As we are approaching the end of the year, it is high time to explore the current situation in the five best football leagues in the world.

Collectively known as the Big 5, the English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French first football divisions are by far the best in the world due to the number of good teams and the star players.

Therefore, when talking about being a fan of the sport and following the latest news, this is where the majority of it takes place.

On top of it all, there are the three UEFA competitions where these teams go head to head.

As the middle of December passes, some great narratives that need a deeper look are taking place.

In this article, we talk about the latest news and scores in these five national leagues.

On top of that, we take a look at the upcoming fixtures that will take us through December and into the new year.

It is interesting in some leagues, to say the least, and with the new format of European competition, this is already a season to remember.

If you are a fan of online sports betting, you will particularly enjoy it.

Read on to learn more, and you will get all the insight into the final two weeks of 2024 that can very well change the course of the European 2024/25 football season. 

Liverpool In Control In The English Premier League 

In the Premiership, it is all about Liverpool right now and their amazing form to open the season and take a commanding lead over the competition.

After 15 matches played, they are in front with 36 points from 11 wins, 3 draws, and a single loss.

They have been scoring a lot, a league second-best at 31, and have allowed the league-best 13 goals for a goal difference of 18.

For them, this is the worst stretch of the season right now, as they have drawn two matches in a row.

Still, the 5-point difference is enough for them to have some breathing room.

The Reds have a great chance to make a case for the title while we are still in 2024, provided that Arne Slot successfully leads them through their remaining December slate of games. 

Speaking of the point differential, Chelsea is in second place with 31 points.

They have 9 wins so far, have drawn 4 times, and lost only two matches.

They have scored the most goals so far with 35 and have allowed 18, for a goal difference of +17, 1 fewer than Liverpool.

Cole Palmer has been the man for them, scoring 11 goals so far, good for the third spot in the campaign.

The first place is shared between Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, both having scored 13 goals at this point.

Chelsea is back and they have high hopes to ruin things for Liverpool and the rest of the English contender hopefuls. 

Right below Chelsea is another London club, their biggest rivals, Arsenal.

For the longest time this season, the Blues and the Gunners have had equal stats and records.

Now, Arsenal is trailing Chelsea by a single point, with 1 more game played.

They won 8, drew 6, and lost 2 and have a +14 goal difference.

Still, they are in a great position to remain contenders well into the season and are far from being written off.

This, however, cannot be said for the defending champions Man City who are currently in the fifth spot.

They have struggled mightily, partly due to injuries to key players like Rodri and partly due to poor form.

With 8 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses, they only have 1 win in their last 5 games.

Pep Guardiola has a lot to figure out. 

Barcelona Slightly Ahead In The Spanish La Liga

Barcelona has opened the season quite well but has struggled in December to keep that hot streak going.

At one point, they had a significant advantage over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but now the three teams only have 3 points between them.

This is the La Liga we know and love, where the point margins are low but very significant.

At the moment, Barca is first with 38 points, Real is second with 37, and Atletico is third with 35.

In the 4th, we find Athletic Club with 32, not without a chance and playing well.

Barcelona has scored an amazing, Europe Big 5 leading 50 goals so far, but have allowed 19, most of those in the last month or so.

But with a goal difference of +31, the offense is not the issue with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha leading the league with 16 and 11 goals, respectively.

In the last 5 games, they have 2 losses, 2 draws, and a win, which is not what they are used to this season.

With 12 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses, they are currently still in front but they will need to protect their net more and play more strategically if they are to remain in front to end the year.

They did win the latest El Classico, but if they do not course correct soon, the Galacticos will overtake them and never look back.

Speaking of their biggest rivals… 

Real is doing what Real does, getting into it, and playing every game with the same passion and poise.

Despite being down for most of the season, here they are only a few points from the top.

They have been scoring well with 37 but have also allowed 16 for a goal difference of 21, which is average for them.

They have won 11 games but drawn 4 and lost 2.

With the trio of superstars in Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., and Killian Mbappé, there is no saying what they are capable of.

They just need a bit more time to find their joint groove before they start dominating. 

A New Era Of Italian Football In Serie A

The new era of Italian football has been a great thing to witness, further confirming the fact that the sport is better when the Italians are playing a competitive Serie A.

And the sport betting fans could not agree more considering how exciting and enjoyable it has been to wager on their games.

With three different champions each of the three past seasons, it is obvious how tough it is for these teams to go against each other every week.

Right now, it is Atalanta in front with 16 matches under their belt and 37 points.

They have been great so far and won 12 matches, only drawing 1 and losing 3.

They also have the league-best offence with 39 goals scored.

Mateo Retegui is leading the league with 12 goals. 

Napoli is in second place, also with 16 games played but 1 less win and 1 more draw, meaning they have 35 points right now.

The problem for them has been scoring with only 24 goals so far.

They have allowed 11, which is second-best in the league though.

If they are to remain in contention for the title, their offence will need to pick things up.

Right behind them is Inter, but they have only played 14 games at the moment of writing and have 31 points.

They scored well with 34 and are technically more effective than Atalanta.

Marcus Thuram is the second-best in the league with 10 goals.

A nice surprise is Fiorentina in the fourth, also with 2 games behind.

In 14 matches played, they won 9, drew 4, and only lost 1, just like Inter.

They have scored fewer goals but also allowed fewer.

Inter is in front due to a +1 better goal difference than them, as both teams are at 31 points for the season.

Their striker Moise Kean is the third-best in the league with 9 goals so far.

Can Fiorentina keep it going?

Lazio is breathing down their neck with the same number of points, and both Juventus and Milan are behind them in the standings.

It will be hard, but this may be their season to finish in the top 4 and play UEFA CL football next season. 

Same But Different In The German Bundesliga

Football fans rejoiced last season when not only was it not Bayern Munich that won the title, but they were not even second, nor was Dortmund in the first 4 teams.

It was a breath of fresh air as Bayer Leverkusen did the impossible and went on to win the trophy undefeated.

However, in 2024/25, things are looking like the good old Bundesliga we love to hate.

After a breakout year for the team, Leverkusen has been struggling to overtake Bayern.

After 14 matchdays, the Munich team is in front with 33 points from 10 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss.

They have scored an incredible 42 goals so far and only allowed 12.

Both of these stats are the best in the league, naturally giving them the league-best +30 goal difference.

They are only behind Barcelona in that category in the Big 5.

Harry Kane is leading the goalscorers’ standings with 14. 

Leverkusen is second, but they are playing quite well.

They have 29 points from 8 wins, 5 draws, and 1 loss.

The stalemate games have been a problem for them as they did not manage to break through more times than they would have liked.

The scoring is there with the third-best in the league, 32, but they have allowed plenty of goals, 20 so far.

They have won their last 4 games, are undefeated in their last 5, and are on a tear.

Behind them, with 1 fewer game played and 2 fewer points, is Eintracht Frankfurt.

The team is a nice surprise, led by Omar Marmoush’s 13 goals, as he is right behind Kane.

With a second-best 33 goals scored and 18 allowed, they have the second-best differential in the league and are hoping for big things in 2025.

Check out Stake for all of your Bundesliga sports betting needs. 

PSG Is In Front As Always In French Ligue 1

There are few surprises in France, as PSG is controlling the season so far.

However, their initial lead is not that big, as they only have a 4-point advantage over Marseille and Monaco.

The Parisians have played 1 fewer game, though, 14, and have 10 wins and 4 draws.

They are still to lose a game.

Scoring has not been an issue across the Ligue as this season has been scoring a lot of goals.

PSG has found the net 37 times so far and has allowed the league-best 11 for a goal difference of 26.

Marseille and Monaco have the same record.

In 15 games played, they have 9 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses.

Marseille has scored way more, though, 32 to 24, but have also allowed more, 18 to 12.

The fourth team in the standings is Lille, with 27 points coming from 7 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses.

Stalemate games have been an issue for them, as 3 of their last 5 games were undecided.

UEFA Champions League Standings 

In Europe’s elite competition, there is an amazing mix of Big 5 teams in the top 10 places.

Liverpool has been dominating, as they are the only team with all 6 wins in the first 6 games.

Barcelona is second with 5 wins and 1 loss.

Then there are six teams with the same record of 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, including Arsenal, Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter, Brest, and LOSC Lille.

What is interesting is that many of Europe’s heavyweights are missing from this list.

Dortmund is only 9th, Bayern is 10th, and Atletico Madrid is 11th.

Atalanta, the leaders in Italy, are 13th behind Milan and ahead of Juventus.

Real Madrid is only 20th, and Man City is 22nd.

This proves that the new format is not only more competitive than expected but that the mid-level teams are fairing much better than the usual footballing giants we all know.