MATCHDAY: Relegation-threatened Leicester faces tough test against Liverpool
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
ENGLAND
Leicester can climb out of the relegation zone with a win against Liverpool on Monday. The Foxes are running out of time in their bid to avoid the drop, with just three more games to play this season. A win would see Leicester climb above Leeds and Everton up to 17th in the Premier League. Liverpool, meanwhile, is hoping to keep the pressure on Manchester United and Newcastle in its bid to qualify for the Champions League. The Merseyside club is in fifth place, four points adrift of the top four.
SPAIN
Real Betis hosts Rayo Vallecano and is bidding to strengthen its hold on one of the European places in the Spanish league. Betis is in sixth place, four points ahead of seventh-place Girona. Manuel Pellegrini's team, which has won only once in its last four matches, is five points from fifth-place Villarreal. Its gap to fourth-place Real Sociedad, which currently has the final Champions League spot, is at 10 points. Rayo Vallecano, which is 11th, has three victories in its last five games.
ITALY
Already-relegated Sampdoria hosts Empoli, which would be mathematically safe from the drop with a win. Empoli is eight points clear of the relegation zone, with three rounds remaining after its trip to Sampdoria. Empoli heads into the match on the back of two straight wins. That ended a run of three successive losses. Samp has won just one of its past 19 matches.
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