MATCHDAY: EPL leader Arsenal faces Liverpool at Anfield
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Arsenal takes a five-point lead into an away match at Liverpool in the Premier League. It is a big test of the leader's title credentials, with Liverpool having already beaten Manchester City and Manchester United at Anfield. Arsenal last won at Anfield in 2012. City closed the gap to Arsenal with a 4-1 win at Southampton on Saturday. Liverpool is in eighth place and needs to win to keep alive its slim chances of a top-four finish. In the other match, Leeds hosts Crystal Palace as both teams look for a win to pull further clear of relegation danger.
SPAIN
Atletico Madrid plays a derby at Rayo Vallecano in search of its 12th consecutive league game without a loss. A fifth straight win for third-placed Atletico would improve its slim chances of catching second-placed Real Madrid. Real Betis hosts Cadiz needing a win to remain close to fourth-placed Real Sociedad, which holds the final Champions League berth. Paulo Pezzolano debuts as Valladolid’s new coach at home against Mallorca. Valencia is at Almeria in a clash of teams struggling to avoid relegation.
GERMANY
There are two games with major implications for the Bundesliga relegation fight as last-placed Stuttgart visits Bochum, which has dragged itself up the table after recent wins over Leipzig and Cologne. Second-to-last Schalke plays American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's Hoffenheim. Two mid-table teams meet when Wolfsburg faces Borussia Mönchengladbach, whose European ambitions have taken a hit following five games without a win.
FRANCE
Third-placed Marseille needs to win at Lorient to stay level on points with second-placed Lens in the race for an automatic Champions League place. Marseille has won its past eight away games in the league and needs one more to equal its own record set in 2009. Elsewhere, fourth-place Monaco looks to keep the pressure on Marseille with a win at French Cup holder Nantes, which reached the cup final this week but is struggling for league form and is in 14th spot.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports