Europe’s big five leagues offer thrilling weekend clashes

As the end of the year approaches, Europe’s top five football leagues are all offering up tantalising matches that see some of the continent’s top sides square up to see who can close 2020 on top.

The action starts in Italy’s Serie A where sixth-placed Roma will be going up against Bologna, who are sitting in mid-table at 10th place.

The stakes could not be higher for the Romans, with victory seeing them leapfrog both Napoli and Juventus to climb to 3rd place, level with second-placed Inter on points. Defeat, on the other hand would further expand the gap between them and the rest of the top 6, while providing Lazio and Verona with the opportunity to push Roma further down the standings.

Bologna, on the other hand, need victory to see off a stern challenge from Cagliari and ensure that they will end the year in the top half of the table.

Meanwhile Barcelona find themselves in unfamiliar territory, as they host Levante in search of a consistency that has so far, been noticeably lacking. The Catalans have only managed to garner two victories from their past five games, and find themselves adrift in the middle of the table, 12 points off from the summit, and in desperate need of a solid victory.

Levante are also stuck in their own troubles, with the team dangerously close to dropping in the relegation zone unless they manage to overturn the odds and take advantage of Barcelona’s poor form to rob the Catalans of some much-needed points.

The Premier League is also in action this Sunday, with Leicester attempting to carry the momentum from their recent victory into their match with Brighton. The Foxes will see this game as an opportunity to cement their place in the top six, which is so tightly contested – a mere 5 points separate 1st-placed Tottenham from 6th-placed Manchester United – that anything less than 3 points will be seen as a disappointment.

However, the unpredictable nature of the Premier League means that one cannot rule out betting on Brighton to squeeze out some points for themselves, even though the Seagulls will also be battling against the 2000 Tottenham fans that will be adorning the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, that was one of the first venues to welcome fans back as COVID-19 restrictions were eased.

Germany’s Bundesliga will see Bayer Leverkusen fighting to keep the pressure on current league leaders Bayern Munich, with the two only being separated by a single point, as they host mid-table Hoffenheim in a game that they will see as a must-win, with RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund both being hot on their heels in the standings.

Hoffenheim will not go down easily though, with the team currently being in the middle of a six-team huddle that is only separated by one point. The travellers would be happy to overturn the odds and get away with a draw, securing their own position, and scuppering Leverkusen’s hopes in the process.

Finally, Ligue 1 serves up what may be the most exciting match up of the weekend, as 1st-placed PSG and 3rd-placed Lyon duel it out in a battle that will see the victor claim the top spot in the table.

The mouth-watering showdown could go either way, with Lyon being on an excellent run of form at the moment, having won 4 of their last 5 outings, while drawing the other. PSG meanwhile have only managed to put together 3 victories, with the team dropping points against both Monaco and Bordeaux.

However, the Parisians are fresh off the heels of a resounding 5-1 victory in the Champions League, and will carry a home advantage with them, along with the knowledge that the stakes are as high as they can get. They will also be betting on their big players, like Neymar and Mbappe, to step up and make the difference, as the two have done so often in big games like this.

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