s bottom six clubs could still face relegation. Back-to-back wins have put Eibar right back into the surivial mix and with momentum key, they could yet enact a great escape.
Keep on top of all the latest developments and betting tips on our La Liga predictions page.
Serie A
Title race – who can still win it?
Inter Milan have sewn up the Scudetto in Italy with three games to play under Antonio Conte, landing their first Serie A title since 2010. Inter still have a date with the Old Lady to complete however, and they could have a massive say in the Champions League qualification shake-up.
Champions & Europa League qualification – who is in the mix?
Atalanta, Milan, Napoli, Juventus and Lazio are all still vying for a top-four finish in Italy, though La Dea and the Rossoneri – locked on 72 points each – are favourites to claim the first two spots.
Below them, Napoli, Juventus and Lazio could be left to clamour for the remaining position, though the Partenopei, who have lost just once in 13 games, are finishing the season strongly under Gennaro Gattuso. Napoli take on Udinese on Tuesday evening where three points would put them even more firmly in the driving seat.
Juventus, meanwhile, face the prospect of their lowest league finish since 2011, though they look certain to pocket a Europa League qualification consolation prize if they fail to make the cut for its more lucrative sister competition.
Sixth placed Lazio, who lead neighbours Roma by half a dozen points with a game in hand, are the likeliest team to join Juve for Thursday evening football next term.
Relegation – who could go down?
Both Crotone and Parma exited Serie A with a whimper this season and they will be accompanied down the pyramid by one of Genoa, Torino, Cagliari, Spezia or Benevento.
Torino and Cagliari have been making impressive strides towards survival of late, while Benevento’s dismal run of five defeats in six matches marks them out as the likeliest candidates for the drop.
You can find all of our latest predictions and betting tips on our Serie A predictions page.
Ligue 1
Title race – who can still win it?
A remarkable campaign near the top of Ligue 1 is in its final throes, and Lille are on course to land a hugely unexpected title ahead of a usually dominant PSG.
Les Dogues lead the big-spending Parisians by three points with two games to play, and victories in their last two fixtures at home to Saint Etienne and away to Angers would spark incredible celebrations in Hauts-de-France.
PSG’s destiny is out of their hands and manager Mauricio Pochettino faces the ignominy of being the first coach at the Parc de Prince to go without a league title since 2017.
Champions & Europa League qualification – who is in the mix?
In a congested top end, PSG, Monaco and Lyon are all still mathematically involved in the race for the remaining Champions League spot behind Lille – if Christophe Galtier’s impressive young team make history later this month.
Just three points separate PSG in second from Lyon in fourth with Monaco in between, and with all three teams in decent form, this one promises to go down to the wire.
The team squeezed out of the top three will be joined by either Marseille, Lens or Rennes in next season’s Europa League. OM are currently in fifth, though they hold a precarious position, just goal difference ahead of Lens and a single point in front of Rennes.
Relegation – who could go down?
With bottom club Dijon already doomed, Nimes, Nantes, Lorient, Strasbourg and Bordeaux will slug it out for survival in the final two rounds of Ligue 1 fixtures.
Nantes are currently just below the cut-off line, though their three-match winning surge has pushed them to the brink of safety. Their 3-0 win over Bordeaux last weekend felt particularly significant and the Girondins – who have lost six of their last seven assignments overall – are on the verge of collapse.
Check out our tipsters latest analysis over on our Ligue 1 predictions page.
Bundesliga
Title race – who can still win it?
Bayern Munich were once again an unstoppable force in Germany this season and despite a patchier than usual campaign, the Bavarians cantered to their ninth straight Bundesliga title.
Julian Nagelsmann will leave second placed RB Leipzig to join Bayern in the summer, where he will be joined by Die Rotten Bullen’s star defender Dayot Upamecano, further tightening FCB’s stranglehold on the domestic German game.
Champions & Europa League qualification – who is in the mix?
Nageslmann has already guaranteed Champions League football next season for his soon to be ex-employers, though Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are wrestling for the final two money-spinning spots in the division.
While suitors eyeing cut-price deals for Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho will be hoping that Dortmund’s Champions League challenge crumbles, der BVB are in superb form and they look favourites to climb to third before the final Bundesliga ball is kicked in 2020/21.
Nerves will be jangling at Wolfsburg however, who face RB Leipzig and red-hot Mainz in their final brace of tests. Any slip-ups could be capitalised upon by Eintracht Frankfurt, who have more winnable games against Schalke and Freiburg.
Relegation – who could go down?
Schalke 04 are already planning for life down a division in Germany, though the identity of the clubs that will join them in the second tier has not yet been established.
Second from bottom Koln, Arminia Bielefeld, Werder Bremen, Hertha Berlin and Augsburg are all firmly part of the relegation conversation, and it’s difficult to guess who will talk their way out of trouble.
Intriguingly, Koln meet Schalke and Hertha in their final two matches, while Augsburg will also have to face Werder Bremen before the season is out.
Make sure to head on over to our Bundesliga predictions page for our latest analysis and tips.
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