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England | Liverpool and Chelsea look to remain perfect
Liverpool vs. Southampton – A Liverpool win would make it six conservative victories to begin the season, a feat they’ve only managed twice before. Southampton will be without Liverpool loanee Danny Ings, who is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Manchester United vs. Wolves – Mourinho used Marouane Fellaini from the start last weekend to keep Watford’s midfield surprisingly quiet. Expect a similar approach against a creative Wolves midfield that’s looking to propel them to a third straight win in all comps.
West Ham vs. Chelsea – West Ham are no longer pointless and Chelsea are now top. Unfortunately, someone’s newfound good vibes will have to be put on hold. Chelsea played in Greece in Thursday so they could enter the match with a bit of a Europa League hangover.
Arsenal vs. Everton – Richarlison returns from his red card ban, as Everton drew with Huddersfield and lost to West Ham without him. Arsenal have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, but are on a three match winning streak.
Spain | Barcelona and Real Madrid remain even on points
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol – Espanyol won the last meeting between these sides with a 93rd minute winner, albeit against a Real Madrid side missing Ronaldo and Marcelo. An early win over Valencia has Espanyol sitting in fourth, while Real Madrid’s draw with Athletic Bilbao last weekend bumped them into second.
Barcelona vs. Girona – This Catalonian derby has been lopsided recently, with Barcelona winning by a combined score of 9-1 in their two meetings last season. Girona have won two consectuve La Liga matches, with former Middlesbrough striker Cristhian Stuani scoring three goals in four matches.
Germany | Dortmund and Bayern face emerging challengers
Hoffenheim vs. Borussia Dortmund – After finishing third last season, Hoffenheim have three points from three matches this season and are new to juggling Champions League responsibilities (with a 2-2 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday). Young manager Julian Nagelsmann has already agreed to take over at RB Leipzig next season and could use a statement victory against Dortmund to gain some momentum in his final season at Hoffenheim.
Schalke vs. Bayern Munich – Like Hoffenheim, Schalke are also in unfamiliar territory with midweek Champions League matches (a 1-1 draw with FC Porto on Tuesday) and also face a big weekend test. Bayern have started in standard fashion with three wins from three.
Netherlands | Ajax take on the current champions
PSV vs. Ajax – Current Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven are off to a perfect start with five wins from five, while Ajax sit in second and could leapfrog PSV with a win. This is one of the biggest matches in the Netherlands and a perfect excuse to have a look at Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong who is wanted by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Spurs…you get the idea.
