A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Friday:
ENGLAND
Liverpool will look to gain ground on the top four of the Premier League when it hosts Leicester. The Reds are in sixth place and manager Jurgen Klopp said “we are in a chasing mood definitely.” Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Monday. Leicester was on a good run before the World Cup break but lost 3-0 to Newcastle on Boxing Day. West Ham is just one point and two places above the relegation zone and will host mid-table Brentford.
SPAIN
Real Madrid visits Valladolid with Karim Benzema in the squad after recovering from a leg injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. Madrid is playing its first game in seven weeks since play stopped for the tournament in Qatar. A win would lift Carlo Ancelotti’s team one point ahead of leader Barcelona. Relegation-threatened Sevilla visits Celta Vigo hoping that coach Jorge Sampaoli has figured out how to get his team clicking after its poor start to the season. Mallorca visits Getafe hoping to keep up its strong play before the stoppage when it won three of its last four games. Cádiz welcomes Almería seeking a victory to escape the drop.
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