Sevilla's trip to Atletico Madrid headlines our European weekend fixtures to watch

ATLETICO MADRID v SEVILLA

Where: Wanda Metropolitano

When: Sunday, May 12, 8:30pm GST

Though the La Liga title race is over, the fight for the top four in Spain still holds plenty of intrigue.

Getafe are currently the front-runners for the final Champions League spot, an achievement that would be one of the stories of the year. That they are there is down to an incredible season, but also thanks to Sevilla’s failures – they’ve lost two straight games, first away to Girona, then, in a shock last weekend, at home to Leganes by a 3-0 scoreline.

But all hope is not lost, with Getafe playing champions Barcelona this weekend. Sevilla have a tough fixture themselves; Atletico Madrid have nothing to play for but are always difficult to beat at their home stadium.

With Valencia playing at home against Alaves on Sunday, there’s a chance that the weekend ends with Getafe, Sevilla and Valencia level on 58 points with one game left to play. But for that, Sevilla have to come up with the goods in Madrid.

RB LEIPZIG v BAYERN MUNICH

Where: Red Bull Arena

When: Saturday, May 11, 5:30pm GST

RB Leipzig are more or less locked into third place in the Bundesliga, unless Borussia Dortmund lose both their last games and Leipzig win their final two. The first of those is against Bayern Munich – for whom a win on Saturday will be enough to seal the league title. A normal, low-fuss game, then.

Winning away against the third-best side in the country would be a resounding way to win the league for Bayern, though it may still seem lacklustre after their disappointment in Europe. But they certainly wouldn’t want to leave the door open for Dortmund going into the final matchday.

Even two draws from their last two games would be enough given the gap in goal difference – Dortmund would need an 18-goal swing while winning their final two fixtures – but given Bayern’s final game is against an Eintracht Frankfurt side chasing fourth place, they’d rather go into that match having nothing to play for.

BRIGHTON v MANCHESTER CITY

Where: Amex Stadium

When: Sunday, May 12, 6pm GST

And speaking of fraught title races, what of the Premier League? Man City know a win will seal a second straight league title, but a draw or loss will open the door for Liverpool – who themselves have a difficult fixture against Wolves at home.

City are on a run of 11 straight wins in the league. Adding a 12th would be some way to finish off the season and win the league, and they would have been relieved by the results of last weekend – not only that they pulled off a nervy 1-0 win against Leicester City, but that Cardiff City lost and Brighton got a draw, ending the battle for relegation.

With Premier League status secured for another season, Brighton have nothing to play for on Sunday. Then again, having survived another grueling campaign, the final home game of the season will make for a festive atmosphere on the south coast, and that could motivate the Seagulls to send their fans home for the summer on a high. Can City overcome that to prevail in what has been a thrilling title race?

MARSEILLE v LYON

Where: Velodrome

When: Sunday, May 12, 11pm GST

Marseille’s hopes of qualifying for Europe are more or less over – they would have to make up seven points in three games against fourth-place St-Etienne – but they will still have a say in that particular race in France.

Old rivals Lyon are caught in a tight battle with St-Etienne for the final Champions League spot, with just a one-point lead over their derby foes, and losing out to Les Verts would make that particular pill doubly bitter to swallow.

Beating Marseille would go a long way to settling the race. They have relatively easy fixtures against Caen and Nimes after this, so Marseille are the final hurdle. Win and a spot in Europe’s premier competition would be that much closer.

ATALANTA v GENOA

Where: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia

When: Saturday, May 11, 5pm GST

Spain have Getafe’s miracle run to the top four, and Italy’s equivalent is Atalanta. Gianpiero Gasperini’s thrilling young side have made large strides over the last few seasons but actually qualifying for the Champions League would be some story.

It would be the first time in the club’s history, and having been promoted from Serie B in 2010/11, the rise of the Bergamo club – despite Italy’s biggest teams often raiding Atalanta for their best players – would be an excellent advertisement for Italian football, especially as they would be beating out the likes of Milan, Roma, and Lazio.

Nursing a three-point lead over the former two clubs with three to play, the clash against Genoa, who are still in the relegation battle in Italy, would take them one step closer to their goal. Considering they have a Coppa Italia final and a league clash against Juventus still to come, this is a must-win in the top-four race for Gasperini’s side.