Domestic Leagues on Saturday 11/26/11.

Well, after disappointments both abroad and at home, the league tables are starting to really shape up: In England the two Manchester clubs of City and United hold 1st and 2nd respectively with the former holding a 4 point lead over United! At the same time, Manchester United are only 2 points ahead of 3rd place Tottenham Hotspur despite having played a game more. Spurs are only the beginning of the surprises though as 4th place is held, not by Chelsea, Liverpool, or Arsenal, but rather by Newcastle United! Newcastle have 26 points currently to Chelsea's 25, Arsenal's 23 and Liverpool's 22. And that is the top 7 in England! Everton, Norwich City, and Aston Villa round out the top 10. Meanwhile, up in Scotland Rangers continue to rule the roost despite having played a game less than their closest competition. While Rangers have 39 points, rivals Celtic have 35 in 2nd with Motherwell showing signs of fatigue and falling short by 5 points. Over to mainland Europe now where the domestic title contests are really heating up! In Spain Real Madrid have extended their lead at the top of the table over bitter rivals Barcelona to 6 points after an embarrassing loss by Barcelona earlier today. Madrid have 34 to Barca's 28; compare that to 3rd place Valencia who are just a point behind the Catalans. Levante are in 4th with 23 points while Malaga have a thin grasp on 5th over Sevilla. Staying around the Mediterranean, Juventus have a 1 point advantage at the top of the Italian Serie A  with Udinese Calcio at 24 points in 2nd after defeating Roma 2-0 on the 25th. In 3rd place we have Lazio who have amassed 22 points giving them a point more than AC Milan who are relegated to 4th. Roma, who I mentioned previously, are in 5th with 17 points: tied with Calcio Catania. In Germany Dortmund and Monchengladbach have a momentary lead at the top of the table. Each of them have a point more than Bayern - who have yet to play outside of in the Champions League. Schalke are in 4th after their loss to Dortmund while Werder Bremen are 2 points behind them with 23 from 13 matches. Last but not least, in Portugal we have a momentary leader from Lisbon after Benfica edged their city rivals Sporting 1-0 in their game today. Porto are currently in 2nd with 24 points (compare that to Benfica's 27) and a game in hand. Sporting are in 3rd with 23 points followed closely by Maritimo who are just a point off. SC Braga finish up the top 5 with 19 points from 10 matches. Enjoy the weekend!