What to watch in the leading soccer leagues in Europe this weekend:
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ENGLAND
It’s win or bust for Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League this weekend.
If Chelsea fails to beat Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the Champions League is virtually out of reach with only two more games. Chelsea is in fifth place and six points behind third-place Liverpool, which has one more game remaining.
At the other end of the standings, last-place West Brom will be relegated if it doesn’t win at home against Tottenham on Saturday. Even a victory is unlikely to keep West Brom in the top flight because it is five points from safety with two games left.
West Brom has been in the Premier League since 2010.
Fourth-place Tottenham, meanwhile, would guarantee Champions League qualification if it beats West Brom and Chelsea fails to beat Liverpool.
Stoke, which is next to last, could also be relegated this weekend if doesn’t win at home against Crystal Palace and fourth-to-last Swansea wins at Bournemouth.
Records are the only thing on the minds of Manchester City’s players when the champions host Huddersfield. A win would leave City with more victories (31) and more points (96) than any team in a Premier League season, while two goals are needed for the most in a Premier League season. City currently has 102 goals.
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SPAIN
Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in the last “clasico” of the season on Sunday with very little to play for in the Spanish league.
Barcelona has already won the title, while Madrid has secured a Champions League spot.
Madrid is still in the fight for second place — it trails city rival Atletico Madrid by four points with a game in hand — but its mind might already be on the Champions League final against Liverpool.
Barcelona also has won the Copa del Rey but has no other trophies to play for.
Atletico, which hosts Espanyol on Sunday, is trying to guarantee its best league finish since winning the title in 2013-14.
Fourth-place Valencia, winless in four matches, needs a draw at sixth-place Villarreal to secure the final Champions League spot. Real Betis, which plays at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, is the only other team with a chance to make it to the Champions League.
— By Tales Azzoni in Madrid
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GERMANY
Four teams are playing for their Bundesliga survival in the next-to-last round on Saturday.
Hamburger SV needs to win at Eintracht Frankfurt and hope that Wolfsburg loses at Leipzig to move into the relegation playoff place ahead of the final weekend. Hamburg is two points behind Wolfsburg.
Neither Mainz nor Freiburg is safe yet, either. Both are three points above Wolfsburg and also have away games. Mainz faces Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg plays Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Dortmund is looking to seal its Champions League place, while ‘Gladbach needs points to keep alive its hopes of Europa League qualification.
Schalke can secure second place with a win in Augsburg, if Dortmund drops points.
Hoffenheim will hope to consolidate fourth place with a win at Stuttgart, while Bayer Leverkusen could take advantage of any slipups with a victory at Werder Bremen.
League champion Bayern Munich visits already-relegated Cologne for the only one of the nine games which has just nothing at stake.
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ITALY
Juventus can clinch a record-extending seventh straight Serie A title this weekend.
Victory at home against Bologna on Saturday would see Juventus move seven points clear of Napoli and leave the southern club needing to win or draw against Torino on Sunday to keep the title race going with two matches remaining.
Roma will have to swiftly get over the disappointment of its Champions League exit if it wants to remain on course to qualify for next year’s competition.
Roma, which visits Cagliari on Sunday, is in third place, tied on points with fourth-place Lazio and four ahead of fifth-place Inter Milan. The top four finishers qualify for the Champions League.
Lazio hosts Atalanta, while Inter visits Udinese and Hellas Verona plays at AC Milan needing a win on Saturday to avoid being relegated.
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FRANCE
Paris Saint-Germain needs to win its last three games to finish the season with 100 points, starting with Friday’s trip to Amiens.
PSG is looking to break its own record for points, having won the league with 96 two years ago. That season, PSG scored 102 goals, lost only two games, and conceded only 19 goals for a goal difference of plus-83. It has a goal difference of plus-81 this season — also losing only twice — with 106 goals and 25 conceded.
The team remains on course for another domestic treble, and should wrap that up easily against third-division club Les Herbiers in next week’s French Cup final.
Following that, PSG’s remaining league matches are at home against Rennes, which is currently in sixth place, and at Caen on the final day.
The race for second place and an automatic Champions League spot is intensifying. Lyon is in second place, one point ahead of Monaco and two clear of Marseille.
Lyon is at home against struggling Troyes, while Monaco visits Caen and Marseille hosts Nice. All the games are on Sunday.