Predicting the Top 6 for Every Major League in Europe

The European football season has entered its final stages.

Important games continue to roll in across the continent. This is the time of year European places are decided and titles are won. Can Paris Saint-Germain see off the threat of Lyon and Marseille? Will Spurs finish above Arsenal? Is it going to be Benfica or Porto?

I've considered these questions and produced a top six for each of the major European leagues. The formula takes into account predictions for all of the remaining games in each division (available upon request):

1. Team Name (Number of points at writing + Predicted number of points accumulated from remaining games), Total number of points.

Example: Placechester United (50+23), 73 pts.

Got that? Time to read on.

Bundesliga

No surprises here. With nine games remaining it wouldn't be unquestionable for Bayern Munich to go the rest of the season unbeaten. Dortmund have a decent run and should cement second place with little hassle, while Schalke could be ousted from fourth by Frankfurt.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Bayern Munich (66+27), 93 pts.

2. Borussia Dortmund (46+24), 70 pts.

3. Bayer Leverkusen (45+17), 62 pts.

4. Frankfurt (39+20), 59 pts.

5. Schalke (39+18), 57 pts.

6. Hamburg (38+17), 55 pts.

Eredivisie

This is going to be close. Real close. If Steve McClaren was still in Holland his Dutch accent would be all over the place with excitement. Ultimately, the Eredivisie could come down to goal difference as both Ajax and PSV have a decent sprint to the finish. Presuming PSV overcome their rivals in the Philips Arena, that is.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. PSV Eindhoven (53+22), 75 pts.

2. Ajax (54+21), 75 pts.

3. Vitesse (51+22), 73 pts.

4. Feyenoord (53+15), 68 pts.

5. FC Twente (44+16), 60 pts.

6. Utrecht (45+15), 60 pts.

La Liga

Barcelona to break the 100 points mark? Absolutely. Real Madrid have done excellently to topple their city rivals, and at this stage, it isn't likely to change. Valencia will be looking to have a strong finish to the La Liga season after being eliminated from the Champions League, but will ultimately fall short of fourth due to Malaga's superior head-to-head record.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Barcelona (71+31), 102 pts.

2. Real Madrid (58+29), 87 pts.

3. Atletico Madrid (57+22), 79 pts.

4. Malaga (44+21), 65 pts.

5. Valencia (42+22), 65 pts.

6. Real Sociedad (44+18), 62 pts.

Ligue 1

Carlo Ancelotti's PSG have plenty of resources, but will they capture the French championship? Although a couple of stutters will take place along the way, the mega-rich club should be able to overcome the threat of Lyon.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Paris Saint-Germain (57+23), 80 pts.

2. Lyon (53+24), 77 pts.

3. Saint Etienne (48+21), 69 pts.

4. Marseille (50+19), 69 pts.

5. Nice (48+15), 63 pts.

6. Lille (46+15), 61 pts.

English Premier League

Manchester United need to get back on track if they are going to break the Premier League record of 95 points. My predictions have Sir Alex Ferguson's men falling three short of Chelsea's total from 2004-2005, but the title should find itself wearing red ribbons. Elsewhere, Spurs are likely to finish above Arsenal, but not Chelsea...

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Manchester United (71+21), 92 pts.

2. Manchester City (59+27), 86 pts.

3. Chelsea (52+28), 80 points.

4. Tottenham Hotspur (54+20), 74 pts.

5. Arsenal (47+21), 68 pts.

6. Liverpool (45+22), 67 pts.

Portuguese Primeria Liga

The Portuguese championship comes down to one match. Porto host Benfica on the penultimate game of the season. Any damage received in this fixture will be irreversible. For what it's worth, my money is on Porto picking up the win.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Porto (56+24), 80 pts.

2. Benfica (58+21), 79 pts.

3. Braga (40+19), 59 pts.

4. Pacos de Ferreira (39+13), 52 pts.

5. Rio Ave (30+16), 46 pts.

6. Maritimo (29+14), 43 pts.

Serie A

Notice a big name missing from the Serie A top six? Despite their best efforts, Inter Milan will struggle to keep up with a tight middle pack in Italy. Roma will fancy a strong haul of points in the final weeks of the season and can easily overtake rivals Lazio. After a poor start to the campaign, Milan look good for third.

Predicted Final Standings:

1. Juventus (62+27), 89 pts.

2. Napoli (53+25), 78 pts.

3. Milan (51+20), 71 pts.

4. Fiorentina (48+21), 69 pts.

5. Roma (44+24), 68 pts.

6. Lazio (47+20), 67 pts.

Do you agree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments section below and be sure to follow me on Twitter:

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