State of play in Europe's top five leagues: When can Barcelona be crowned champions?
This strange season is approaching its end. The World Cup in December brought about an enforced break in Europe’s leagues and after Qatar 2022, clubs had to start all over again. Now, many of those championships are all but decided. Some already have been.
In Italy, Napoli have already been crowned champions, ending a 33-year-wait for a third Scudetto with a point away to Udinese last week. Meanwhile, Barcelona are very close to winning LaLiga for the first time since 2019. Here, a look at the state of play in Europe’s top five leagues and beyond…
Barcelona closing in on LaLiga
Barcelona’s 1-0 win at home to Osasuna on May 2nd saw the Blaugrana move 14 points clear at the top of LaLiga after Real Madrid lost 2-0 at Real Sociedad later in the evening. With five rounds remaining and FCB now 13 ahead of second-placed Atlético Madrid, the Catalan club can claim their first league title since 2018-2019 by picking up just two more points.
It has not always been spectacular, but Barça have had to deal with a series of injuries to key players this term and have still found a way to win most of the time. And while their European campaign was disappointing once again, adding LaLiga to January’s Supercopa success will represent a positive season for the Blaugrana.
There was no LaLiga action last weekend as the competition paused for the Copa del Rey final, but Barça can seal the title in their next game: the derby away to Espanyol on Sunday. A win would clinch it, while a draw or even a defeat would see them confirmed as champions if both Real (at home to Getafe on Saturday) and Atlético (away to Elche earlier on Sunday) fail to win. If both capital clubs slip up, Barça will already be champions by the time they take to the pitch on Sunday evening.
FCB had 50 points at LaLiga’s halfway stage and that left Xavi’s side on course for a record-equalling 100 points, but their recent 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano makes that impossible now, with 97 the best possible tally available to the Catalan club.
Napoli end 33-year wait for third Scudetto
Napoli’s Scudetto celebrations were on hold after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Salernitana on Sunday. Luciano Spalletti’s side needed a win to wrap up the title after second-placed Lazio lost at Inter earlier in the day, but were forced to wait after the visitors scored a late leveller at the Stadio Diego Maradona.
The club’s two previous Serie A wins came in 1987 and 1990, with Maradona on the pitch. But their third title remained imminent and was confirmed with a draw away to Udinese on Thursday last week.
That sparked wild celebrations in the city as thousands of fans took to the streets to celebrate the title. Napoli then beat Fiorentina 1-0 at the weekend amid a party atmosphere in front of their fans and with four fixtures remaining, they could yet finish the campaign with an impressive 95 points.
There were fears that Napoli’s team would be broken up in the summer, but their president Aurelio De Laurentiis has vowed to win the title again and again, as well as competing in Europe. Napoli are the fourth different winner of Serie A in as many years, after Juventus, Inter and AC Milan.
PSG lead by six points as Messi returns
Paris Saint-Germain’s lead in Ligue 1 was cut to five points after the Parisians lost 3-1 at home to Lorient recently, but is now up to six after last weekend’s win at Troyes by the same scoreline and Marseille’s 2-1 defeat at Lens.
Lens are now second, with Marseille eight points behind PSG in third place with four rounds of the competition left to play. Looking at the matches they have left, the Parisians should win it from here. Christophe Galtier’s side face Ajaccio, Auxerre, Strasbourg and Clermont Foot in their remaining matches, with Lionel Messi back from a club ban following an unauthorised visit to Saudi Arabia which saw him miss the trip to Troyes last weekend.
Winning Ligue 1 is expected for PSG, of course, and it may not be enough to keep Mbappé and Lionel Messi at the club beyond the summer after the disappointment of their Champions League exit in March. The French forward has been linked again with Real Madrid, while the Argentine is unlikely to take up the option of a third season as his move from Barcelona has not really worked out for player or club.
Bayern lead Dortmund by a point
With three rounds of the Bundesliga remaining, Bayern Munich lead Borussia Dortmund by just a point. That is despite a shaky start to Thomas Tuchel’s reign, which saw the club beaten in three of his first seven games in charge in all competitions.
Bayern Munich returned to the top after they beat bottom club Hertha Berlin at home and Borussia Dortmund failed to win at Bochum and the Bavarians stayed there after a 2-1 win at Werder Bremen in their last match as BVB thrashed Wolfsburg 6-0.
Tuchel’s side now have back-to-back games in Munich against Shalke and RB Leipzig, before ending the season away to Köln on May 27th. Meanwhile, Dortmund host Borussia Mönchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park, before a trip to Augsburg after that and a home match against Mainz on the final day. It is set to go down to the wire.
Advantage City after big win over Arsenal
Arsenal looked odds-on for the title in the Premier League just a few weeks ago, but the Gunners saw their lead seriously eroded after three consecutive draws and Manchester City must now be big favourites after their 4-1 win over Mikel Arteta’s men at the Etihad late last month.
All the momentum seems to be with City now, with the champions having dropped just two points in their last 13 games since defeat at Tottenham in February. The only thing in Arsenal’s favour at this point is the fact that the Premier League is their sole focus, while City are currently in the middle of a two-legged Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Nevertheless, it would be surprising to see the Manchester side miss out on the title from here.
City are a point ahead of Arsenal and also have a game in hand over the Gunners. Guardiola’s side are away to Everton on Sunday and after their semi-final final second leg against Real Madrid at the Etihad on Wednesday, the champions face Chelsea (home), Brighton (away) and Brentford (home) in their remaining three games. Treble-chasing City also have the FA Cup final ahead, but that comes after the conclusion of the Premier League season on June 3rd.
For their part, Arsenal are at home to Brighton on Sunday, before a trip to Nottingham Forest the following weekend and a game against Wolves to finish at the Emirates Stadium on the final day.
Outside Europe’s top five leagues
In the Netherlands, Feyenoord are eight points clear of PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie with just three rounds remaining as the Rotterdam club close in on their first league title since 2017. A win at home to Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday will clinch it.
In Portugal, Benfica lead Porto by four points with three rounds left. In Turkey, Galatasary are five points ahead of Fenerbahce with three games remaining. And in Greece, AEK Athens have moved three clear of Panathinaikos ahead of the final matchday in the championship round and need just a point at home to sixth-placed Volos on Sunday to seal their 13th title.
And in Scotland, it is over already as Celtic lead Rangers by 13 points and wrapped up their 53rd title with a 2-0 win at Hearts last weekend.