Welcome back, soccer: Things to know as European leagues return from World Cup break
The unique timing of the World Cup means that there isn’t much of a break between the end of the tournament and the resumption of league soccer across the world.
Some leagues even began play before the World Cup was over. The English League Championship resumed last week and the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup began on Tuesday.
With the Premier League the first of the five major European leagues to resume play on Monday, we figured a refresher course on where things stand in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain was necessary after we all watched a month of international soccer. Here’s a brief refresher ahead of club soccer’s return.
English Premier League
League resumes Dec. 26
Premier League table
1. Arsenal, 37 points
2. Manchester City, 32
3. Newcastle, 30
4. Tottenham, 29
5. Manchester United, 26
Odds to win the league
Manchester City (-225)
Arsenal (+225)
Liverpool (+3300)
Newcastle (+3300)
Manchester United (+5000)
Tottenham (+5000)
Odds to get relegated
Bournemouth (-175)
Nottingham Forest (-175)
Wolves (-110)
Everton (+165)
Southampton (+175)
What you need to know
League leaders Arsenal will be without star striker Gabriel Jesus for some time because of a right knee injury he sustained in Brazil’s game against Cameroon. Jesus had surgery earlier in the month. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will be well-rested since Norway wasn’t in the World Cup. Newcastle may be active in the January transfer market after its hot start as it chases Champions League soccer. Manchester United, meanwhile, ranked only second to Manchester City in the number of minutes its players played at the World Cup. Both of those teams could heavily rotate their teams over the upcoming weeks.
French Ligue 1
League resumes Dec. 28
League table
1. PSG, 41 points
2. Lens, 36
3. Stade Rennais, 31
4. Marseille, 30
5. Lorient, 28
Odds to win the league
PSG (-10000)
Lens (+2500)
Stade Rennais (+3300)
Marseille (+4000)
Monaco (+10000)
Odds to get relegated
Angers (-400)
Auxerre (-250)
AC Ajaccio (-135)
Brest (+135)
Montpelier (+160)
What you need to know
It seems likely that PSG will play a game or two without Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi after their epic World Cup runs. That would give the keys to the attack to Neymar. Only Mbappe (12) has scored more than Neymar’s 11 league goals in 14 games. Lens hasn’t lost a single home game this season in its attempt to keep up with PSG so far and the two teams tied 1-1 earlier this season. Stade Rennais has the second-best goal difference in the league behind PSG.
Spanish La Liga
League resumes Dec. 30
League table
1. Barcelona, 37 points
2. Real Madrid, 35
3. Real Sociedad, 26
4. Athletic Club, 24
5. Atletico Madrid, 24
Odds to win the league
Barcelona (-190)
Real Madrid (+150)
Atletico Madrid (+10000)
Athletic Bilbao (+15000)
Real Sociedad (+15000)
Odds to get relegated
Elche (-2000)
Cadiz (-200)
Getafe (+165)
Almeria (+200)
Espanyol (+250)
What you need to know
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have lost just once in their first 14 games. The only difference between them is that Real Madrid has two ties to Barcelona’s one. Karim Benzema should return soon for Real Madrid after missing the entirety of the World Cup and manager Carlo Ancelotti said this week that he’s staying at Real Madrid until the expiration of his contract in June of 2024 after he was linked to the Brazil job. Robert Lewandowski has scored 13 goals in Barcelona’s 14 games while Ousmane Dembélé looks to keep his strong World Cup form.
Italian Serie A
League resumes Jan. 4
League table
1. Napoli, 41 points
2. AC Milan, 33
3. Juventus, 31
4. Lazio, 30
5. Inter Milan, 30
Odds to win the league
Napoli (-250)
AC Milan (+550)
Inter Milan (+650)
Juventus (+650)
Lazio (+2500)
Odds to get relegated
Cremonese (-400)
Hellas Verona (-250)
Sampdoria (-250)
Spezia Calcio (+150)
Lecce (+200)
What you need to know
Napoli is eight points ahead of second thanks to 13 wins and two draws in 15 games. Victor Osimhen has nine goals in 11 games while 21-year-old Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has six goals and five assists in 12 appearances. Juventus has allowed a league-low seven goals in 15 games but is 10 points back because its scored just 24 goals — 13 fewer than Napoli and the fewest of any team in the top five. Just 6 points separate AC Milan from seventh-place Roma. With the top four teams making the Champions League, it could be a fascinating 2023 even if Napoli runs away with the title.
German Bundesliga
League resumes Jan. 20
League table
1. Bayern Munich, 34 points
2. SC Freiburg, 30
3. RB Leipzig, 28
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 27
5. Union Berlin, 27
Odds to win the league
Bayern Munich (-5000)
RB Leipzig (+2200)
Borussia Dortmund (+4000)
SC Freiburg (+6600)
Eintracht Frankfurt (+8000)
Odds to get relegated
Schalke (-500)
VfL Bochum (-165)
Augsburg (+135)
Hertha BSC (+250)
VfB Stuttgart (+350)
What you need to know
As you can see, oddsmakers are bullish on another Bayern Munich league title. If Bayern wins again, it’ll do so without GK Manuel Neuer. He suffered a broken leg while skiing after the World Cup and is out for the rest of the season. Bayern’s goal difference is +36. Freiburg’s is +8. Dortmund has the third-best odds to win the league despite sitting in seventh and five points out of second. Dortmund could be enticed to sell Jude Bellingham in January after his strong World Cup performance or it could try to hold out for a strong offer during the summer transfer window.
