Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus may be crowned champions this weekend while Sevilla and Real Betis clash in a highly anticipated Seville derby. Here are things to look out for in European football this weekend. You can bet on European football here.
Lille out to postpone PSG title celebrations
The unstoppable PSG could be crowned Ligue 1 champions this Sunday when they face second-placed Lille. If they avoid defeat, they will lift their sixth league title in seven seasons but Lille, who are 20 points behind the Parisians, could postpone the party. Lille will want to win and nail down the second place given they’re five points ahead of third-placed Lyon with seven games to go. PSG have been below par in their last few matches and they travel to a team who have lost only two matches at home this season, conceding ten goals. Without injured duo Edinson Cavani and Neymar, PSG have struggled and they should expect a tough match from the hosts.
AC Milan to end poor run?
AC Milan’s dismal run continued last weekend, losing 2-1 to champions-elect Juventus. Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso has described their next match against top-four rivals Lazio as a final. The Rossoneri have lost three of their last four matches in Serie A and with the race for a Champions League places heating up, the 2011 Serie A champions need to finish the season strong. Meanwhile, Lazio will be looking to end a terrible run against the hosts at the San Siro. A cagey, low-scoring affair is expected in this clash on Saturday evening.
Borussia Dortmund to bounce back
Dortmund suffered their heaviest defeat of the season last weekend when they were hammered 5-0 by Bayern Munich who leapfrogged them to the top of Bundesliga. After leading the Bundesliga for much of the season and even being nine points clear in December, Dortmund’s season is turning out to be a disappointment. However, they are only two points behind Bayern and they have a chance to go top on Saturday at least for 24 hours. They’ll be playing Mainz, a team they’ve beaten five times out of the last seven. Considering they are playing at home, it’s hard to see them not winning here.
Seville derby
Sevilla welcome Real Betis on Saturday at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in the Seville derby, one of the biggest and hotly contested football matches in Spain. Fifth-placed Sevilla are currently six points better off than their ninth-placed rivals but both sides will be targeting Europa League qualification. Betis have taken seven points from three matches in the derby under Quique Setien, whose team famously won this fixture 5-3 last season. Sevilla, who are still adapting to newly appointed coach Joaquin Caparros, will want to take the bragging rights this time after they lost the reverse fixture 1-0 away from home.
Juventus to clinch Scudetto at SPAL
Juventus played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Ajax in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. However, their attention now turns to the Serie A, which they might win on Saturday when they face SPAL. If they avoid defeat, they’ll be crowned league champions with six matches to go, which will be a new record for the earliest Scudetto win. Juventus are coming into this one with 13 wins in their 15 away Serie A matches this season; therefore, the champagne won’t be on ice for long.