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20 May, 2021 10:20
English football league system resembles a pyramid

Football on TV: The last matchday 2020/21 in Europe’s top leagues

It has been a remarkable season in many ways, with the final fixtures in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 coming to an end this weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the most exciting remaining deciders in Europe’s top leagues as the season draws to a close.

Premier League

Is the race for the title still open? No 🟥
Is the relegation battle still open? No 🟥
Is the battle for the Champions League spots still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Europa League places still open? Yes 🟩

In the Premier League, the league title has been decided for a long time. Manchester City had an outstanding run in the second half of the season and made things clear early on. On top of that, they are in the Champions League final, where they will meet league rivals Chelsea.

The race for the coveted top four, and the associated qualification spot for next season’s Champions League, on the other hand, is even tighter. Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool will fight it out for two places, while the third-placed team will have to settle for the Europe League. Liverpool have put themselves in a good position after Alisson’s sensational stoppage-time goal against West Brom and a 3-0 win at Burnley. A win in the final game against Crystal Place would probably do it.

Leicester v Spurs is considered one of the hottest games of the weekend. Tottenham need to win to keep their chance of a Europa League place. Leicester also need a win to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

The most important matches of the 38th matchday of the Premier League:

Aston Villa-Chelsea
Leicester–Spurs
Liverpool-Crystal Palace
West Ham-Southampton


La Liga

Is the race for the title still open? Yes 🟩
Is the relegation battle still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Champions League spots still open? No 🟥
Is the battle for the Europa League places still open? Yes 🟩

In Spain, the title fight is still in full swing. However, only the two city rivals from Madrid are still fighting for the title. Barcelona bowed out of the race last weekend with a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Celta Vigo.

Atletico (83 points) face Valladolid, who are playing to stay in the relegation zone. Before the matchday, they rank second last in the table with 31 points and desperately need 3 points to keep their chance of not being relegated. Real Madrid (81 points) meet Villarreal, who can still qualify for the Europea League. All 4 teams should therefore have enough motivation.

Real Sociedad can no longer reach the Champions League, as the top 4 teams with Atletico, Real, Barcelona and Sevilla are uncatchable in terms of points. However, Betis and Villarreal are lurking in fifth place, each one point behind the team from San Sebastian.

In the lower half of the table, Huesca, Elche and Valladolid are playing to stay in the highest Spanish division.

The most important matches of the 38th matchday in La Liga:

Valladolid-Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid-Villarreal
Elche-Athletic Bilbao
Real Betis-Celta Vigo
Real Sociedad-Osasuna
Huesca-Valencia


Ligue 1

Is the race for the title still open? Yes 🟩
Is the relegation battle still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Champions League spots still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Europa League places still open? Yes 🟩

In France, fans are preparing for a sizzling final. Due to Lille’s draw against St. Etienne, PSG has moved to within one point before the last matchday. Monaco also still have a theoretical chance of winning the title. The team of ex-Bayern coach Niko Kovac would have to make up a 6-goal difference on Lille and also rely on Lille losing and Paris not winning.

There are only two points between the relegation place, where Nantes sits currently, and St. Reims in 13th place. Accordingly, a whole 6 teams are involved in the relegation battle, even if several things would have to sum up, in order for the teams with 42 points to finish 18th. Nantes, Lorient, Brest and Strasbourg are therefore in the main focus of the relegation fight.

The most important matches of the 38th matchday in Ligue 1:

Angers-Lille
Brest-PSG
Lens-Monaco
Lyon-Nice
Rennes-Nimes
Montpellier-Nantes
Lorient-Strasbourg
Reims-Bordeaux


Bundesliga

Is the race for the title still open? No 🟥
Is the relegation battle still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Champions League spots still open? No 🟥
Is the battle for the Europa League places still open? No 🟥

In the Bundesliga, most of the spots are already settled. Bayern are once again champions – Leipzig, Dortmund and Wolfsburg will play in the Champions League next year. Frankfurt and Leverkusen have qualified for the Europa League. Union Berlin, Mönchengladbach, Stuttgart and Freiburg all still have a chance of finishing seventh, which qualifies for the Europa Conference League play-offs.

In the relegation battle, however, anything can still happen. Schalke are bottom of the table. One direct relegation spot, the relegation play-off spot and 15th place, which entitles to stay in the league, are still up for grabs. Cologne, Werder Bremen and Arminia Bielefeld are the competitors.

The most important matches of the 34th matchday of the Bundesliga:

Union Berlin-Leipzig
Werder Bremen-Mönchengladbach
Stuttgart-Arminia Bielefeld
Köln-Schalke
Frankfurt-Freiburg


Serie A

Is the race for the title still open? No 🟥
Is the relegation battle still open? No 🟥
Is the battle for the Champions League spots still open? Yes 🟩
Is the battle for the Europa League places still open? Yes 🟩

Inter clinched the Scudetto just over a fortnight ago, so the title fight is decided. Moreover, Atalanta have qualified for the Champions League after another excellent season. Behind them, Milan, Napoli and Juventus are fighting for the two remaining CL places with 76, 76 and 75 points respectively. Lazio will have to settle for the Europa League next season. Roma, on the other hand, will have to keep Sassuolo at bay if they want to defend seventh place and enter the ECL.

The battle to stay in the league, on the other hand, is decided. Benevento, Crotone and Parma have to go down to Serie B.

The most important matches of the 38th matchday in Serie A:

Atalanta-Milan
Napoli-Verona
Bologna-Juventus
Lazio-Sassuolo
Spezia-Roma


Heik Kolsch

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