Five games that can keep title races alive: Barca v Madrid, Man City v Arsenal… | OneFootball

Nothing beats a title race going down to the wire, teeing up an Aguero moment to keep the drama alive.

But as much as we’d hate to admit it, football doesn’t always offer up the most dramatic scripts and plenty of titles are won early by teams who are just too far ahead in their respective leagues.

The average points gap between the current league leaders and second-placed sides in Europe’s top five leagues at present is 7.2, with somewhere around nine games to go.

Bayern Munich pretty much have the Bundesliga wrapped up, owing to an 11-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, who they don’t have to face again on their path to yet another title.

Fortunately, some direct head-to-head games could still keep things interesting in other leagues. Here are the games that can keep title races alive.

Polish Ekstraklasa: Zaglebie Lubin v Lech Poznan

Poland is one of the most underrated countries in Europe and the Polish Ekstraklasa might just be the continent’s most underrated league.

With perennial heavyweights Legia Warsaw fighting against relegation, the title race has opened up with the top four separated by just four points.

The next meeting between members of this quartet is next Sunday, when Lech Poznan travel to face leaders Zaglebie Lubin. Poznan would draw level on points with their opponents if they win

Ligue 1: Lens v PSG

Ligue 1 is usually one of the easiest leagues to predict the winners of, since it takes something extraordinary for PSG not to clinch the title.

They may well be looking over their shoulders this season, though, since Lens are just four points behind them and with a game in hand this afternoon.

That’s an impressive feat considering Lens finished 32 points behind PSG last season and 25 the season before that.

Pierre Sage’s side have been in mixed form recently, but enjoyed an eight-game winning streak between November and January to put them in a prime position to challenge the reigning champions.

They are due to face off in mid-April, when Lens will be aiming to avenge a 2-0 defeat from earlier in the season. If they can, things may start to get a bit nervy in Paris.

Lens have only been champions of France once before, back in 1998. On that occasion, they won the title via goal difference. If they’re to overcome PSG this time around, it could be similarly close.

There will be five games left for both sides after their face-off, but Lens will also be hoping PSG drain some energy in the Champions League. Enticingly, the two legs of the quarter-finals fall either side of the Lens v PSG showdown.

Premier League: Manchester City v Arsenal

Arsenal are the frontrunners in the Premier League title race after three consecutive campaigns as runners-up. This could finally be the time they get over the line, for the first time in more than 20 years.

But their seven-point lead isn’t as convincing as it looks. First of all, second-placed Man City have a game in hand. Secondly, they still have to play each other next month.

The EFL Cup final in a couple of weeks’ time will also put City and Arsenal up against each other and could offer clues as to how things will go in their head-to-head battle in the league, the last of which finished all square.

If City can win their game in hand and beat Arsenal, presuming neither side drops any other points, the gap would be reduced to one.

And City have the title-winning know-how from recent years to become a serious threat to Mikel Arteta’s side.

There will be five games left for each team after their April showdown, which could make for a fascinating final few weeks. Alternatively, Arsenal could send a strong signal and pull further clear.

Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray v Fenerbahce

The Istanbul derby is naturally feisty, with arch-rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce frequently occupying the top two spots in the Turkish Super Lig.

Last season, Galatasaray won the title with an 11-point cushion and they currently boast a seven-point lead over Fenerbahce (who can, though, cut the gap to four by winning their game in hand against Samsunspor tonight).

Despite being second, Fenerbahce are still unbeaten in the league this season, a record they will hope to have preserved by the time they take on Galatasaray in late April.

It’s the standout fixture left for both title challengers, although Fenerbahce still have fourth-placed Besiktas to play and Galatasaray still have third-placed Trabzonspor on their schedule.

There will only be three games left for both sides after the Intercontinental Derby, which was a 1-1 draw earlier in the season thanks to a stoppage-time Jhon Duran equaliser for Fenerbahce.

LaLiga: Barcelona v Real Madrid

Finally, two more traditional rivals will face off in a game that could decide the title race in LaLiga.

Right now, Barcelona have a four-point lead over Real Madrid ahead of the final 11-game run-in. But they both still have third-placed Atletico Madrid to play, which could have repercussions, before El Clasico itself has the chance to shape the title race once and for all.

Barcelona will host Real Madrid in their fourth-from-last league game of the season, which could make things very interesting.

It’s the same stage of the season they met at last year too, when Barcelona claimed a defining 4-3 win that enabled them to become champions after their next game.

Only time will tell what the distance between the two sides is when they next clash, but El Clasico could once again have a major say on where the Spanish title goes.