In this week's edition of the jog through France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, we'll check back in on the champions to see who is likely to repeat and who should be enjoying the title while they can.

As usual, we'll rank these clubs by the current size of their chance to keep the trophy at home.

#5 - Try A Lille Tenderness

The Ligue 1 defenders may only be seven points off the top and they may still have Eden Hazard a little while longer, but something ain't quite right at Stadium Nord Lille Métropole.

Lest season, the northerners cruised to glory on home cooking (13 wins from 19 league tilts there) and always being the team with the late magic. In fact, over the prior three seasons, Lille was comfortably France's best team in their friendly confines, with victories in just under 70% of their home games.

This term, Lille have taken full points in just six of 11 at home. More distressingly, four of those matches with dropped points happened due to a goal leaked inside the final 20 minutes.

It may seem a small difference and Lille may still be in with a shout, but it's often the details that makes a champion. With Paris Saint-Germain winning 15 of 20 since an opening day loss, the holders don't appear able to measure up.

#4 - That One Object May Be Closer Than It Appears

On the face of it, Eredivisie champs Ajax may seem like the club out of our five least likely to repeat. Not only are they eight points shy of leaders PSV Eindhoven, the champs are hurtin'.

Having lost star man Miralem Sulejmani in a galling "De Klassieker" loss at Feyenoord the weekend before, Ajax came into another derby - at home to FC Utrecht - missing their entire starting backline and front three in attack.

Fielding most of the reserve team, they lost a second straight league game to slip to sixth place. It's been much like that all season, with a never-ending succession of injuries (sprinkled with ill-timed suspensions) dulling the usual Ajax edge.

It may sound like game over for the Dutch holders, but bear in mind they've made a habit of closing strongest. Last season, Ajax won 10 of the last 13 games with but one loss, eventually overcoming a six-point deficit with six games remaining.

Clearly, though, their step one to a repeat is getting healthy. When it comes to the likes of Toby Alderwereld, Dirk Boerrigter, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Gregory van der Wiel, step one looks as though it may just take far too long for Ajax.

#3 - My Barcelona Has a First Name...

When Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho won his two Chelsea titles, the Blues took the top spot in the early going and never surrendered it, gradually building a comfortable margin on the pack. The same thing happened his two championship season with Inter Milan in Italy.

This is relevant to Barcelona four-peat chances because they currently trail The Special One and his crew by seven points. Since the champions won at the Bernabeu to temporarily claim the La Liga penthouse in early December, Real have reeled off six straight wins by a combined 21-6 count.

Mourinho also does his magic with balance in attack. Sure, Cristiano Ronaldo has seven goals in those six games, but he's had plenty of support from Angel Di Maria (one goals, six assists), Mesut Ozil (also one goal, six assists) and four others with multiple goals in that span.

So... if anyone says it's baloney for me to doubt Barcelona's chances of keeping the crown, then this is what I'd say.

#2 - "What singing? The Fat Lady isn't even in the building yet."

Not to seem like a broken record, but reigning Bundesliga kings Borussia Dortmund are at war with history. Strictly as free un-requested advice, I would suggest all folks BvB stay bearing down until they hit finish line tape.

If they look around, it could spook them out of a tough race in no time. For starters, consecutive seasons without a Bayern Munich title have not occurred since Dortmund won the honor division back-to-back in 1995 and 1996.

And sure enough, there are the Bavarians, two points back in second through 20 rounds. The teams are done meeting for the season, so the spoils may go to which ever one does the least scoreboard watching.

Even with Bayern stands Schalke, who have not gone consecutive games without a victory since September. Another point back and just three off the top are season darlings Borussia Moenchengladbach, who just happen to have the stingiest defense - the Foals have only conceded five times in 10 road games, for crying out loud.

At the moment, Dortmund have that head down, chugging away. Chasing that repeat of a repeat (an homage, if you will), the Westfalenstadion bunch have won four straight by a 14-3 tally.

#1 - Fashion Limited?

Say what you will about mercurial (I'm being polite) AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the dude wins championships. In a city all about fashion, the beanpole agitant's style of being has nothing to do with his clothes - it's more about the accessories

Counting the two won at Juventus that were stripped, the Sweden Svengali has been tricking and manipulating his way to the top of every table since a title-winning member of Ajax in 2004.

Forgive me as being a slave to such trends, but I'd say this Milan Scudetto drive will go as far as Zlatan can take it. He has suddenly gone without a goal for 238 minutes, his longest drought since October.

Dropped points in two straight puts Milan two behind Juventus in second place, with the likelihood that Ibrahimovic will miss their end-of-the-month showdown at San Siro through suspension.

Any way that game goes, both must still be concerned with Udinese, Lazio and narcoleptic giants Inter Milan, all within nine points.

And any way it goes, we all may just be a slave to the fiendish whims of Zlatan the malevolently magnificent. After all, he has scored in each of their last 10 Serie A wins.