Top European Leagues: Where they Stand

Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
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Top European Leagues: Where they Stand

Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File
Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to within three points of another Premier League title. Oli SCARFF / AFP/File

Europe's top leagues are nearing the end of the season, with titles, places in Europe and safety from relegation up for grabs.

English Premier League

Title: Reigning champions Manchester City need three wins from their final four matches to be sure of holding off second-placed Arsenal. Pep Guardiola's side sit one point clear with a game in hand as they chase a fifth title in six seasons.

Europe: Newcastle and Manchester United occupy the two final Champions League places but have in-form Liverpool in hot pursuit. Jurgen Klopp's men are one point behind Man United and three adrift of the Magpies, but have played a game more. Tottenham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford are fighting for the other European spots, said AFP.

Relegation: Bottom club Southampton are eight points from safety with three games left, but the next four clubs are separated by only three points. Two of Leeds, Leicester, Everton and Nottingham Forest will likely join the Saints in going down.

Spanish La Liga

Title: Barcelona can secure a first La Liga title since 2019 with four games to spare if they beat local rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

Europe: Second-placed Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have all but wrapped up places in next season's Champions League. Real Sociedad appear poised to join them, holding a seven-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal with only five games remaining. There are just three points between seventh-placed Girona and 11th-placed Sevilla in the fight to reach the Europa Conference League.

Relegation: Elche have already been relegated. Second-bottom Espanyol are three points from safety, with six-time champions Valencia only out of the bottom three on head-to-head record ahead of Getafe. Real Valladolid, Cadiz and Almeria are all also in trouble.

Italian Serie A

Title: Napoli have already clinched their first Scudetto since 1990.

Europe: AC Milan sit two points behind fourth-placed city rivals Inter Milan with four matches left. Third-placed Lazio and second-placed Juventus, who could yet have a points deduction reinstated, can also still be caught in the race for the Champions League. Atalanta and Roma are both five points behind Inter.

Relegation: Sampdoria have already been relegated. Cremonese are six points from survival, with Spezia three behind 17th-placed Verona.

German Bundesliga

Title: Bayern Munich are just one point clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund heading into the last three matches of the season. The Bavarian giants are bidding for an 11th straight title

Europe: RB Leipzig sit third, one point ahead of fourth-placed Union Berlin and fifth-placed Freiburg. Bayer Leverkusen are two points clear of Wolfsburg in the fight to qualify for the Conference League.

Relegation: Hertha Berlin sit bottom, but only three points off the relegation play-off spot, occupied by Stuttgart. Bochum are 17th, behind Stuttgart on goal difference. A run of three wins in four games has taken Schalke two points away from the drop zone.

French Ligue 1

Title: Paris Saint-Germain appear set to win a record 11th Ligue 1 title despite a poor season. PSG sit six points clear of Lens with four games left.

Europe: Second-placed Lens are two points ahead of Marseille in the battle for automatic Champions League qualification. Fourth-placed Monaco appear likely to reach the Europa League, six points behind OM and five clear of fifth-placed Lille.

Relegation: Angers have been relegated. Four teams will go down in total as Ligue 1 changes from 20 to 18 clubs next season. Ajaccio and Troyes look destined for the drop, with one of Nantes, Auxerre, Brest and Strasbourg to join them.

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Title: Benfica are four points clear of title rivals Porto with three games to play.

Europe: Braga, five points behind Porto and four above fourth-placed Sporting Lisbon, are well-placed to secure a place in Champions League qualifying.

Relegation: The bottom three of Santa Clara, Pacos de Ferreira and Maritimo are all at least five points from guaranteed safety, fighting each other to go into the relegation play-off.

Dutch Eredivisie

Title: Feyenoord will lift their first title since 2017 and just their second this century with victory over Go Ahead Eagles this weekend. The Rotterdam giants are eight points ahead of PSV Eindhoven with three matches left.

Europe: PSV are five points ahead of Ajax in the race for the second Champions League spot. This season's Conference League semi-finalists AZ Alkmaar are just two points behind Ajax, chasing Europa League qualification.

Relegation: Cambuur and Groningen have been relegated. Excelsior, Emmen, Voldendam and Vitesse Arnhem are trying to avoid a relegation play-off.



Slot: Liverpool's Wirtz Will Score Many More After Wolves Winner

Liverpool's Florian Wirtz scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
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Slot: Liverpool's Wirtz Will Score Many More After Wolves Winner

Liverpool's Florian Wirtz scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Liverpool's Florian Wirtz scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Liverpool, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Florian Wirtz is beginning to find his feet at Liverpool and will keep getting better, manager Arne Slot said after the German midfielder scored his first goal for the Premier League champions in their 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Liverpool signed Wirtz in June for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($135 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential bonuses.

The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday's match, and Slot said his performances ⁠had been undervalued due to football's obsession with statistics.

"I'm quite sure it was a relief for him. This I could see after his reaction after he scored the goal – and the same I saw with his teammates. I think they were really happy for him," Slot told reporters, according to Reuters.

"In football – rightly ⁠so, maybe – we mainly get judged on results, and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists. Sometimes we tend to forget what else there is to do during a game."

The Dutch manager called on Wirtz to keep going after ending his drought.

"He's had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and ⁠closer to his first goal," he added.

"Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough.

"He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments."

Liverpool, fourth in the standings, next host 16th-placed Leeds United in a league match on January 1.


Valencia Coach Fernando Martin Dies in Indonesia Boat Accident

Rescue teams depart in boats after a boat carrying several people sank off the coast of Indonesia in extreme weather, Spanish authorities and an Indonesian news agency said, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, in this screengrab from the video obtained by Reuters on December 27, 2025. (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
Rescue teams depart in boats after a boat carrying several people sank off the coast of Indonesia in extreme weather, Spanish authorities and an Indonesian news agency said, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, in this screengrab from the video obtained by Reuters on December 27, 2025. (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
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Valencia Coach Fernando Martin Dies in Indonesia Boat Accident

Rescue teams depart in boats after a boat carrying several people sank off the coast of Indonesia in extreme weather, Spanish authorities and an Indonesian news agency said, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, in this screengrab from the video obtained by Reuters on December 27, 2025. (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
Rescue teams depart in boats after a boat carrying several people sank off the coast of Indonesia in extreme weather, Spanish authorities and an Indonesian news agency said, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, in this screengrab from the video obtained by Reuters on December 27, 2025. (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS

Fernando Martin, a coach with Valencia CF, has died with three members of his family after their boat capsized in Indonesia, Spanish football clubs said.

Valencia said they were "deeply saddened by the passing of Fernando Martin, coach of Valencia CF Femenino B, and three of his children, in the tragic boat ⁠accident in Indonesia, as confirmed by local authorities.”

Indonesian and Spanish authorities said on Saturday that Martin and three of his children were missing after the boat carrying 11 people sank ⁠in extreme weather on Friday in the Padar Island Strait near the island of Labuan Bajo, a popular tourist spot.

The search was continuing on Sunday morning, Fathur Rahman, mission coordinator for Indonesia's search and rescue agency in the area, told Reuters.

Real Madrid CF also sent condolences ⁠for Martin, 44, a former player in second-tier Spanish football who was appointed coach of the Valencia Women's B team this year.

His wife and one daughter, as well as four crew members and a tour guide, were rescued and safe, SAR said in a statement.


Nigeria Let 3 Goal Lead Slip before Edging Past Tunisia

Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, top, wins a header against Tunisia's Ferjani Sassi during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Nigeria and Tunisia in Fez, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, top, wins a header against Tunisia's Ferjani Sassi during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Nigeria and Tunisia in Fez, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
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Nigeria Let 3 Goal Lead Slip before Edging Past Tunisia

Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, top, wins a header against Tunisia's Ferjani Sassi during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Nigeria and Tunisia in Fez, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, top, wins a header against Tunisia's Ferjani Sassi during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Nigeria and Tunisia in Fez, Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Nigeria put on an impressive display of attacking prowess but had to hang on in the end for a narrow 3-2 win over Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, becoming the second team to make sure of a place in the last 16.

Victor Osimhen opened the scoring a minute before halftime and captain Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman added two more after the break.

But Tunisia staged a late comeback with goals from defenders Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi that set up a frenetic finish, Reuters reported.

It was Nigeria's second win in ⁠Group C and ensures they will top the standings, even with one first-round fixture still to play.

Their six-point haul is three more than second-placed Tunisia with Tanzania and Uganda, who drew 1-1 in Rabat earlier, on one point each.

Osimhen had a series of narrow misses from as early as the eighth minute as Nigeria came out of the starting blocks swarming all over Tunisia.

But it took until ⁠the 44th minute for the striker, wearing his customary mask to protect his cheekbone, to score as he rose at the back post to head home Lookman’s cross.

Nigeria were 2-0 up five minutes into the second half when Ndidi soared high above the Tunisian defence to head home from a corner.

Osimhen turned provider for Nigeria's third in the 67th minute, dragging the ball into the path of Lookman, who looked initially to have spurned a good opportunity but after hesitating was still able to get a shot away and it went in off the post.

Tunisia pulled the first goal back in the 74th ⁠minute as Hannibal Mejri's free kick was met by Talbi and the error-prone Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali slipped in his efforts to stop it.

Tunisia won a fortunate penalty with five minutes left as the ball hit Bright Osayi-Samuel's hand as he was trying to head clear. The spot kick was thrashed home by Abdi, setting up a late surge from Tunisia with Ferjani Sassi's header deep in stoppage time inches away from a dramatic equaliser.

Egypt on Friday became the first team into the last 16 when they beat South Africa 1-0 to make sure of top place in Group B.

Nigeria stay in Fes for the last group game on Tuesday against Uganda while Tanzania and Tunisia clash at the same time in Rabat.