PARIS. Dec 11: Championship rivals Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen clash in a crucial Bun-

deshga match on Sunday, while Italian league leaders Fiorentina face a test of their mettle when they host Juventus, reports AFP.

GERMANY

The Bayern-Leverkusen clash is spiced-up by the bitter rivalry between Bayern manager Uli Hoeness and Leverkusen coach Christophe Daum.

Hoeness has openly taunted Daum and Leverkusen ahead of Sunday's showdown between the Bundesliga's top two teams.

We always said we wanted to be at the top of Europe and now we are,'' Hoeness crowed after Bayern's 1-1 draw against Manchester United which gave them top spot in Europe's so-called 'group of death.'

’’Now all we need to do is beat (Leverkusen trainer) Herr Daum — which is very important to me. I won’t have a merry Christmas if we don't beat him."

The rivalry between the pair stretches back 10 years but Daum, whose fiery temper and loose mouth in the past saw him dubbed as the Bundesliga's ’’megaphone,'' has since learned to control himself.

His side are level with Bayern on 35 points and unbeaten in their last 13 games and this time Daum has refused to take the bait — instead congratulating Bayern for their strong Champions League performance.

In another key German match-up, Eintracht Frankfurt, who fired a tearful coach Horst Ehrmanntraut on Tuesday, will go into their match against Kaiserslautern — impressive 5-2 winners against HJK Helsinki midweek — as rank underdogs.

ITALY

The contest between Fiorentina and Juventus, two clubs with a bitter rivalry, looms as a potential thriller.

As if the match needing spicing up further. Fiorentina are looking down on a struggling Juventus side who are seven points adrift in sixth place.

Fiorentina are coached by the man who spent 13 years in Turin and guided Juventus to six league titles and the European Cup — Giovanni Trapat-toni.

Juventus, morale battered by three defeats a draw in their last four Serie A matches received a major boost by beating Rosenborg and reaching the European Champions League quarter finals.

Each team will be hoping for a Fiorentina defeat.that could pave the way for a change at the top of the table with Roma looking to skipper and striker Francesco Totti while Parma will rely on in form Enrico Chiesa.

AC Milan are at home to Vicenza while Inter Milan, who like Juventus have reached the Champions League quarters are away to Udinese.

SPAIN

The top of the Spanish league continues to have an un-familiar look and the pressure

continues to mount on Barcelona coach Louis Van Gaal.

The two surprise leaders. Real Mallorca and Deportivo La Coruna both face tricky away matches this weekend.

Mallorca on- 25 points travel to, face sixth placed Real Zaragoza, while Deportivo visit the Basque country to play Athletic Bilbao, who eliminated Turkey's Galatasaray from the European Champions League in midweek.

Real Sociedad who were horrified when one of their supporters was killed in a clash with Atletico Madrid supporters in midweek return to the capital on Sunday for a meeting with European Champions Real Madrid, who must be uncomfortable to find themselves down in seventh spot.

FRANCE

In France halfway leaders and UEFA Cup quarter finalists Bordeaux are at home to perennial strugglers Le Havre, while their nearest challengers and fellow European contenders Marseille host another ailing side in Metz, who have a doubt about Yugoslav attacker Vladan Lukic who is suffering from flu

Marseille will welcome back Italian striker Fabrizio Ra-vanelli — possibly as a replacement for the injured Christophe Dugarry.

Paris St Germain's hopes of climbing the table with a victory away to Bastia have been hit by injuries.

German defender Christian Woms and Nigerian midfielder Jay Jay Okocha could make comebacks.