Juventus bids farewell to Chiellini and trophy-less season

The last time Juventus ended the season without a trophy, AC Milan took the Serie A title and Inter Milan won the Italian Cup.

This year could see a repeat of 2011.

The two Milan clubs are fighting it out at the top of Serie A, with Inter two points behind its city rival with two matches remaining.

Milan hosts Atalanta on Sunday, shortly before Inter — buoyed by its Italian Cup victory over Juventus on Wednesday — plays at relegation-threatened Cagliari.

Juventus, meanwhile, prepares to welcome Lazio on Monday knowing that a third-place finish is the highest it can achieve, and even that might be out of reach by the time the game starts.

At least the team knows it is already assured of Champions League qualification.

When Massimiliano Allegri returned as coach of Juventus in the offseason, he was supposed to restore glory after the team's dominance of Serie A was ended in Andrea Pirlo's single season in charge.

Allegri had steered Juventus to five of its nine straight league titles — as well as four consecutive Italian Cup trophies — and also guided the Bianconeri to two Champions League finals.

However, Juventus will end the season without a trophy and with its lowest point finish since 2011, too.

Pirlo at least won the Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup. Juventus lost the Italian Super Cup in January, also to Inter.

"It's clear that something hasn't gone right but we've said that over the past few days, and there has been improvement, but honestly we're still far from the strongest team that is Inter," Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini said after Wednesday's 4-2 final loss. "This team lacks something that has been part of Juve for so many years and needs to be found again as soon as possible."

Chiellini is well placed to talk about the situation at Juventus, having been at the club since 2004 and experiencing its relegation to Serie B following a matchfixing scandal as well as its return to dominance.

"There are cycles, that's part of the game," the veteran defender said. "I had two years of finishing seventh when the previous cycle finished. A new one had to be born, it's part of life.

"We need to accept that but we also need to be aware of ourselves to have that extra energy that we have to give this restart. I think the coach is the best person to be able to transmit this DNA. This club can't accept to end next season again without any trophies."

Chiellini won't be there, however. The 37-year-old defender said the games against Lazio and at Fiorentina will be his last in the famous black and white shirt, bringing an end to a glory-filled association of nearly 20 years during which he won 20 trophies.

"We had 10 magnificent years and now it's the turn of the boys to continue," said Chiellini, who made more than 550 appearances for Juventus. "I think I've done everything I could have done. I hope to have left them with something."

Chiellini also helped Italy win the European Championship title last year and will bid his farewell to the national team next month.

"Monday I'll celebrate and say goodbye to my Juventus Stadium against Lazio and then if I feel good I'll have a runout in Florence, too, just to stay in form for the national team," Chiellini said. "But I'm handing the baton to the youngsters.

"I think I've left them with something and I'm happy to be leaving at such a high level still. It's been so many years now that I've said I didn't want to limp to the finish, not playing these matches at my level … so it's really with joy, with serenity that I leave this club and soon I will be the biggest fan."

5 teams fight to avoid relegation in Spanish league

With the top spots in the Spanish league almost completely decided, the drama is at the bottom of the standings.

Five teams — Getafe, Granada, Cádiz, Mallorca and Alavés — are all trying to avoid finishing in the 18th and 19th places and joining Levante, already assured of relegation, in the second division next season.

Mallorca and Alavés are currently in the bottom three and need to overhaul rivals over their final two games to stay up.

All the matches with any implications in standings will be played at the same time on Sunday.

Getafe enters the penultimate round in the best position of the desperate bunch. The team that Quique Sánchez Flores helped turn around when he returned for a third stint in charge needs only one point from its remaining two games.

Getafe first faces a tough test at home against a Barcelona team that is still looking to lock up a second-place finish. The league runners-up earn a berth in the Spanish Super Cup.

Granada, which has won two straight under new coach Aitor Karanka, is four points clear of the drop before it visits Real Betis.

Cádiz is only two points from danger. It hosts champion Real Madrid on Sunday and then will play Alavés in the final round in what could be a winner-take-all showdown.

"I hope Real Madrid plays well but that Cádiz plays even better, and that we have the eye of the tiger, go for the match and try to win it," Cádiz coach Sergio González said Thursday.

Mallorca must win its last two games, starting at home against Rayo Vallecano, and hope that its rivals drop points.

"We are alive. We have two more finals left," Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre said after his team took a point in a scoreless draw at Sevilla on Wednesday.

Alavés has the most difficult task of all. The Basque Country club is four points from safety and needs to beat Levante and then hope it reaches the last match against Cádiz with its chances alive.

The club said it would pay for the tickets and the bus ride for about 400 fans to go to Sunday's match at Levante in Valencia.

Near the top of the standings, Sevilla still needs to wrap up fourth place and the last Champions League berth. The team leads fifth-place Betis by five points before visiting Atlético Madrid.

Monaco thriving under coach Clement, eyes Champions League

While Monaco's decision to hire unheralded Belgian league coach Philippe Clement in January surprised many observers, it is now clearly paying off.

Monaco heads into the last two games of the French league on an eight-game winning streak and with a chance to secure Champions League soccer next season.

Monaco is in third place, which assures a place in next season's qualifying rounds, and hosts midtable Brest in Saturday's full round of games.

Clement is wary of playing a Brest team that beat Monaco 2-0 at home and admires its style of play.

"Brest it playing without pressure, they still have ambitions to finish in the top 10," he said. "They play with a lot of speed and impact, they are well organized. We'll have to stay focused."

Marseille is three points ahead in the second spot and the automatic Champions League place but still has a harder-looking trip to fifth-place Rennes.

Marseille's task is made even harder by the fact it's without playmaker Dimitri Payet and several other injured players.

Furthermore, Rennes is chasing fourth place and a Europa League spot and needs a win to pressure Nice, which is one point ahead of Rennes and hosts a mid-table Lille side with nothing to play for.