If an exciting title race is what you’re after, you’re not going to find that in the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga or Ligue 1 this season.
With Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG all running away with things in their respective countries, only one of Europe’s top-five leagues could end up seeing a title climax that goes right down to the wire.
That of course comes in Italy, with Napoli locked in a battle with Juventus, who are aiming to win their seventh straight Scudetto, as we enter the final three months of what has been an already enthralling Serie A season.
Here, we take a look at five title races in Europe that are sure to provide plenty of twists, turns and excitement before an eventual winner is crowned.
ITALY
Napoli and Juventus are locked in a battle for Serie A.
As previously mentioned, of Europe’s big five leagues, only in Serie A are we set to see a real tussle, as Napoli look to put an end to Juventus’ dominance over the past six seasons.
Maurizio Sarri’s side currently sit one point ahead of their top of the table rivals, having played a game more. Juventus secured a huge three points last weekend, thanks to Paulo Dybala’s injury-time winner away at Lazio.
That result piled the pressure on Napoli, who lost for only the second time this season later in the day, going down 4-2 at home to AS Roma. Despite the defeat, Napoli know the title is still in their hands just as much as it is Juventus’.
That’s because the two are set to meet, at Juventus Stadium on April 22, in a fixture that will surely decide whether the championship stays in Turin or heads to Naples for the first time since 1990.
POLAND
Former Arsenal man Eduardo joined Legia Warsaw in January.
Could this be the year for Jagiellonia? Last season, they finished the regular campaign in pole position, only to blow their chances of a first-ever Ekstraklasa crown in the Championship round.
Their dip in form allowed Legia Warsaw to steal a march and win their 12th league title, but Jagiellonia have hit back this term and currently lead their rivals by three points with four regular season games still to go.
Once the Championship round – in which the top eight teams all play each other once – begins, points are halved, meaning Jagiellonia will hope to build up even more of an advantage to take into the final seven games.
They had just a one-point lead over Legia Warsaw last season, before missing out on the title by two points. Can the first-time hopefuls use that near miss as ammunition to come out on top this time around?
TURKEY
Galatasaray’s Bafetimbi Gomis is the top goalscorer in Turkey right now.
Perhaps Europe’s most exciting title race looks set to unfold in Turkey, with as many as four teams still hopeful of claiming the Super Lig title.
With ten games remaining, just six points separate the top four in the division, with Galatasaray and Basaksehir leading the way from Besiktas in third and Fenerbahce a further three points behind in fourth.
Despite sitting top at this stage, Galatasaray have the hardest run-in, with games against all three of their title rivals to come in their final ten matches, while fourth-placed Fenerbahce have the easiest fixture list, with only Galatasaray left to play.
Basaksehir, who are hoping to win their first ever Super Lig title, and reigning champions Besiktas still have to face one another, as well as Galatasaray, meaning we’re all set for an enthralling end to the campaign in Turkey.
DENMARK
FC Midtjylland are aiming to win only their second-ever title.
With just two games left of the regular season in the Danish Superliga, Brondby are only ahead of second-placed Midtjylland on goal difference, with both teams on 56 points.
Ten-time winners Brondby have not lifted the trophy since 2005, while Midtjylland are hoping to win only their second ever Superliga title, having won it back in 2015 for the first time in their history.
Once the regular season is complete, Brondby and Midtjylland will face home and away games against the rest of the top six in the division, as they look to get their hands on a trophy that has been won by FC Copenhagen in each of the previous two seasons.
Brondby will be full of confidence heading into the Championship round, having beaten their title rivals in both fixtures during the regular season, scoring five goals without reply.
GREECE
Olympiacos are hoping to catch AEK Athens.
Over in Greece, Olympiacos’ dominance of the Superleague may be coming to an end, with AEK currently sitting four points ahead of the 44-time champions with just six games to go.
AEK will face a huge test this weekend, as they travel to third-placed PAOK, in a game that could see the gap between first and third close to just two points heading into the final five games.
Olympiacos themselves will be confident of winning their six remaining games, which all come against teams in the bottom half of the table, while AEK must also welcome Panathinaikos, who despite struggling this season, could cause the title hopefuls problems.
PAOK will also feel they have a chance of lifting only the third title in the club’s history if they are able to beat AEK this weekend, despite suffering a shock 3-2 defeat to seventh-placed Asteras Tripolis last time out.
