by Greg Seltzer for Soccer365

With just a handful of games left in their seasons, some of the biggest leagues in the world are heading toward the wire. Since it's difficult to pay attention to all the variables across Europe when your club is probably in the heat of a battle for something, Soccer365 brings you an easy Cliff Notes edition to prep you for the final weeks.

There's a lot of ground to cover, and with the frilly Champions League out of our way for just a virtual moment, let's skip the ceremony and jump right in...

Premier League

The title race: Manchester United sit at the top, one point above Liverpool and four over Chelsea, with a game in hand. The Red Devils must still host a Arsenal, Spurs and a home derby with City, but the road slate is weak.  Liverpool must brave a visit to Stamford Bridge and from the Gunners, while Chelsea has the roughest remaining schedule of the three.

The fight for Europe: Arsenal have built a six-point cushion for the fourth Champions League ticket, with Aston Villa and Everton holding out a little hope to upgrade on a Europa League pass over the final seven games. West Ham sits three over Wigan and four over Fulhan for the fourth table invite to the first edition of said tourney, while Tottenham already have their berth from finishing second to Man United in the Carling Cup. Four of the top six teams remain in the FA Cup, so it's possible that a spot will be opened to the eight place league finisher - which would give Man City (three back of Wigan) and Bolton (four back) a real shot.

The Uh oh! factor: Newcastle are 18th, three points from survival, and Middlesbrough are two behind them. Of course, there are five teams within striking distance, with 16th place Hull City and northeast rival Sunderland struggling mightily right now.

Name brands getting promoted?: Wolverhampton and Birmingham stand in the automatic promotion slots at the top, with Sheffield United three back of second, Marcus Hahnemann's Reading six back and Eddie Johnson's Cardiff City eight adrift with five games to go. My favorite English club, Preston North End, is four points off sixth place Burnley and the final promotion playoff slot.


La Liga

The title race: We have a clear two-horse race in Spain. Barcelona leads Real Madrid by six points, but still must face a four-game swing of: at Valencia, home to Sevilla, at Real (on May 3rd) and home to Villarreal.

The fight for Europe: Twelfth place Athletic Bilbao have already clinched a Europa League bid whether they beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final or not. That leaves six table invites, with Sevilla nine points clear for the third Champions League place. Villarreal is fourth on 48 points, with Valencia in fifth on 46. Atlético Madrid holds the last Europa League berth on goal differential over Málaga and Deportivo with Valladolid four points back.

The Uh oh! factor: Barcelona little brother Espanyol, the 2007 UEFA Cup runners up, are dead last and seven points from safety considering their goal differential. Getafe, Mallorca, Osasuna and Real Betis are all hanging just above the drop zone

Name brands getting promoted?: The most notable team with a shot is Real Zaragoza, who stand fourth, two points out of the promotion triangle and three points shy of leaders Xerez - who will surely be punished if they don't play Jozy Altidore. There... I said it. Kasey keller's former club, Rayo Vallecano are a point behind Zaragoza.


Serie A

The title race: Inter Milan lead Juventus by nine points with eight games remaining. If the Bianaoneri cannot beat their first place visitors on April 19th, it's over. And even if they do, the rest of Inter's schedule is rather lackluster.

The fight for Europe: With Juve almost certain to get Champions League invite #2, AC Milan lead Genoa by four and Fiorentina by six for the third berth. Numbers four through six go to the Europa League, with AS Roma currently holding down sixth, four points clear of Cagliari and Palermo.

The Uh oh! factor: Torino are in 18th, with only Bologna in their immediate sights. The league really is more exciting with Turin derbies, so the fact that they've only won once in their last 13 is nearly a portent of doom.

Name brands getting promoted?: Bari and familiar club Parma look set to capture the two automatic risers. The next four, which currently includes third place Livorno and Danny Szetela's Brescia, hold a playoff for the last promotion ticket. But don't assume anything about numbers four through 11 - who are separated by just seven points with eight matches to go.


Bundesliga

The title race: An eight-game win streak has put Wolfsburg on top with eight games to play, though Hamburg are also on 51 points. Two back sits Hertha Berlin, Bayern Munich are three behind, Stuttgart six and Hoffenheim seven. Tenth place Werder Bremen are out of the race, but they will play three of the contenders. This could go down to the final goal.

The fight for Europe: There are five table slots for Europe, and perhaps a sixth if Hamburg win the  German Cup. HSV are the only title contender alive in the final four, with Bayer Leverkusen (four points out of fifth place), second flight Mainz and Bremen hoping to snag an berth - perhaps even through a lost final. Schalke and Borussia Dortmund are also just five points shy of the top five in the table.

The Uh oh! factor: Michael Bradley and Borussia Moenchengladbach have warmed up a bit, and now stand only two points shy of a safety place in 16th - the spot which faces a playoff against the 2.Bundesliga's #3. Hannover 96, with Americans Steve Cherundolo and Sal Zizzo, aren't safe yet either. The 13th place Reds are three points above 'Gladbach, winless in four, racked with injuries and sport a terrible goal differential.

Name brands getting promoted?: It's tight at the top with eight to play. First place Freiburg, Mainz, upstarts Greuther Fürth, Nuremberg and Kaiserslautern are all within seven points of each other, with two automatic Bundesliga elevators and one playoff spot against the first division's 16th place finisher up for grabs.


Eredivisie

The title race: It would take a collapse of epic proportions for AZ Alkmaar to blow a second championship at this point. They blew it on the final day two years ago, but this one has really been safely in the pouch since February. While rarely overpowering, the Cheese Farmers have not lost in league play since September 13th, rendering what would have been extremely dangerous late season trips to Ajax and FC Twente as important duels only for the other clubs.

The fight for Europe: Best grab your pad and pencil for this one... with five games left, Twente (unbeaten since November) holds that second Champions League invite, with hard chargers Ajax a point behind and set to host a final day showdown between the two. Of course, the Tukkers must also visit Feyenoord and Heerenveen, and host AZ, before then. The third place finisher will go into the Europa League, as will the fourth place team (currently H'veen, three points ahead of falling champs PSV Eindhoven). Numbers five through eight will battle for the remaining table slot. Meanwhile, NAC Breda and Volendam are still in for a chance via the KNVB Cup; one of those teams will still get an invite should they lose the final to Twente (or possibly Heerenveen). Neither is assured of that final place, however, as they are split up in the semifinals.

The Uh oh! factor: Feyenoord looked to be in trouble, but losing just one of their last six has pushed them 10 points clear of the trap door.

Name brands getting promoted?: VVV Venlo, Earnie Stewart's old club, look a good bet to win the second division title and bounce back up. Beyond that, eight teams will go into the promotion/relegation playoff, including never-promoted Top Oss with American stalwart Charles Kazlauskas.


Ligue 1
 
The title race: It seems like ages since we had a real championship scramble in France, but seven-time defenders Lyon have a major one on their hands this year. The Gerland crew leads Marseille by a single point, with Bordeaux three back and the duo of Lille and Paris St. Germain four behind. April will be a test for the title horders, with a visit to Bordeax set for the 18th, followed by a PSG invasion a week later.

The fight for Europe: Sixth place Toulouse and seventh place Rennes could very well meet in the French Cup final, with the winner claiming a Europa League invite for next fall. Assuming Bordeax disposes of Ligue 2 mites Vannes in the Coupe de la Ligue final, five table berths to Europe should leave only the French Cup loser out of the top seven on the outside looking in if the winner can't finish top four. In other words... this race is far from settled.

The Uh oh! factor: Saint-Étienne made it to the UEFA Cup round of 16 after finishing fifth last season, but now find themselves in 18th with eight to play. The good news? Four teams above them are within three points. The bad news? Their goal differential is substantially worse than three of those teams, and the same goes for Caen, who are one point behind them.

Name brands getting promoted?: Familiar clubs Racing Strasbourg, Metz and Lens stand 1-2-3, all on 55 points. Things look good for the trio, with fourth place Montpellier five points adrift.