How the Major European Leagues Are Shaping Up

The major league titles races across Europe are heading into the final stretch after we moved into the Spring season.

Clubs have been jostling into position through the winter months ahead of the run-in to their respective campaigns.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich would appear to be champions-elect in England and Germany, but the situation is not so clear cut in other European leagues.

Here we look at how the major league championship tables are looking as we head toward the finishing line.

English Premier League

Even after their capitulation last season, it is difficult to see beyond Manchester United winning the Premier League crown back from Manchester City this year.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side currently hold a 12-point lead over their Mancunian rivals and reigning champions City and do not appear to be loosening their one-handed grip on the trophy.

City will visit Old Trafford on Apr. 3 in what will surely be a last chance to claw back United, but it will be their trip to Tottenham two weeks later which may be more significant.

Spurs, who have 54 points, are in excellent form and are just five points behind City, while Chelsea (54 pts) and Arsenal (52) battle it out for fourth place and the final Champions League spot.

La Liga

Barcelona had appeared to be cruising toward regaining the La Liga title this season as they opened a 15-point gap on second-placed Atletico Madrid in February with reigning champions Real Madrid struggling to keep in the race in third place.

But the Catalan giants have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks which has seen their La Liga lead drop to 11 points ahead of Atletico and Real a further two points behind.

That kind of advantage should still be enough to see Barcelona over the finishing line, but Atletico and Real have the scent of blood.

If Barcelona continue their current loss of form, their trip to Atletico on May 12 could become a significant match in this season's title race.

Malaga are currently in the final Champions League berth, 12 points behind Real, but only one point separates Valencia, Real Sociedad and Real Betis in the spaces below them.

Serie A

Juventus have been fortunate to see their lead at top of Serie A remain in tact after a run of one win from their last three games.

Second-placed Napoli have drawn their last four matches to miss out on the opportunity to claw back Juve's advantage, which currently stands at six points.

AC Milan are the in-form Italian team at the moment with five wins from their last seven league matches and inhabit the final Champions League spot five points behind the Naples club.

Inter Milan and Lazio are a point behind Milan on 47 points with Fiorentina a further two points behind.

Bundesliga

There appears to be no stopping Bayern Munich in the race for the Bundesliga title this season with the Bavarian team currently enjoying a 17-point lead at the top of the table.

Outgoing coach Jupp Heynckes has guided his team to eight wins from their last 10 league matches and the challenge from second-placed Borussia Dortmund (46 points) and Bayer Leverkusen (45) in third has evaporated.

The real race in the German top flight is for the final Champions League spot. Eintracht Frankfurt currently hold the lucrative fourth place on 38 points but SC Freiburg and Schalke 04 are just two points behind them.

Hamburg (35), Mainz, Borussia Monchengladbach (both 34) and Hannover 96 (33) also still have a chance of claiming fourth spot.

Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain hold a two-point advantage at the summit of Ligue 1 in France, but Olympique Lyonnais are refusing to cede the title this season.

Carlo Ancelotti might have the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham at his disposal, but the Parc des Princes side are still unable to open up a significant lead.

Recent defeats to Sochaux and Reims for PSG have allowed Lyon to maintain their title hopes on 52 points.

Third-placed Olympique de Marseille also have one eye on the top with 49 points, although they will have to counteract their comparatively poor goal difference with a points knockout of the top two.

St Etienne are in fourth spot with 47 points, while Nice are two points further adrift.

Primeira Liga

The situation at the top of the table in France might be tight, but the Primeira Liga contest in Portugal has been a slugfest between Benfica and FC Porto since the start of the campaign.

The Lisbon giants, who have 55 points, currently hold a two-point advantage over their rivals after their single-goal win at Beira Mar at the weekend while Porto drew 0-0 with Sporting.

But even a cigarette paper could not separate the two Portuguese clubs in form as they chase down the championship.

Benfica will travel to the Estadio do Dragao on the penultimate weekend of the season on May 12 in what is expected to be a winner-takes-all collision.

The other member of Portugal's "Tres Grande," Sporting, are well off the pace this season in 10th place, leaving surprise package Pacos Ferreira (39 points) and Braga (38) to fight it out for the final Champions League spot.