MATCHDAY: Leicester hoping to spoil Liverpool's record
A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Sunday:
ENGLAND
Title-holder Liverpool hosts 2016 champion Leicester in the Premier League with Jürgen Klopp's team aiming to set an outright record at Anfield. Liverpool has not lost its last 63 league games at home. That matches a club record set in December 1980 which was ended by a defeat to Leicester. Leicester trails league leader Tottenham by two points and can go top outright if it wins. Liverpool will move level with Spurs on points with a victory. In a game between two teams with 16 top-tier titles between them, Leeds (3) hosts Arsenal (13) at Elland Road. Also Sunday, Fulham hosts Everton, and West Ham travels to last-place Sheffield United.
SPAIN
Spanish leader Real Sociedad visits Cádiz looking to add to its five-match winning streak and go three points clear at the top of the league. Sociedad leads Atlético Madrid on goal difference. The Basque Country club is led by Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored six goals in its winning run. Cádiz, which has impressed since its return to the topflight, is in sixth place. But it will be without striker Álvaro Negredo due to a muscle injury and Anthony Lozano after the forward tested positive for the coronavirus. Also, Valencia tries to build on its 4-1 rout of Real Madrid last round when it visits Alavés. Granada welcomes last-place Valladolid, and Eibar searches for its first home win of the season against Getafe.
GERMANY
Union Berlin was expected to struggle in its second season in the Bundesliga, particularly after seeing a host of players including goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz leave in the offseason. But Urs Fischer’s team started the eighth round in fifth place and is on a six-game unbeaten run. Union next travels to Cologne, which is on a 17-game run without a win including last season. Fischer still expects a tough test for his side. “In the previous games against Werder Bremen (1-1) and Bayern Munich (1-2), the Cologne players were very compact. They’re well organized,” Fischer said. Cologne forward Sebastian Andersson was one of those who left Union in the offseason and will be keen to add to his two league goals so far. Winless Mainz visits Freiburg in the other game.
ITALY
League leader AC Milan faces one of its sternest tests yet when it visits Napoli. Milan is one of only three sides unbeaten in Serie A this season, along with Juventus and Sassuolo, and is a point ahead of second-placed Juventus. Fourth-placed Napoli can move level with Milan with a win. Sassuolo will be looking to take advantage of any slip by Milan to move to a once-unthinkable top. It is only two points behind the Rossoneri and visits Hellas Verona. It is only Sassuolo’s eighth season in the Italian top-flight and the team has never finished higher than sixth. Also, it’s: Fiorentina vs. Benevento, Inter Milan vs. Torino, Roma vs. Parma, Sampdoria vs. Bologna, and Udinese vs. Genoa.
FRANCE
Lille has not won in three games and recently lost its unbeaten record, but coach Christophe Galtier's side needs only a draw at home to struggling Lorient to overtake Monaco and reclaim second place. However, a win would move Lille just two points behind league leader Paris Saint-Germain after its 3-2 defeat at Monaco on Friday. In other games, improving Lyon looks to make it eight games unbeaten and close in on the top three positions when it visits Angers, and Montpellier is at home to 19th-place Strasbourg.
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