The title race in Europe’s top leagues

• The top five leagues in Europe are nearing the end of their current seasons.
• We look at how the title race is going on in the various leagues.

As the 2022–23 season draws to a close, the top five leagues in Europe are nearing the end of their current seasons.

As the season nears its conclusion, there are still a number of issues to be settled, including who will win the championship, who will qualify for Europe, and who will be relegated. While some divisions appear to be one-horse races for the championship, others may be in for a nail-biting finish.

We look at how Europe’s top leagues are doing.

Premier League

Mikel Arteta’s team has surpassed all expectations to fight for the title, making Arsenal appear to be the front-runner to win the Premier League throughout much of the season.

However, a recent slip-up has given City the upper hand in the title race, with Pep Guardiola’s team being a formidable one in the closing stages. The Citizens have won nine straight matches in the Premier League, including a 4-1 demolition of their championship rivals on April 26 at the Etihad.

As things stand, City leads Arsenal by one point in the division, but they also have a critical game in hand over their rivals. As City chases history and a potential treble, Guardiola’s team is the overwhelming favourite to win a fifth championship in as many years.

After crushing Chelsea in midweek, Arsenal did get back on track, but they still have a difficult trip to Newcastle this weekend and need City to lose. Another title party is anticipated at the Etihad based on the present trend.

Serie A

Napoli Serie A winners. |PHOTO: Sky|

Napoli secured their first Serie A title since Diego Maradona coached them to the title in 1989/90 with five games left in an incredible 2022–23 season.

Luciano Spalletti’s squad dominated the Italian competition this season, dropping just one of their first 24 league games and tallying an astounding 65 points out of a possible 72.

The fact that Napoli had such a large lead insured that the scudetto was already a matter of when rather than if, meaning that a slightly wobbly stretch of form since early March meant little.

Lazio and Roma are only six points apart in second and seventh place in Serie A, making the race for Champions League qualifying the real action. The suspension of Juventus’ 15-point deduction for alleged financial violations has moved the Turin team up to third from eighth.

La Liga

Barca are on track to win the league. Photo/ Eurosport.

In their upcoming match, Barcelona will have the opportunity to win La Liga for the first time since the 2018–19 season.

Xavi’s team has been dominating at home for the majority of the season and has only allowed 11 goals in 33 league games. With five games remaining, the Catalans lead Atletico Madrid by 13 points and have a chance to win La Liga on Sunday if they defeat Espanyol in The Derbi Barceloní.

Bundesliga

Tuchel fights to win the Bundesliga. |PHOTO: CBS|

The Bundesliga has the best title race among the top five leagues in Europe, with just a point between the top two teams going into the last four games.

Bayern Munich, the reigning champions vying for their 11th straight championship, are currently in first place after taking advantage of Borussia Dortmund’s Friday draw against Bochum to jump ahead of Edin Terzi’s team.

After winning the second of back-to-back championships under Jurgen Klopp in 2011–12, Dortmund was the last team other than Bayern to do so.

With three of their final four games against teams in the top half, Dortmund has the more difficult schedule, while Bayern just has to play RB Leipzig in addition to games against Werder Bremen, Schalke, and Cologne.

Though the former Chelsea manager has only won three of his eight games in charge, Thomas Tuchel’s underwhelming start at Bayern Munich will give him hope.

Ligue 1

Even though Paris Saint-Germain are still heavy favourites to win a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 championship this year, a recent slump in performance has given the chasing pack hope.

Marseille has closed the gap to five points as a result of Christophe Galtier’s team losing six of their last six Ligue 1 matches and three of their last six games overall. Prior to this weekend’s crucial matchup with Marseille, which is a must-win for either team’s remote chances of winning the championship, Lens are in third place and one point behind.