The companion "elevator" thread.

Italy: (5 weeks left; three to go down):

Torino 34
Catania 32
Cagliari 32
Parma 31*
Reggina 30
Empoli 30
Livorno 29

This is the real end of season battle here; seven clubs within five points of each other, a number of "6 pointers" between fellow strugglers on the cards (Cagliari-Empoli on Sunday) and the trend being generally positive for those at the bottom of the list and generally poor for those at the top (Toro looked abject at Genoa yesterday). Parma's game in hand is the away match to Juve that was postponed in the wake of the last ultra death. It will be played Wednesday night.

Spain: (6 weeks left; three to go down):

Mallorca 41
Getafe 41
Betis 41
Osasuna 40
Valencia 39
Valladolid 39
Huelva 37
Zaragoza 34
Murcia 29
Levante 22

Levante are down, and it looks increasingly likely that Murcia will join them. If Zaragoza can string some results together (they drew at Getafe this weekend), things could get very interesting.

Germany: (6 weeks left; three to go down):

Bochum 34
Dortmund 34
Hertha 33
Cottbus 29
Rostock 27
Duisburg 25
Bielefeld 25
Nuremberg 23*

1.FCN's match in hand is at home against Wolfsburg, Friday's match having been abandoned due to a violent storm. Duisburg and Bielefeld are classic "Fahrstuhlmannschafter", elevator teams that regularly go from 1. Liga to 2. Liga and vice versa. The two former East German clubs just above them are a further demonstration of the significant challenges faced by old DDR teams in contemporary German football (Carl Zeiss Jena and Erzgebirge Aue are in deep trouble in the 2. Liga, too).


France: (5 weeks left; three to go down):

Monaco 42
Auxerre 42
Toulouse 38
Lens 35
Paris St. Germain 35
Strasbourg 35
Metz 18

Schadenfreude at a possible relegation for PSG has gotten the French league thread moving recently. Their latest debacle was a 2-3 home defeat to Nice last night. But VTT's boys Strasbourg have been almost as bad, and Lens haven't been much better. Toulouse got an important win in Monaco this weekend (but have to go to Bordeaux next week). Metz are the Derby County of Continental Europe.