MATCHDAY: Leicester bids to go top of EPL

Updated Jan. 18, 2021 7:01 p.m. ET

Associated Press

A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Tuesday:

ENGLAND

Leicester can be the latest team to take first place in the Premier League with a win at home to Chelsea. Three points would lift Brendan Rodgers' third-place team above Manchester City and current leader Manchester United, at least until Wednesday when the Manchester clubs are back in action. Leicester has only lost one of its last 10 games in all competitions. Chelsea is down in seventh after just two wins from its last seven league games. West Bromwich Albion, which is in next-to-last place, looks to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when it visits West Ham. In the FA Cup, third-tier Shrewsbury heads to Southampton for a rearranged third-round match without its manager, Steve Cotterill, who is in the hospital as he recovers from COVID-19. The original game was postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak in the Shrewsbury squad.

SPAIN

Sevilla can move into fourth place with a win at Alavés, which is coming off two straight league losses and a demoralizing 5-0 defeat against second-division club Almería that eliminated the club from the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey. Sevilla will be without central defender Diego Carlos after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Also Tuesday, Valladolid hosts Elche in a match between relegation-threatened clubs, while and Levante visits Cádiz in a game between midtable teams.

GERMANY

Bayer Leverkusen hosts Borussia Dortmund for a Bundesliga duel between two teams out to make amends for disappointing results in their previous games. Leverkusen lost 1-0 to Union Berlin and has now lost three of its last four games. It was previously unbeaten. Dortmund was held 1-1 at home by then-bottom team Mainz on Saturday and watched as the gap to Bayern Munich at the top grew to seven points on Sunday. Dortmund coach Edin Terzić rued his team’s missed chances against Mainz. “In the end, games are decided by goals,” said Terzić, who faces a dilemma in midfield with Axel Witsel injured and Emre Can suspended. Highly talented youngster Florian Wirtz is back for Leverkusen. Hertha Berlin hosts Hoffenheim for game between two sides that have consistently disappointed this season. Both could only draw 0-0 against relegation rivals at the weekend. Mainz next faces Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach gets the round underway at home to Werder Bremen.

ITALY

High-flying Roma will be looking to bounce back from last week’s derby defeat when it hosts promoted Spezia in the Italian Cup's round of 16. The winner of the single-elimination game will face Napoli in the quarterfinals. Roma, which is fourth in Serie A, lost 3-0 at Lazio on Friday. Spezia managed to hold Torino to a 0-0 draw this past weekend, despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men.

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