European league titles go on the line this weekend as the Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie, Ligue 1 and La Liga wrap up on both Saturday and Sunday.
Werder Bremen v Borussia Moenchengladbach
Saturday 3:30pm European time - German Bundesliga
Former German powerhouse Werder Bremen are once again battling relegation after last season’s near escape. Werder are currently 16th in the Bundesliga, occupying the relegation-promotion playoff spot, with 15th-placed Arminia Bielefeld one point ahead of them, while 17th-placed Koln are one point behind. Arminia are away to ninth-placed Stuttgart while Koln host bottom club Schalke, so Werder will want nothing less than victory against eighth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach to stay up. With former boss Thomas Schaaf back in charge, hopes are high.
Saturday 6pm European time - Spanish La Liga
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are one win away from their first La Liga title since 2013-14. At a time when Real Madrid have financial might and Barcelona continue to flex their muscle, the Atleti’s achievements so far have been massive, but they will mean nothing if they cannot finish the job away to Valladolid. Atletico’s opponents are 19th but are still hopeful of avoiding relegation, needing a win and results for Elche and Huesca to go their way. That adds spice to this fixture. Atletico hold a two-point lead over Real Madrid who play Villarreal. Real have a 3-1 aggregate head-to-head advantage so Atletico must win.
Sunday 5pm European time - English Premier League
Liverpool have won four league games in a row to storm into the top four with one game to play. The Reds’ 3-0 win at Burnley in midweek moved them past recent FA Cup winners Leicester City who also fell out of the top four at this stage last season. However, Liverpool are only ahead of Leicester on goal difference. The Foxes take on Tottenham in a tougher fixture, needing a slip-up from Liverpool or Chelsea, who are away to Aston Villa, to get into the top four. Liverpool’s scenario seems simple taking on a Crystal Palace side who are 13th and have little to pay for except to farewell manager Roy Hodgson in style. But you never know, especially with Roy against his former side.
Sunday 8:45pm European time - Italian Serie A
It’s the final day of the Serie A season, with Inter Milan to be crowned champions elsewhere, while their city rivals AC Milan battle to lock up a top four spot, earning qualification to the UEFA Champions League. The task isn’t easy for the Rossoneri, who make the trip to second-placed Atalanta who aren’t 100 per cent secured of a top four berth, although that could only be denied by a heavy defeat and big Juventus win elsewhere. Fourth-placed Napoli are level on points with Milan, with fifth-placed Juve one point behind both. Napoli host Hellas Verona and Juve go to Bologna. One will miss out.
Sunday 9pm European time - French Ligue 1
The 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions will be determined on Sunday, with Lille still in the box seat despite missing a big opportunity last weekend when they drew 0-0 at home with St Etienne. Lille are one point ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain on the final day. Lille’s opponents are 12th-placed Angers, who have lost four of their past five league games. PSG are away to 16th-placed Brest, so both should win, but the pressure is on Lille. Christophe Galtier’s side haven’t conceded a goal in their past three matches but scoring is essential to get the win they need, relying on top scorers Burak Yilmaz and Jonathon David. Lille will have to do it without suspended captain Jose Fonte.
