As the race hots up in various football leagues across Europe for national glory, the clubs which are already out of the race are busy fighting for a spot in next year's Champion's League. Vineet Kanabar finds out who will secure that in England, Italy and Spain.
It is that time of the year when the leaders in the football leagues around Europe begin to make their statements for the title heard loud and clear, and the pretenders begin to fall behind, while the dog fights for the last spoils of elite European soccer become more and more aggressive. And why not, the difference in the money that is awarded to the team that qualifies in the last Champions League spot, and the first UEFA Cup place in every league in Europe is incentive enough to make every match for the last spot in their respective leagues for the contenders a virtual cup final.
ImageThe scene in England seems crystal clear. Traditional powerhouses Arsenal, Manchester United and Russian Revolutionised Chelsea will vie for the title and the Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool will fight it out for that lucrative last spot of sweet European action. Liverpool are the obvious favourites, and considering their strong performances on the European scene in the past few years, and traditionally, they will be the pragmatic man’s choice as well. But the blue half of Liverpool is not expected to roll over and play dead. With the last 8 matches to go, Everton are three points behind Liverpool, but the Toffees do have a game in hand. And with nothing but the League to concentrate on, David Moyes will fancy a strong shot at the Champions’ League. Rafa on the other hand has finally proven some of his detractors wrong with a quarterfinal place secured in Europe, but that might just be the downfall as Liverpool will have to deal with some big matches on both the fronts. Apart from the quarterfinal against Arsenal, the Reds will face them in the league, making it three successive matches against the Gunners for Rafa. And the sternest test of them all will come when they travel to Old Trafford to face the champions, Manchester United. But with Spaniard Fernando Torres scoring at will, a decent run of victories in place and history on their side, Liverpool will always be a force to reckon with.
ImageJumping ship now to Italy, the scenario is a little more complex. Juventus, Fiorentina and 2007 Champions League winners AC Milan will have to struggle to fit in to two spots for qualification as Inter Milan and Roma have cemented their spots atop the table. Serie A has had its share of torrid times off late, and an intriguing last stretch of action is what might redeem its image. Juve are in pole position with 51 points, and 11 games to go, as Fiorentina have 47 and Milan 46, having played an extra game. In the end, it is expected to come down to the latter two, and Milan certainly have the wherewithal to respond successfully to the Fiorentina challenge. The Rossoneri were dumped out of this year’s Champions league by Arsenal and will be hurting after that. Also a few tricky fixtures mean that this will definitely go down to the wire. Watch out for the April 13th weekend, where Milan travel to Juve, and Fiorentina go to the San Siro to face Inter. It may well prove decisive.
ImageComing to the scene at the Primera Liga in Spain there is a four way tussle for the fourth spot, as Real Madrid seem to have one hand on the title, while Barcelona and Villareal are almost asured of a second and third place finish. The tussle for the last Champions League spot is going to be a bloody battle between Sevilla, Athletico Madrid, Racing Santander and Espanyol, all of which are within touching distance of one another. With 10 games to go, Sevilla lead the pack with 45 points having played a game more than the other three. Three points separate the four sides, with Espanyol in seventh spot. The logical bet would be on Sevilla to qualify with their strong showing in the Champions League this year, and a side that is firing well. But as we have often seen, things are rarely logical in football. Sevilla face some stern tests, including matches against Athletico and Real Madrid in March. Sevilla will back themselves to take the last spot, but Athletico’s form and temperament has been nothing short of brilliant despite the departure of Fernando Torres this season and they will pose the most serious threat to Sevilla. If I were a betting man though, I’d still place my money on Sevilla to go through.
It will only take a couple of months to find out who will be in next years Champions league, along with the title winners across Europe, and the race in all the top leagues will be hotly contested, giving us only the best to fight it out with the elite clubs.
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