Domestic Round-up: Where the Leagues Stand After a Thrilling Weekend - 3/2/2014

Brilliant games around the world this week as most leaders continued their dominance, increasing their margins over their nearest rivals. Spain was a notable exception to this case as Real Madrid were only able to keep a one point cushion after Atletico Madrid - who sit in third with 61 points - were able to tie with their cross-town rivals 2-2. One point behind Real, in second place, are Barcelona who have 63 points after a 4-1 victory over Almeria this weekend. Besides these three though, the league title appears to be out of the reach of fourth position Athletic Club who have 50 points. Villarreal occupy fifth position with 44 points while Real Sociedad are hot on their heels and seventh position Sevilla have 38 to their name. Over to Portugal where, after many years of dominance by the northern side Porto, Benfica have claimed the top spot with 52 points. Their rivals Sporting Lisbon sit second with 47 while the dragons of Porto hold third with 43. Estoril is still in the title race with 39 points in fourth while it is a slightly longer shot that CD Nacional or Vitoria - in fifth and sixth respectively with 34 and 30 points - could challenge. North now to France where Paris Saint-Germain are eight points clear at the top of the table with 64 points to the good. Monaco are in second with 56 points while LOSC Lille are in third with a lot on their plate: Saint Etienne are in fourth with 48 while Marseille and Lyon have 43 and 42 respectively. Stade de Reims are in seventh with 42 meaning the next round or two of games will go a long way to determining who ends up having a chance at taking a swing at either PSG or Monaco. East now, in Germany, Bayern Munich are twenty points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Dortmund are the side in second with 45 while Bayer Leverkusen are in third with 43. Schalke meanwhile, who have played a style of football that can only be described as abominable, somehow sit in fourth with Wolfsburg and Mainz particularly close to overtaking them. Down in Italy, Juventus are the side that are looking most likely to win Serie A this time around. While Bayern are without a doubt the team with the largest cushion, Juve have amassed an eleven point gap between themselves and closest pursuers Roma, who have 58 points. Napoli sit third with 52 while Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Parma sit in the forties. Finally, to the north where England has seen Chelsea cement their position with 63 points. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have 59 while Manchester City have 57 and Spurs hold 53. United are in the top seven though, right under sixth place Everton who have 48 points from 27 matches played. Finally, and I know you are all concerned about this one, Celtic of Scotland have collected a grand total of 75 points from 28 games, losing just once and drawing thrice. Aberdeen and Motherwell are their closest competition - in second and third - though the bhoys should feel secure in their position. Dundee United and Inverness round out the top five with 44 each. Keep following and I hope you got to catch some of the games!

Latest Domestic Standings 12/4/2013.

Before the upcoming fixtures across Europe, let's look at where things stand on a domestic basis! Spain seems like a decent place to start, where Barcelona have been in imposing form alongside Atletico Madrid - the two sides tied at the top with 40 points apiece. Real Madrid occupy 3rd position with 37 points as Athletic Club and Villarreal round out the top 5. The former have 29 as the latter sit on 28. Onwards to England now where Arsenal have gotten off to a decent first 13 games with 31 points earned. Chelsea hold 2nd with 2 points to spare over Manchester City as the Blues have 27 to their name. Liverpool are the side tied for 4th with Everton: both teams have 24. Across the channel, in France, Paris Saint-Germain have a slender lead of the table with 37 points and a game in hand over the competition. LOSC Lille are a point behind the Parisian outfit and one up on AS Monaco who have a significant hold on 3rd. 4th position Marseille have just 27 points as Nantes round out the best teams thus far with 26 points. Over in Germany, things are somewhat closer with Bayern up top with 38 points from 14 matches, Bayer Leverkusen 4 points off in 2nd, and Borussia Dortmund in 3rd with 31 - 3 points clear of 4th-placed Borussia Monchengladbach. Schalke have 5th just barely in their grasp on 24 points. South, in Italy, Juventus have grabbed 1st with 37 points just as Andrea Pirlo is forced out of contention for what may well be a month! Roma sit 2nd with 34 while Napoli are 3 behind them and Inter Milan and Fiorentina are tied for 4th with 27 each. Last but not least, the Portuguese league currently has the two main Lisbon sides, Sporting and Benfica, level at the top with 26 apiece while Porto are in 3rd with 24. As for those teams that aren't really in contention but would like to think they are, Gil Vicente and Estoril Praia are the closest to mounting a challenge with 18 and 17 respectively. Let me know if there are any things you'd like to see more of!