Battle to finish in Spanish La Liga top four going down to the wire
Tuesday 7 May 2019 08:06, UK
With Manchester City and Liverpool locked in the most enthralling Premier League title race since 2012, it is not just in England where the battle for domestic honours is set for a tense finish.
The race to be crowned Premier League winners for the 2018/19 season is going down to the final day of the season, which can be watched live on Sky Sports, but there is no less drama in various locations across the continent.
Barcelona have already wrapped up their eighth La Liga title in the last 11 years in Spain, while Paris Saint-Germain eventually passed the finish line in Ligue 1 to claim a seventh crown since 2013.
Juventus sealed an eighth straight Serie A title with five games to spare, and the Bundesliga shield looks set for a familiar destination.
Bayern Munich have taken a four-point lead over Borussia Dortmund and only need to match their rivals' result in their penultimate match this weekend - away to RB Leipzig - in order to lift the domestic title for a record-extending seventh year in a row.
But look a little deeper across the other European leagues, and you will find title races dripping with the same tension and drama that has seen the league change hands 30 times during this memorable Premier League campaign...
Leaders: Benfica (81 points)
Chasers: Porto (79 points)
Porto won the Primeira Liga by seven points last season to qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage, but Sergio Conceicao's side have found life considerably harder this time around.
The 28-times Portuguese champions trail Benfica by two points heading into their final two games.
The Lisbon club had won the previous four titles before it was wrestled off them last term, and they will be hoping for a favour from fierce rivals Sporting on the final day, when they face Porto.
The runners-up will have the added complication of having to play in the Champions League third qualifying round next season.
Leaders: Ajax (80 points)
Chasers: PSV Eindhoven (80 points)
Ajax have been one of the feel-good stories of the season after their magical run to the brink of the Champions League final, but they are still in contention for a treble this season.
Erik ten Hag's side celebrated success in Dutch Cup final at the weekend by beating Willem II 4-0 - but they are locked in an intense battle to win the Eredivisie with their old rivals PSV Eindhoven.
If two sides are locked on the same number of points in the Netherlands' top flight, the championship is decided on goal difference in the same way it is in the Premier League.
Ajax currently have a superior goal difference, meaning if both they and PSV win their final two games, the chasers will need a 10-goal swing in order to usurp the leaders.
Ajax's exploits in Europe - and the subsequent rest period they were afforded along with all Dutch clubs by the KNVB before facing Tottenham in the Champions League semi-final first leg - means that Mark van Bommel will have gone 17 days without a match before they take on AZ Alkmaar - a fact that has not gone unnoticed by supporters.
Leaders: Galatasaray (63 points)
Chasers: Istanbul Basaksehir (63 points)
Istanbul Basaksehir are yet to win the Turkish Super Lig in their history, but they have watched a six-point lead slip out of their hands over the past fortnight.
Basaksehir have taken two points from their last three games, allowing Galatasaray to move ahead of them courtesy of a superior head-to-head record.
Galatasaray beat Besiktas 2-0 on Sunday to land a significant blow to their Istanbul rival's faint hopes of gate-crashing the title race - and Basaksehir visit Galatasaray in their penultimate game of the campaign in what looks set to be a championship decider.
Third-placed Besiktas still have an outside chance of winning the title, but they must hope that the two sides above them play out a draw and they win all three of their remaining matches. That would still require both Galatasaray and Istanbul Basaksehir to drop further points.
The battle to finish in fourth place in La Liga is making up for the shortage of suspense at the very top of the table in Spain.
Jose Bordalas' well-drilled Getafe side earned another straightforward win at the weekend and are now four points from sealing qualification for next season's Champions League.
The Madrid club, who have the third lowest attendance in La Liga, were playing in the second division three seasons ago and are keeping Valencia and Sevilla at arm's length.
"It was unthinkable that Getafe would fight to get into Europe," said Bordalas upon hearing his team were guaranteed at least a Europa League spot. "We have to enjoy that, although there are two games to go."
Getafe head to the Nou Camp in the penultimate game where they could face a weakened Barcelona outfit given they are closing in on a Champions League final appearance on June 1.
Fifth-placed Valencia travel to relegation-threatened Valladolid on the final day, while Sevilla in sixth must visit the Wanda Metropolitano to take on Atletico Madrid this weekend.
Meanwhile, Atalanta require seven points from their final three Serie A matches to guarantee qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side are three points above fifth-place Roma and both play two of the same teams in their final three matches, Juventus and Sassuolo.
"We believed we could get into the Champions League, now we believe even more," Gasperini said after Sunday's 3-1 win at Lazio.
"We started out aiming to qualify for the Europa League, but after the victory at Napoli we began to really believe in the Champions League."
The fight for the final Champions League spot could come down to goal difference with Atalanta and Roma locked in an even head-to-head record, following a pair of 3-3 draws.
Atalanta have a much superior difference of 28, compared to Roma's 15, thanks in part to scoring a league-leading 71 goals - two more than champions Juventus.
