The top 5 leagues in European football - the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A, and the French Ligue 1 - are in the midst of an intense and exciting title race. As we approach the business end of the season, it's time to take stock of the situation in each league and assess which teams are in the running for the championship.
Let's start with the English Premier League, where the title race is arguably the most intriguing. Arsenal and Manchester City will battle it out in the English Premier League. It is a battle between the sorcerer and the apprentice. Arsenal are marching towards their first Premier League title since 2004 and are 5 points clear of Manchester City who will give their all to make a hat-trick of Premier League titles. The title is little favored towards Arsenal at the moment after 27 matches but they still have to face City at the Etihad and that match will decide a lot in the title aspirations of both Arsenal and Manchester City.
In La Liga, Barcelona are the surprise leaders at this stage of the season given their unforgettable showings at the European competition . They have a 9 points lead over their eternal rivals Real Madrid, and a 20 point lead over 3rd and 4th placed Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad albeit Atletico have a match in hand. The Blaugranas have been solid and consistent all season, and their defense has been particularly impressive, conceding just 8 goals in 25 league matches. Barca and Real are both capable of going on a winning run, but they both will have to win the classico to mount a serious claim at being crowned the champions of Spain.
The Bundesliga has currently been a two-horse race between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for at least this point of time. Bayern are the defending champions and they currently have a two-point lead over Dortmund. However, Dortmund have been in excellent form of late, winning four out of their last five league matches with Union Berlin, Leipzig and Freiburg all further 7 points adrift of the summit. It is a little tricky to choose a champion at this point of time but we can be sure of Bayern to be the champions albeit they to beat Dortmund in their next meeting to stake a claim at the Bundesliga Title?
In Serie A, Napoli had been the standout team to watch this season. They are arguably playing the most beautiful game in whole of Europe this season. They are marching towards their first scudetto in almost 33 years. The last time they were champions of Italy was the time when the Late Diego Maradona led them to the title. They have a 18 points lead over 2nd placed Inter and 19 points lead over 3rd place Lazio. The Serie A title is Napoli's to lose as it would be catastrophe to lose the title after gaining this fair advantage after 26 games played.
Finally, in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain are back on top after a turbulent mid season where they were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of UEFA Champions League. They currently have a ten-point lead over 2nd placed Marseille, with Lenz and Monaco a further two and five points back respectively. PSG have a star-studded squad, led by world cup winner Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and they have been in excellent form of late, winning their last four league matches. Marseille have been impressive this season, but PSG look like they have too much quality to be caught and the title is theirs to lose.
So, what can we conclude from the title races across Europe's top five leagues? Firstly, it's clear that there is plenty of excitement and drama to come in the final weeks of the season. While some teams have built up commanding leads, others are still in with a chance of snatching the title from their grasp. This is particularly true in the Bundesliga where Bayern and Dortmund are divided by 2 points between them and Dortmund will mount a serious title challenge of late to be the champions of Germany after 10 years.
Secondly, it's interesting to note that some of the traditional powerhouses of European football are struggling this season. Liverpool and Juventus, in particular, are both facing uphill battles to defend their domestic titles. This could be a sign that a changing of the guard is taking place, with newer teams such as Napoli and Arsenal emerging as genuine contenders.