Darmstadt, Almeria, Salernitana down and out: Mainz, Cadiz cling on
By Ssekamatte Allan Mabiriizi Simonsen Michael
The battle against relegation from Europe’s five most lucrative top flight divisions reaches a crescendo this weekend. Burnley and Luton Town will join fellow newcomers Sheffield United in England’s second division unless they conjure up magical results in their final two Premier League fixtures and results elsewhere go in their favour.
Vincent Kompany’s Clarets have taken too long to acclimatise to the Premier League’s rigorous demands and will join Chris Wilder’s Blades in the second division unless they beat a Tottenham Hotspur side hoping to end a four game losing streak. The second from bottom Clarets have accumulated a paltry 24 points, five less than Nottingham Forest who occupy the final safe position.
Luton Town are in a near identical situation with the Hatters needing maximum points away to West Ham United and at home to Fulham to stand any chance. If Nuno Espirito Santo’s twice former European champions get a result of any description at home to Chelsea on Saturday night, Burnley will be relegated while Luton Town will be clutching onto straws.
In Spain’s Liga Santander, Almeria are already demoted to Segunda while Granada must collect maximum points at home to newly crowned champions Real Madrid, Rayo Vallecano as well as Celta Vigo just to have a fighting chance because they are eleven points behind Mallorca who occupy 17th place. If the Copa del Rey losing finalists win Saturday’s home rubber with Las Palmas, Granada will join Almeria in Liga Segunda.
Cadiz (26 points) are in an equally precarious state having won just two out of their last ten Liga Santander outings. Even if they win their next three matches against Getafe, Sevilla and Las Palmas, they will be relegated if Mallorca collect more than three points from their remaining fixtures.
The situation in Germany’s Bundesliga is more fluid. Darmstadt’s relegation has left Cologne, Mainz, and Union Berlin in a three way battle not to join Timo Liberknecht’s side. This has made Cologne’s match at home to Union Berlin on Saturday a six point game. Unless Timo Schultz’s three time former winners beat the Irons and results elsewhere go their way, they will play in Bundesliga 2 next season.
Though Bo Henriksen’s rejuvenated Mainz have lost just twice in ten outings, they occupy what’s referred to as the play-off place – they are third from bottom – and must beat Uefa Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund if they are to improve on their survival hopes.
In Serie A, Salernitana are down and out but any one of Sassuolo, Udinese, Empoli, Frosinone, Cagliari and Hellas Verona can join them as they are separated by just five points with three games to season’s end. Second from bottom Sassuolo have arguably the most talented squad but their survival hopes were hit by the loss of talismanic skipper Domenico Berardi.