A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Jose Mourinho returns to former club Chelsea with current team Tottenham, which came into the 10th round in the Premier League in first place. It is the latest managerial meeting between Mourinho and Frank Lampard, who used to play under the Portuguese coach at Chelsea before becoming its manager. Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes is in strong form heading into his team's match at Southampton, having scored in games in the league and Champions League over the past week. Stuttering Arsenal is at home to Wolverhampton in the other game.
SPAIN
After a perfect start to its Champions League campaign with four wins from four matches, Barcelona tries to get back on track in the domestic league when it plays Osasuna at the Camp Nou Stadium. The Catalan club is 12 points off the lead and has only one win from its last six league matches. Lionel Messi should be back in the lineup after being rested by coach Ronald Koeman in the 4-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League on Tuesday. Leader Real Sociedad will go for its seventh straight league win when it hosts third-placed Villarreal.
ITALY
AC Milan will be looking to finish the weekend still alone at the top of the Serie A. It is two points clear of Inter Milan and Sassuolo, and hosts Fiorentina. Both Inter and Sassuolo played on Saturday. Roma is three points below Milan and visits Napoli in what is sure to be an emotional match. It is Napoli’s first Serie A match since former player Diego Maradona died on Wednesday in his native Argentina. Also, there's: Lazio vs. Udinese, Bologna vs. Crotone, and Cagliari vs. Spezia.
GERMANY
Unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen is aiming for its sixth Bundesliga win in a row against Hertha Berlin, whose season has not gone to plan so far. Hertha thought it turned the corner with a win in Augsburg after claiming just one point from its previous five games, but losing 5-2 at home to Borussia Dortmund last weekend has exposed the uncertainties once more. Coach Bruno Labbadia is coming under increasing pressure ahead of the derby against Union Berlin next weekend. Leverkusen is having no such problems after finally addressing its inconsistency under coach Peter Bosz. Leverkusen was up to third, just one point behind leader Bayern Munich, ahead of the eighth round. Mainz, which claimed its first win last weekend, hosts Hoffenheim to close the round.
FRANCE
Champions League semifinalist Lyon has found its form and heads into its home game against Reims on an eight-game unbeaten run. Not selling star forward Memphis Depay and rising midfield star Houssem Aouar has helped Rudi Garcia's side really settle down and push to get into the top three places. But Lyon will be missing both for this game because of injuries. Lille is two points ahead of Lyon and has so far been defending champion Paris Saint-Germain's strongest title challenger. Lille has lost just once in 11 games and travels to play a struggling Saint-Etienne side which has lost its past seven matches. Another defeat will heap the pressure on manager Claude Puel, who coached Lille for six years. PSG’s 2-2 draw at home to Brodeaux on Saturday opens the door for Lille to move level on points with a victory.
___
More AP soccer:
