Schalke 04

Parts of Germany and Belgium were heavily hit by floods over the last fortnight. Over 100 people are still missing, with Germany's official death toll standing at 177, while thousands more have been made homeless.

Two of the worst-hit areas have been North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, while storms have also caused disruption in Bavaria.

In response, Bayern have pledged a minimum aid package of €1.1million, with €1m split between the regions in the west, and €100,000 going towards helping to repair damage in the south.

The Bundesliga champions have also arranged to play a friendly against Schalke, who are based in the North Rhine-Westphalia city of Gelsenkirchen.

Schalke were relegated to the second tier last season, though with the date for the charity game at Veltins Arena not yet confirmed, Bayern pledged the financial support immediately.

"The images of the flood disaster shocked us," said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.

"In such a terrible situation, we have to stick together as a society. Football also lives very much from solidarity and social responsibility. We can only guess what the people in the affected regions have gone through and continue to go through.

"We also want to support them with our charity game and the donation... is on the side of the flood victims.

"I would like to thank FC Schalke 04 very much, Schalke immediately agreed to take part in our initiative. On the occasion of the charity game, together we will also commemorate the people who tragically lost their lives in the storm."

The former Germany international, who earned 92 caps for his country, also represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir during his 17-year career.

Ozil was under contract with Turkish side Basaksehir until the end of the season, but he has called time on his playing career due to a number of injury issues.

The 19-year-old Norwegian struck the opener in his side's 4-0 victory at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday as Germany's top tier resumed following a two-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Raphael Guerreiro added a brace either side of an emphatic Thorgan Hazard finish to complete the Revierderby rout for hosts Dortmund, who showed few signs of rust.

Haaland suggested his 10th goal in nine Bundesliga appearances was to be expected despite admitting he was not yet fully up to speed.

"Of course I'm not the same. I haven't been playing games for seven weeks, so of course not," he told the Bundesliga's official website.

"But I know I have been working hard this period and I am not surprised [to score], no."

Haaland and Dortmund benefited from a brilliant Julian Brandt display that steered the title contenders to within a point of leaders Bayern Munich.

The attacking midfielder was involved in all four goals, each of them celebrated in unusual fashion as players attempted to keep contact to a minimum.

"You have to find a way to make the most of the situation and have fun," Brandt said.

"What better way to start than with a win? Obviously I'd prefer if conditions were normal, but it is what it is.

"It wasn't a perfect performance, but I'm happy after such a lengthy hiatus."

Reyna, 17, was named in Dortmund's line-up as the Bundesliga returned from a two-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic but sustained an injury in the warm-up. He was replaced by Thorgan Hazard.

Hazard teed up the opener for Erling Haaland and scored one himself in between a double for Raphael Guerreiro, helping BVB cruise to three points at an empty Signal Iduna Park.

Schalke lost Jean-Clair Todibo to a muscular injury at half-time, while Hazard hobbled off when he was replaced by Jadon Sancho in the 79th minute.

Favre insisted the Belgium international was only struggling with cramp, but he expects a number of players will suffer from niggles as the Bundesliga gets back up and running.

"A lot of teams will have a few players who will be injured," said Favre. "We started very late with the 10 against 10 games, tackling and so on.

"I hope Reyna has nothing. It won't be long for [Axel] Witsel and [Emre] Can, [Dan-Axel] Zagadou won't play again this season.

"Marco Reus has not yet played with the team. Nico Schulz has injured himself again, he is not allowed to do anything for two to three weeks.

"Hazard only had cramp, no injury."

Dortmund players kept their distance when celebrating – a touch of elbows the most contact they made with one another – while substitutes were spaced out on the sideline and wore masks.

Favre acknowledged the atmosphere behind closed doors was unusual but was proud of the way his team performed.

He said: "4-0 against Schalke - that's quite okay. The key was that the team played well together, also defensively. That was very, very special.

"There wasn't any noise, you shoot at the goal, make a top pass, a goal - and nothing happens. That's very, very strange. We really miss our fans.

"It was a completely different game than usual. It's hard to judge how good the game was. I had the feeling that it wasn't as committed as planned. The players were very focused on their task."

An error from goalkeeper Markus Schubert preceded Guerreiro's opener, while Dortmund's last two goals came at the end of swift counter-attacks.

Schalke boss David Wagner said: "We didn't have a good game, and at really bad moments we conceded the goals. At least two goals would have been easy to defend.

"Derby defeats are unpleasant in principle, even in this bizarre atmosphere. The feeling of the second half of the season is not there yet. The situation is quite extraordinary.

"I don't think we had any major physical deficits. We had deficits in defending the right spaces."

After the German government on Wednesday granted permission for the top two tiers to return behind closed doors, DFL chief executive Christian Seifert confirmed games will get back under way on May 16.

The Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke will headline the first group of matches, while league leaders Bayern Munich are in action next Sunday and Bayer Leverkusen will travel to Werder Bremen the following day.

The rest of the Bundesliga season has also been mapped out, with the eight rounds of fixtures – and Werder's game in hand against Eintracht Frankfurt – to be contested before the final day on June 27.

Matchday 26 (all times local):
May 16 – 15:30: Borussia Dortmund v Schalke
May 16 – 15:30: RB Leipzig v Freiburg
May 16 – 15:30: Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin
May 16 – 15:30: Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn
May 16 – 15:30: Augsburg v Wolfsburg
May 16 – 18:30: Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach
May 17 – 15:30: Cologne v Mainz
May 17 – 18:00: Union Berlin v Bayern Munich
May 18 – 20:30: Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen

Matchday 27 (from May 22-24):
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin
Mainz v RB Leipzig
Freiburg v Werder Bremen
Schalke v Augsburg
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf
Paderborn v Hoffenheim

Matchday 28 (May 26-27):
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich
RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen v Wolfsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg
Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach
Hoffenheim v Cologne
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Schalke
Augsburg v Paderborn
Union Berlin v Mainz

Matchday 29 (May 29-June 1):
Bayern Munich v Fortuna Dusseldorf
Borussia Monchengladbach v Union Berlin
Wolfsburg v Eintracht Frankfurt
Hertha Berlin v Augsburg
Mainz v Hoffenheim
Freiburg v Bayer Leverkusen
Schalke v Werder Bremen
Cologne v RB Leipzig
Paderborn v Borussia Dortmund

Matchday 24 (June 2/3):
Werder Bremen v Eintracht Frankfurt

Matchday 30 (June 5-8):
Borussia Dortmund v Hertha Berlin
RB Leipzig v Paderborn
Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich
Eintracht Frankfurt v Mainz
Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Hoffenheim
Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach
Augsburg v Cologne
Union Berlin v Schalke

Matchday 31 (June 12-14):
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach
Wolfsburg v Freiburg
Hoffenheim v RB Leipzig
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt
Mainz v Augsburg
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen
Cologne v Union Berlin
Paderborn v Werder Bremen

Matchday 32 (June 16-17):
Borussia Dortmund v Mainz
RB Leipzig v Fortuna Dusseldorf
Bayer Leverkusen v Cologne
Borussia Monchengladbach v Wolfsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt v Schalke
Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich
Freiburg v Hertha Berlin
Augsburg v Hoffenheim
Union Berlin v Paderborn

Matchday 33 (all at 15:30 local time on June 20):
Bayern Munich v Freiburg
RB Leipzig v Borussia Dortmund
Hoffenheim v Union Berlin
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Augsburg
Hertha Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen
Mainz v Werder Bremen
Schalke v Wolfsburg
Cologne v Eintracht Frankfurt
Paderborn v Borussia Monchengladbach

Matchday 34 (all at 15:30 local time on June 27):
Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim
Bayer Leverkusen v Mainz
Borussia Monchengladbach v Hertha Berlin
Wolfsburg v Bayern Munich
Eintracht Frankfurt v Paderborn
Werder Bremen v Cologne
Freiburg v Schalke
Augsburg v RB Leipzig
Union Berlin v Fortuna Dusseldorf

Bavarian authorities announced on Tuesday that all events where more than 1,000 people would be attending between now and April 19 are to be cancelled.

It means the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at the Allianz Arena will be held without fans present on March 18, assuming the match goes ahead.

Bayern lead the tie 3-0 after a commanding first-leg victory at Stamford Bridge.

The decision comes despite RB Leipzig's match at home to Tottenham on Tuesday proceeding as planned, with supporters allowed to attend.

Valencia against Atalanta, Paris Saint-Germain's game with Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona versus Napoli are also being played behind closed doors as the coronavirus continues to spread across Europe.

There are suggestions Juventus' clash with Lyon in Turin could be postponed after Italy went into lockdown to try to control the outbreak of COVID-19.

Saturday's Bundesliga derby between Dortmund and Schalke will also be staged without fans.

There were 1,129 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany as of Monday.

Borussia Dortmund duo Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi displayed 'Justice for George Floyd' messages when celebrating goals during a Bundesliga victory over Paderborn on Sunday. Schalke's Weston McKennie sported an armband with the same message and Borussia Monchengladbach attacker Marcus Thuram took a knee after scoring against Union Berlin.

Their actions were a show of support for the protests that have come in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis last week, sparking demonstrations and riots in the United States and beyond.

Sancho was booked for removing his shirt, while Hakimi, McKennie and Thuram received no on-field punishment in relation to their tributes. However, the German Football Association (DFB) said it would examine the incidents to see whether sanctions were necessary.

With LaLiga, Serie A and the Premier League all due to restart this month, FIFA has urged competition organisers to take context into account when applying the rules.

"FIFA fully understands the depth of sentiment and concerns expressed by many footballers in light of the tragic circumstances of the George Floyd case," an official statement read.

"FIFA had repeatedly expressed itself to be resolutely against racism and discrimination of any kind and recently strengthened its own disciplinary rules with a view to helping to eradicate such behaviours.

"FIFA itself has promoted many anti-racism campaigns which frequently carry the anti-racism message at matches organised under its own auspices.

"The application of the Laws of the Game approved by the IFAB [International Football Association Board] is left for the competition organisers which should use common sense and have in consideration the context surrounding the events."

The DFB's sporting director of elite referees Michael Frohlich suggested on Monday it is not easy for officials to apply such guidelines during a game.

"It is hardly possible for referees to register political, religious or personal slogans, messages or images during a game," said Frohlich. "It isn't the same as referees examining that the equipment's colours match, for example.

"Should the referee notice a political or religious message on the player's equipment, they make a note of it in their match report.

"An exception is when the player's actions have an immediate impact on the game, such as delaying the restart of play, which the referee can punish with a yellow card."

DFB vice-president Rainer Koch said: "As is the case internationally, the game itself should remain free of political statements or messages of any kind; the fair and competitive action on the pitch should be the focus.

"There are of course opportunities before and after the match for these kinds of things. We'll have to wait and see whether sanctions are required in these instances."

The Turkey international arrived from Bundesliga strugglers Schalke in January as Jurgen Klopp looked to ease a major injury crisis at centre-back.

He went on to make nine appearances in the Premier League as the Reds turned their season around to clinch a third-placed finish, though he missed the final five games due to fitness issues of his own.

Liverpool had negotiated an £18million option to buy as part of the loan deal with Schalke, but the chances of that being triggered appeared to be dashed by the signing of Ibrahima Konate in early June.

Kabak has now revealed that to be the case, though he made clear that he has no regrets over his short-term stay at Anfield.

He wrote: "Dear Liverpool family, I would like to thank you for the compassion and support you have shown towards me since the day I arrived. 

"I believe the experience I have gathered during my four months stay here has been a very important one. 

"I have learnt a lot from my manager Jurgen Klopp and all my team-mates and I was proud to be part of this special family. 

"I will always remember my days here at Liverpool with great happiness and the special song which you have kindly gifted me."

Kabak is said to be attracting interest from Leicester City and RB Leipzig as he plots an escape from relegated Schalke.

The 92-cap Germany international, who won the World Cup with his country in 2014, also represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir during his 17-year career.

Ozil was under contract with Turkish side Basaksehir until the end of the season, but he has called time on his playing career due to a number of injury issues.

"After thoughtful consideration, I'm announcing my immediate retirement from professional football," he wrote in a statement on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday.

"I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity.

"But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it's become more and more clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football."

Ozil started his career with Schalke before moving to fellow Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, where his impressive form across three seasons led to a move to Madrid.

In three campaigns at the Santiago Bernabeu, the German playmaker won a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.

He joined Arsenal in a big-money deal in September 2013 and was arguably the best number 10 in world football for a period.

Indeed, the 146 chances Ozil created in 2015-16 remains the most ever in a single Premier League campaign.

After seven and a half years in north London, during which time he won four FA Cups, Ozil joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer after his Arsenal contract was terminated.

Ozil spent two largely unsuccessful seasons with Fener before making the switch to Basaksehir, where he had been restricted to just four league appearances this season.

"It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions," Ozil added in his statement.

"I want to thank my clubs – Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahce, Basaksehir and the coaches who supported me, plus team-mates who have become friends.

"Special thanks must go to my family members and my closest friends. They have been a part of my journey from day one and have given me so much love and support, through the good times and the bad.

"Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter which club I was representing.

"Now I'm looking forward to everything that is in front of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful daughters, Eda and Ela – but you can be sure that you will hear from me from time to time on my social media channels. See you soon, Mesut!"

At international level, Ozil started all seven of Germany's matches in their triumphant World Cup 2014 campaign.

He scored 23 goals in 92 appearances, the most recent of those caps coming against South Korea at the 2018 World Cup.

The former RB Leipzig boss has been out of work since leaving his role as Red Bull's head of sport and development last year.

Rangnick had been in talks with Schalke, where he previously spent two spells as head coach, over returning to Veltins-Arena in a boardroom position.

However, the 62-year-old - who recently declared an interest in succeeding Joachim Low as Germany head coach - has now ended discussions with his former side.

"Schalke is very close to my heart," Rangnick said in a statement on Saturday. 

"The overwhelmingly positive reactions from members of the Konigsblauen community have influenced me and confirmed my feelings for this very special club.

"I would have loved to have been involved in helping Schalke on its difficult road back to its former strength. 

"Unfortunately, due to the numerous uncertainties within the club at the moment, I do not see myself being able to take on sporting responsibility at S04 at the moment.

"My wish for all members and supporters of the club is that they will successfully join forces to unify Schalke on and off the pitch and lead it back to the top."

Rangnick's rejection comes just two days after Schalke board members Jens Buchta and Peter Lange revealed they had held positive talks with the ex-Hoffenheim coach.

And Saturday's announcement came as a shock to Schalke, who are 11 points adrift at the bottom of the Bundesliga standings with nine games to play.

"We are surprised by Rangnick's rejection and especially the short notice," Buchta, chairman of the club's supervisory board, said in a statement.

"The board was determined to reach an agreement with Ralf Rangnick in a second round [of talks] agreed for the coming week. It is regrettable that this will not happen.

"At the same time, the supervisory board has a certain understanding of Rangnick's decision in view of the events of the last 10 days. 

"The supervisory board will now strive for the position of sports director to be filled as quickly as possible."

Rangnick is considered one of the frontrunners to take over as Germany head coach after Low announced last week he will step aside after the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament.

Germany Under-21s boss Stefan Kuntz and Bayern Munich's Hansi Flick are also believed to be in the running.

A lack of silverware is believed to be behind Kane's alleged urge to move on, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea the leading suitors.

In the post-COVID world where club finances have been hit hard, some clubs are getting creative.

TOP STORY - CHELSEA'S PLAYER-PLUS-CASH SWAP DEAL

Chelseaare launching a player-plus-cash swap deal to land Kanefrom Tottenhaminvolving goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and forward Tammy Abraham, claims ESPN.

Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris is expected to leave the club, hence the lure of Kepa who has been back-up to Edouard Mendy, while Abraham, who is not a regular starter for the Blues, could help to fill the void left by Kane.

Kane is contracted with Tottenham for another three seasons and Spurs are believed to want a transfer fee of £150 million, so the addition of players would drop that figure down to an affordable level.

ROUND-UP

- The Guardian reports that Sergio Aguero has agreed to a two-year deal with Barcelona, with his departure from Manchester City this off-season already confirmed.

- Arsenal's Sead Kolasinac will leave the Gunners, with Schalke 04 and Laziocircling for the Bosnian's signature, reports Football London.

- Fernandinhowas set to exit Manchester City, but The Times claims he will renew with the club on a one-year deal.

- The manager merry-go-round is in full swing, with The Mirror claiming that Wolves are looking at ex-Roma boss Paulo Fonseca, while The Sun reports that Tottenhamwill try to convince Brendan Rodgers to join the club if Leicester City fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea recorded a 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League and a spot in next season's Champions League.

That result should open the door for the arrival of Havertz – and soon.

TOP STORY – HAVERTZ TO CHELSEA SET TO SPEED UP

Chelsea's qualification for the Champions League should see a deal for Leverkusen star Havertz speed up, according to Sport Bild.

Leverkusen are in the Europa League last 16, but reportedly do not insist on keeping the Germany international for the rest of the tournament.

Havertz, 21, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 43 games in all competitions this season.

ROUND-UP

- Coming out of contract at Milan, Ibrahimovic could be set to extend his stay. CalcioMercato reports the 38-year-old forward is open to accepting a deal worth around €4million, lower than his initial demand of €6m. The report also says Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose deal expires next year, could renew until 2023.

- What's next for Philippe Coutinho? The cover of Sport says the playmaker, who is on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona, is considering options to join Arsenal, Tottenham or Leicester City.

- Brescia star Sandro Tonali is linked with a big-money move. CalcioMercato says Inter have agreed terms with the Italy international midfielder and are nearing a €35m agreement with Brescia, while Milan are also reportedly interested in the 20-year-old.

- With Dejan Lovren reportedly set for an exit, Liverpool may have found a replacement. Sport Bild reports the Premier League champions have started talks with Schalke to sign 20-year-old centre-back Ozan Kabak.

- With uncertainty over Kepa Arrizabalaga's future at Chelsea, the Premier League club are said to be looking for a new goalkeeper. Voetbal International reports Chelsea and Leverkusen have strong interest in Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana.

- Edinson Cavani may be close to deciding his future. Todofichajes reports the former Paris Saint-Germain striker is close to agreeing a deal with Benfica.

An option to make the French defender's loan stay a €25million permanent switch has expired, Schalke's head of sport Jochen Schneider announced.

Schalke have been out of sorts in 2020, with January recruit Todibo unable to prevent the team going 11 Bundesliga matches without a win.

Speaking about Todibo, Schneider told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday: "The deadline passed yesterday. We no longer have a purchase option.

"Contract extensions are currently not an issue for us. We should rather focus on performance."

Todibo, 20, has made four starts and four appearances as a substitute in the Bundesliga since moving from Camp Nou, playing 363 minutes in the German top flight.

Gazprom have sponsored Schalke since 2007 but on Thursday, the German club – who were relegated to the second tier last season – confirmed they would remove the company's branding from their shirts.

That decision was made following Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, a conflict that has since escalated.

Gazprom is majority state-owned and the country's largest company in terms of revenue.

On Monday, Schalke announced it would be cutting ties with Gazprom altogether.

"The FC Schalke 04 managing board and supervisory board have come to the agreement to end the club's partnership with Gazprom prematurely," a Schalke statement read.

"The club are currently in discussions with representatives of the current sponsor and further information will be released at a later date.

"This decision does not affect the club’s financial capabilities. The club’s leadership are confident of being able to announce a new partner in the near future."

Governments around the world have placed political and financial sanctions on Russia in response, with many sporting bodies following suit.

In football, UEFA has stripped St Petersburg's Gazprom Arena of this season's Champions League final, while the football associations of Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have refused to play Russia in next month's World Cup qualifiers.

The English FA has also promised to boycott any matches against Russia at all levels for the foreseeable future.

On Sunday, FIFA responded by ordering Russia to play under a neutral banner as the Football Union of Russia (RFU), with their home matches to be played at neutral venues behind closed doors, though Poland still insisted they would not play next month's scheduled qualifier.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, meanwhile, said that he is handing over the "stewardship and care" of the club to the trustees of its charitable foundation.

Every division has something riding on the final days of the season, whether it be top spot, European qualification, or relegation.

Ahead of what is set to be a dramatic conclusion to the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga campaigns, we look at the state of play in each league.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City wrapped up the Premier League title with three games to spare, making them the first team in the competition's history to win the title despite being as low as eighth on Christmas Day.

All three relegation places were also decided with three games remaining – a Premier League record – with Fulham joining Sheffield United and West Brom in dropping down a division.

That leaves just the European spots to fight for, and it is shaping up to be an entertaining end to the English top-flight season in that regard. Manchester United are guaranteed a top-four finish, but five other teams – Leicester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham – are in the mix for the two other Champions League berths with two rounds of games to go.

There is also the small matter of the Europa League places for the teams finishing in fifth and sixth, as well as a spot in the inaugural Europa Conference League, which goes to the team in seventh, meaning everyone from 10th-placed Leeds United to Leicester in third have something to play for. That includes Arsenal, who have not missed out on European football of some sort in 25 years.

LALIGA 

The Spanish title race appeared to take a dramatic twist on Sunday as Real Madrid leapfrogged Atletico Madrid at the summit for around 20 minutes. However, Atleti scored two late goals to beat Osasuna, meaning they are two points ahead of their city rivals heading into the final round of games.

Atleti, who have led the way at the top for 29 matchdays, now need to match Madrid's result against Villarreal when they travel to relegation-threatened Real Valladolid on the final day of the season. It is worth noting that Los Blancos have the superior head-to-head record, so a draw would not be enough for Atleti if Madrid win.

Barcelona are officially out of the title race, meanwhile, but they are assured of a top-four finish along with Sevilla. Real Sociedad and Real Betis occupy the Europa League spots, while Villarreal are in a Europa Conference League berth, though just one point separates the three teams so that could all yet change.

To complicate matters, Villarreal could still qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United.

At the bottom end of the division, Eibar are already relegated and they will be joined by two of Valladolid, Elche or Huesca. Valladolid must beat Atletico in their final game to have a chance of staying up, while the onus is on Elche to better Huesca's result as they are level on points but have an inferior head-to-head record.

LIGUE 1

The Ligue 1 title battle is also going right down to the wire in a three-way dogfight. After a thrilling race that has lasted the course of the season, underdogs Lille lead heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain by one point with one matchday left.

Monaco have won seven of their previous eight games and are three points off leaders Lille, though they require both Les Dogues and PSG to slip up on the final day, as well as beating Lens. Should it come down to goal difference, PSG hold a big lead over their two title rivals.

Incredibly, PSG are still not yet technically assured of a Champions League place as Lyon in fourth are only three points worse off, although it would take a defeat for the reigning champions and victory for Lyon, plus a goal swing of 16, for them to miss out.

Monaco's opponents Lens, incidentally, also have plenty to play for at the weekend as they are sixth – enough for Europa Conference League qualification – but can still be caught by Rennes in seventh, while they could yet overtake Marseille in fifth if results go their way.

At the opposite end of the table, there may only be one spot left to be settled in the bottom three – Dijon and Nimes are both already down – but six teams are still very much in danger of the drop. Nantes occupy the relegation play-off spot, with Lorient, Brest and Strasbourg just a point better off, and Bordeaux and Reims only two points clear.

SERIE A

With Inter being crowned Scudetto winners for the first time in 11 years at the start of the month, the biggest storyline in Serie A regards Juventus' top-four fate. The dethroned champions, who had finished top nine years running before this season, are currently down in fifth.

Juve are one point behind Napoli and Milan in the two spots directly above them, while Atalanta are three points better off in second and have the better head-to-head record against the Bianconeri.

Andrea Pirlo's side are therefore in need of favours on the final day in what is poised to be a nail-biting finale in terms of those Champions League places. Lazio will finish sixth, so they are assured of Europa League football next term, while Roma hold a two-point advantage over Sassuolo in the Europa Conference League position.

Parma and Crotone are both down already and one of Benevento or Torino will join them, the latter currently three points outside of the relegation zone and with a game in hand to play on Benevento.

BUNDESLIGA

RB Leipzig provided Bayern Munich with some stern competition for a while, but the Bavarian giants' quality eventually told and they are Bundesliga champions for a ninth year running.

It's not only the title race that's done and dusted in Germany, in fact, as RB Leipzig are certain of second place, and both Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg will join them in the Champions League next season.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, will finish in fifth and sixth respectively regardless of events later this week.

However, Union Berlin have work to do if they are to finish seventh for a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs as Borussia Monchengladbach are a point further back, while Stuttgart and Freiburg are two behind with a game to go.

Seven-time German champions Schalke will be competing in the second tier of German football next season, but Cologne and Werder Bremen are hanging on in there, sitting two and one point behind Arminia Bielefeld respectively in 15th place.