A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Manchester City can capitalize on Arsenal’s surprise 1-0 loss to Everton when it travels to Tottenham. A win for the Premier League champion would close the gap on leader Arsenal to two points. But the Gunners have a game in hand. Nottingham Forest also hosts Leeds in a contest between teams fighting to avoid relegation.
ITALY
AC Milan will be hoping to end a woeful run of form when it faces Inter Milan in the derby della Madonnina. Milan is without a win in its past six matches and has conceded 12 goals in its past three games culminating in an embarrassing 5-2 loss at home to lowly Sassuolo. Milan has dropped to fifth and Inter has replaced it in second spot, albeit just two points above the Rossoneri. Inter is still 13 points behind runaway leader Napoli which visits relegation-threatened Spezia. Torino hosts Udinese with both teams harboring hopes of qualifying for Europe. Fiorentina and Bologna will be hoping to take advantage of any slip up as they look to boost their own chances of reaching the Europa Conference League.
SPAIN
Real Madrid visits Mallorca without Karim Benzema after the Ballon d’Or holder was dropped due to a leg injury that coach Carlo Ancelotti calls “mild.” Benzema leads Madrid with 13 goals. Defender Éder Militão is also out due to a leg injury. Madrid is in second place, five points behind Barcelona. After the Mallorca match, Madrid will play in the Club World Cup semifinals in Morocco. Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona is on a nine-game winning streak across all competitions going into a game with struggling visitor Sevilla. Third-placed Real Sociedad needs to beat Valladolid to stay in striking distance of the top two. Valencia is at Girona on a five-round winless slump that cost Gennaro Gattuso his coaching job.
GERMANY
Bayern Munich visits Wolfsburg where the 10-time defending champion is hoping for its first Bundesliga win of the year after three straight 1-1 draws. Bayern appeared to shake off its post-break rustiness with a 4-0 win at Mainz in the German Cup on Wednesday, but Wolfsburg started the year with big wins over Freiburg and Hertha Berlin before last weekend’s surprise loss at Werder Bremen. Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac says his ex-club remains the favorite for the title. Also, relegation-threatened Stuttgart hosts Bremen.
FRANCE
Marseille is unbeaten in nine games but needs to win at home to Nice to stay five points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain ahead of their league clash this month. Marseille fans could get a first glimpse of club-record signing Vitinha, a forward who joined from Portuguese side Braga for 32 million euros. Coach Igor Tudor could pair him with former France playmaker Dimitri Payet. Marseille can ill afford a slip up against third-placed Lens only one point behind ahead of its game at Brest. Monaco is in scoring form and begins the day’s matches at Clermont.
