A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
ENGLAND
Manchester United hosts Brentford in the Premier League with a top-four finish and Champions League qualification already appearing beyond interim manager Ralf Rangnick with three games remaining for the sixth-place team. United could even have to start under new manager Erik ten Hag in the Europa Conference League next season. Brentford’s priority was just staying in the Premier League and survival looks tantalizingly close to being secured in the west London team’s first top-flight campaign since 1946-47. This is Brentford’s first competitive match at Old Trafford since 1975 when United was playing in the second tier. Brentford heads into this match fresh from a 0-0 draw with Tottenham at the end of April, a month which began with a 4-1 triumph at Chelsea.
SPAIN
Real Betis visits Getafe in the Spanish league as it continues the pursuit of a top-four and Champions League spot. Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis is in fifth place — four points behind Atlético Madrid, which lost on Saturday. Betis has already locked up an appearance in European competition next season. Last weekend it won the Copa del Rey, which awards the champions a Europa League berth. Getafe is not out of danger of relegation despite improving under coach Quique Sánchez Flores.
ITALY
Eighth-place Atalanta hosts relegation-threatened but in-form Salernitana in Serie A. Atalanta needs points to avoid ending its five-year streak of playing in Europe, while Salernitana is seeking to climb out of the drop zone. In last place for most of the season, Salernitana has suddenly won three straight for the first time in Serie A and trails 17th-place Cagliari by three points.
GERMANY
Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig resume their push for Champions League qualification with tough games in the Bundesliga. Third-place Leverkusen hosts Eintracht Frankfurt, which may be distracted by the second leg of its Europa League semifinal tie against West Ham on Thursday. Frankfurt won the first leg 2-1. Leipzig can move back into the all-important top four – Germany’s Champions League qualification places — by avoiding defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach, which is looking for its first win in three games. Freiburg moved above Leipzig on Saturday with its 4-3 win at Hoffenheim. Only a point separates Leverkusen, Freiburg and Leipzig, while Cologne and Union Berlin could also finish in the top four.
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