A look at Saturday’s events in European football:
ENGLAND
Sunday’s games between Premier League championship contenders Manchester City and Arsenal focus emphasis on qualifying for Europe and remaining in the top division. Newcastle travels to relegation-threatened Leeds, and the team has a limited amount of time to escape the bottom division. Any other outcome than a victory for bottom-placed Southampton against Fulham at home would seal relegation, and even that may not be enough if other results go against it over the weekend. Nottingham Forest can move farther away from the bottom three when it goes to Chelsea. In an effort to qualify for the Champions League, fourth-placed Manchester United takes on Wolverhampton. Liverpool is just one point behind and has played one more game. Both Tottenham and Aston Villa are competing while still dreaming of playing in Europe the following year.
FRANCE
At the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain will face struggling Ajaccio with Lionel Messi back in the starting lineup. Messi missed PSG’s last match because the club punished him for skipping practice and leaving the country without permission to do business in Saudi Arabia. Galtier said that when he talked with Messi, he was in a positive frame of mind and “very determined to win yet another trophy.” PSG leads Lens by six points with four games remaining in the league. Ajaccio is now 11 points from safety and in the relegation zone. pleasant journey to Strasbourg.
GERMANY
With home contests against Schalke and Borussia Mönchengladbach, respectively, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund continue their struggle for the Bundesliga championship. Dortmund is behind Bayern by one point with three games, including this one, left. A Schalke squad that is battling for its life is facing up against the 10-time reigning champion. Schalke is just one point away from being relegated. However, Schalke has won its past two games and will do every effort to shock everyone in Munich, even if it favors its bitter rival Dortmund. Last weekend, Dortmund thrashed Wolfsburg 6-0 and now meets a Gladbach club with dignity to battle for in the middle of the league. By gaining a four-point lead before Dortmund’s late game, Bayern may apply more pressure. In addition, qualifying for the Champions League is on the line as fifth-placed Freiburg travels to fourth-place Union Berlin. The top four alone are eligible. Eintracht Frankfurt welcomes Mainz, Bochum hosts Augsburg for a relegation match, and Hoffenheim travels to Wolfsburg.
ITALY
Inter Milan and AC Milan play crucial games in Serie A between the first and second legs of their Champions League semifinal to ensure their participation in Europe’s premier championship the following season. Hosting Sassuolo is Inter. Relegation-threatened Spezia is visited by Milan. With the top four slots guaranteeing Champions League tickets, Inter is in fourth place while Milan is in fifth. Visit to Salernitana by sixth-place Atalanta.
SPAIN
When Real Madrid plays Getafe, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, and David Alaba will likely sit out in order to focus on their matchup against Manchester City in the Champions League semifinals the following week. Following a Friday individual training session, coach Carlo Ancelotti declared the three players questionable for the Spanish league rivalry. They should be prepared for the Wednesday journey to Manchester. Madrid is in third position in La Liga, well behind leader Barcelona, who has one game left to win the championship. Enes Unal, Getafe’s leading scorer, will miss the game due to suspension. In order to secure a fourth-place finish and the last Champions League slot, Real Sociedad welcomes an in-form Girona. Girona has won three straight games to climb to seventh position, where a Conference League entry would be awarded. Athletic Bilbao is a guest of Villarreal. After losing to Madrid in the Copa del Rey championship match last weekend, Osasuna welcomes Almeria.