Get this in your inbox each Friday by signing up here.
England | A huge matchup to welcome back the EPL
Spurs vs. Liverpool – Liverpool’s trip to London gets the early kickoff on Saturday as The Reds look to maintain their perfect start to the season. Spurs’ own perfect start ended in a 2-1 loss to Watford last time out. Both Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris will miss out due to injury.
Manchester City vs. Fulham – The Etihad welcomes Fulham on Saturday, who are undefeated in their last three matches. Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice in the Nations League for Serbia over the break, but it’s Fulham’s new-look backline that will need to step up.
Watford vs. Manchester United – A trip to Watford wouldn’t ordinarily be seen as a potential banana peel for Manchester United, but with the The Hornets getting four wins from four matches so far, United won’t be entirely certain of getting a fourth consecutive win over Watford.
Spain | Barcelona and Real Madrid remain even on points
Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona – Barcelona enter the weekend sitting in first place in La Liga, with an 8-2 win over SD Huesca before the international break. They visit Real Sociedad, who they’ve beaten in five straight matchups. Leo Messi will be well-rested as he continues his indefinite break from Argentina duties.
Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid – These sides drew both their meetings last season and a slip-up against Bilbao on Saturday would put Real Madrid off of Barcelona’s pace. They’ve adjusted well so far to Ronaldo’s departure, with Karim Benzema scoring four goals in his last two matches and Gareth Bale scoring in each of Real’s three fixtures.
Italy | A surprise test for Juve?
Juventus vs. Sassuolo – Summer arrival Kevin Prince-Boateng has Sassuolo off to an undefeated start, scoring in their last two matches. It’s still early, but they sit in second behind Juve and started the season with a 1-0 win over Inter. And yes, we’re waiting for Ronaldo’s first goal for Juve.
Germany | Dortmund look to keep up
Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt – Dortmund started the season with a statement 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig, but then slumped to a 0-0 draw with Hannover. They take on Frankfurt on Friday night, but will do so without Christian Pulisic who is trying to shake off a muscle injury. We should however, see the competitive debut of Barcelona loanee Paco Alcacer up top for Dortmund.
