A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:
ENGLAND
Manchester City will try to gain ground on first-place Arsenal when it hosts Leicester in one of seven Premier League games on the day. City is six points from the top and has a game in hand on Arsenal. Leicester has lost three in a row and has hired Dean Smith as manager in a bid to get out of the relegation zone. Aston Villa puts its four-game winning streak on the line when it hosts third-place Newcastle. Villa is pushing for a European spot. Tottenham is three points from a Champions League place and hosts Bournemouth. Chelsea hasn't scored in four straight games. The Blues host seventh-place Brighton. Brentford visits Wolverhampton, Everton hosts Fulham, and last-place Southampton hosts Crystal Palace.
SPAIN
Vinícius Júnior and Toni Kroos will miss Real Madrid's game at Cadiz as they rest ahead of its trip to London next week to play Chelsea in the second game of their Champions League quarterfinal. Madrid beat Chelsea 2-0 in the first leg of their tie. Coach Carlos Ancelotti said that both players had minor muscle complaints and they would sit out the game at Cadiz as a precautionary measure. Madrid has put all its focus on defending its European title and winning the Copa del Rey final next month with Barcelona already 13 points ahead in the Spanish league with 10 rounds left. The competition is much more intense for the European berths and to avoid relegation. Fourth-place Real Sociedad visits Athletic Bilbao in a Basque Country derby needing a win to strengthen its hold on the last Champions League berth. Fifth-place Villarreal hosts Valladolid hoping to close on the top four spots if Sociedad loses, while sixth-place Real Betis faces relegation-threatened Espanyol in Seville.
ITALY
Runaway Serie A leader Napoli, defending champion AC Milan and 2021 champion Inter Milan are all in action ahead of second-leg matches of the Champions League quarterfinals. Napoli hosts relegation-threatened Hellas Verona looking to add to its 16-point lead and take a step toward clinching its first league title in more than three decades. Milan visits a Bologna side that is thriving under coach Thiago Motta before it faces Napoli again on Tuesday in Europe. Inter looks to end a four-match winless run in Serie A and build off its 2-0 first-leg win over Benfica when it hosts Silvio Berlusconi’s Monza.
GERMANY
Bayern Munich aims to steady the ship against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga after a turbulent week which included a 3-0 loss to Manchester City and the suspension of Sadio Mané for what the club called “misconduct” after he reportedly struck teammate Leroy Sané. Bayern has a two-point lead over Dortmund, which visits struggling Stuttgart, and Leipzig can strengthen its challenge for Champions League qualification if it beats Augsburg. Cologne hosts Mainz, and Eintracht Frankfurt takes on Borussia Mönchengladbach in the evening game.
FRANCE
First plays second as league leader Paris Saint-Germain hosts Lens at Parc des Princes, where a win for Lens would move it three points behind PSG and open up the title race for the final seven games. PSG striker Kylian Mbappé has lost a bit of form lately and remains stuck on 19 league goals, while PSG will be without central midfielder Marco Verratti as he recovers from a sore hamstring. Lens top scorer Loïs Openda looks to add to his club-leading 15 goals but coach Franck Haise is missing injured forward Wesley Saïd. In other game, 18-goal striker Folarin Balogun will be the main threat for Reims when it travels to play sixth-place Rennes.
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