England | Liverpool get an early chance for revenge
Chelsea vs. Liverpool – Liverpool were perhaps unlucky to be knocked out of the EFL Cup by Chelsea midweek, but have an early chance for revenge Saturday at Stamford Bridge. The Reds still have a perfect record so far in the EPL, but Eden Hazard’s blistering early season form could have Chelsea knock them out of first with a win. Clearly the match to watch this weekend in the EPL, with the added bonus of an aesthetically pleasing red vs. blue matchup.
West Ham vs. Man United– United’s dramatic start to the season continued with their midweek loss to Derby County in the EFL Cup. And with just 10 points from 6 Premier League matches so far, they cannot afford to slip up away to West Ham on Saturday. History is on their side, as West Ham have only managed to beat United once in their last 19 tries, but this one certainly feels like a draw, doesn’t it?
Arsenal vs. Watford – This season’s early surprise Watford are occupying the Gunners’ once-familiar fourth place spot, a point above Arsenal. Not since 1984 have these two sides met with Watford sitting above Arsenal in the table. Roberto Pereyra and Jose Holebas have been standout performers for the Hornets this season with three goals and four assists, respectively. Meanwhile, Arsenal have won six straight matches in all competitions, granted with an easy fixture list.
Spain | Madrid Derby
Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid – On Wednesday, Real Madrid went down 3-0 to Sevilla within 39 minutes as both Real and Barca lost in the same match day for the first time in 141 rounds. This provides an opening for Atletico Madrid, who could jump into second with a win (or first should Barca lose again). After an uneven start, Atleti won three matches in eight days and haven’t lost to Real in the last four meetings.
Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao – Barca lost to Leganes for the first time ever on Wednesday night, conceding twice in two minutes as they lost 2-1 at Leganes’ 12,450 seat Estadio Municipal de Butarque. They return to Camp Nou on Saturday to face Athletic Bilbao, who managed a draw against Real Madrid two weeks ago.s.
Italy | Napoli visit Turin
Juventus vs. Napoli – This weekend gives us an early look at whether Napoli can put in another serious title challenge this season as Serie A is off to a familiar start with Juve in first and Napoli following behind. They traded 1-0 wins last year as Napoli eventually fell four points short of Juve’s title pace and now Italy’s premier matchup in recent years gets the added star power of Ronaldo.
Roma vs. Lazio – The Rome Derby has been incredibly even in recent years with Lazio winning five, Roma winning seven, plus four draws in their last 16 meetings. Lazio enter the match on a five game winning streak across all competitions, while Roma have won just two of their opening six Serie A matches.
Germany | Bayern take on early surprise Hertha Berlin
Hertha Berlin vs. Bayern Munich – Bayern’s trip to Berlin on Friday is a fascinating start to the weekend as these two sides have drawn their last three meetings. Hertha have made a surprise strong start to the Bundesliga season, just three points off first place Bayern, who drew 1-1 at home to Augsburg on Tuesday. The home side also boasts the league’s top scorer in 23-year-old Andrej Duda.
