Whether you’ve had the date circled in your diary for a while now or this has all just come around a little too fast for you – there can be no denying that club football is well and truly back on the agenda this weekend.
And we’re here to help you make sense of it all!
? Friday Night
?? In France, the Ligue 1 season resumes at Matchday 3 following the international break and Lyon travel west to meet Bordeaux, with both sides unbeaten so far. Although they may have to make do without Barcelona target, Memphis Depay who was integral to their latest league win.
??????? Professional league football also starts up again in England, with the EFL Championship the first of the top four divisions to get underway. Watford, still smarting from their Premier League relegation will be looking to start well against a Middlesbrough team who suffered their own issues last season, before recovering to finish 17th.
?? Meanwhile, some of Germany’s top flight sides face an early season test in the country’s main cup competition, the DFB Pokal. Unlike it’s equivalents in other countries – the big boys from the Bundesliga get thrown in at the very first stage with a guaranteed away tie at just about anyone from the lower echelons of German football. For example, in tonight’s match-ups Hertha Berlin travel to third tier side, Eintracht Braunschweig whilst Mainz go to TSV Havelse from the regional 4th tier.
And there is precedent for the small teams going a long way in the competition, with Saarbrücken making it to the semi-finals just a few months ago.
? Saturday
??????? In what is probably the main event of the weekend, Saturday sees the launch of the new Premier League season. And despite some teams sitting out this weekend due to their exploits in Europe, we still have Arsenal kicking things off just across London at Fulham AND there’s the prospect of the Champions, Liverpool taking on Leeds United in what will be the Yorkshire club’s first match back in the top flight since 2004.
Marcelo Bielsa leading a resurgent Leeds, at Anfield against the best of the best in his first ever Premier League game. We’re up for that!
?? La Liga also returns with the pick of the opening day games coming between between Granada and Athletic Bilbao. Yes these sides may have ‘only’ finished 7th and 11th in the table last season but you’ll have to wait another week for the return of the league’s big hitters. Just like in England, Spain’s best performing sides in the Champions League and Europa League have been given some extra time to rest.
?? Elsewhere, in Croatia there is an Eternal Derby to look forward to with Hajduk Split taking on arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb. Always heated this one.
?? And we previewed this one when the game was originally scheduled a couple of weekends ago, but we should finally get the Greek Cup Final between AEK Athens and reigning league champions, Olympiacos. Remember, AEK Athens are on an amazing run having reached the final in each of the last five seasons…but they have lost the last 3.
? Sunday
?? There would never be a good time for seven of your first team players to test positive for coronavirus but that’s where French giants PSG find themselves in the week when they continue their latest title defence with the biggest game of them all in Ligue 1 – La Classique against Marseille.
In a rivalry that transcends football, Sunday’s clash will see PSG without the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Ángel Di María.
??????? Sunday’s Premier League action includes an early opportunity to see if Everton’s marquee signing, James Rodríguez can make an immediate impact on his debut against Tottenham Hotspur.
?? It’s Derby Day in Moscow as CSKA, historically the team of the military in the days of the former Soviet Union meet Spartak, the people’s team originally founded by a trade union organisation.
?? And finally, this weekend also marks the return of the Dutch Eredivisie. Reigning champions Ajax go to Sparta Rotterdam in Sunday’s main game but for the romantics among you, make sure you check the score between FC Groningen and league big boys, PSV Eindhoven.
As you probably know, Arjen Robben came out of retirement to re-join his boyhood club over the summer break and his comeback is dovetailing nicely with the season start. He scored in Groningen’s final friendly last weekend, but can he reproduce it on Sunday? ?
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