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What to Watch for this Weekend

England | Mourinho’s last stand?

Leicester City vs. Liverpool – Liverpool sit in first as they hope to dethrone Man City, with three wins from three and zero goals conceded. While Leicester’s only blemish is their 1-0 opening day loss to Manchester United, they’ll again be without Jamie Vardy who is serving a red card ban.

Manchester City vs. Newcastle – City are mortal! Wolves managed to earn a 1-1 draw against the Champions last weekend, aided by the assured possession of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. Newcastle however, don’t have those luxuries in midfield and will instead be set up to frustrate City.

Burnley v Manchester United – Somehow an early September fixture against Burnley feels like a must-win for Jose Mourinho. Lucky for him, Burnley’s squad has already been stretched by Europa League qualification as they’ve conceded seven goals in three EPL matches so far. They were eliminated on Thursday, but fielded a strong squad, so Mourinho may be let off the hook this weekend against a tired Burnely side.

Watford v Spurs – It’s a top of the table clash between Spurs and…Watford? Yes, the Hornets are enjoying a perfect start to the EPL season with wins over Brighton, Burnley, and Crystal Palace. Spurs are a more accurate barometer of how well Watford could do this season, and a win would make it only the second time in Watford’s history they’ve began a season with four consecutive victories.

Scotland | Gerrard and Rodgers reunite

Celtic vs. Rangers – The Old Firm derby has been played five times in the past calendar year with Celtic outscoring Rangers 14-2. It’ll be Steven Gerrard’s first as Rangers manager, against his old Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers. Surprisingly, it’s Hearts that sit atop the SPL table, after they beat Celtic 1-0 earlier this month, while Rangers have drawn two of three.

Spain | A Madrid Derby (not that one)

Real Madrid vs. Leganes – It’s a lesser-known Madrid Derby this weekend as Leganes travel from the outskirts of the city to the Bernabeu. Leganes is the only La Liga team Karim Benzema has faced that he hasn’t scored against, and he enters the match in good form after a brace in a man of the match performance last weekend against Girona.

Barcelona vs. SD Huesca – The last time these two teams met, Barcelona won 8-1 (without Messi) in a Copa Del Rey match in 2014. Huesca have enjoyed a solid start to their first season in La Liga with an opening weekend win over Eibar and a 2-2 draw against Athletic Bilbao.

Italy | Waiting on that goal..

AC Milan vs. Roma – Both sides have been involved in thrillers early in the Serie A season, with Milan going up 2-0 over Napoli last weekend before losing 3-2, and Roma drawing 3-3 with Atalanta on Monday. Add in that Milan and Roma both won away in the teams’ two meetings last season, and we should be set for an entertaining Friday.

Parma vs. Juventus – And still, we wait. Wins over Chievo Verona and Lazio, but no goal for Ronaldo…yet. Parma haven’t won either of their two fixtures and Juve will have this written down as an expected three points. But, all we really want is a GIF of Ronaldo bounding away from the goal in a Juve shirt.

Germany | Dortmund start strong

Hannover 96 vs. Borussia Dortmund – Hannover finished 13th last term, but boosted their attack over the summer after scoring just 44 goals in 34 matches. They host Dortmund who made an opening weekend statement by beating RB Leipzig 4-1.

 

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What to Watch for this Weekend

England | A tale of two Manchesters

Wolves v. Man City – Coming off of a 6-1 win over Huddersfield, City head to the Molineux in the first EPL match of the weekend. In each of their first two matches, Wolves had over 57% possession, yet have just a single point to show for it.

Arsenal v. West Ham – Jack Wilshire returns to the Emirates while both sides are looking for their first point. Arsenal have looked decent in their two losses against tough opposition while West Ham clearly need more time to gel.

Liverpool v. Brighton – Brighton have lost five straight to Liverpool, scoring five goals to Liverpool’s 20. They’re coming off a 3-2 home win over to Man United, but haven’t won away in the Premier League in 14 tries.

Man United v. Spurs – United are going to win with a boring 1-0, aren’t they? Mourinho rarely takes risks against top sides, so this is unlikely to be an open-ended match. But, it will still be a welcome distraction from the Pogba-Mourinho-Woodward drama that has only intensified after their loss to Brighton last weekend.

Italy | A big test for Juve

Juventus v. Lazio – These two sides won away against each other last season – Lazio beating Juve in Turin 2-1, and Juve wining 1-0 in Rome. As we await Ronaldo’s first Serie A goal, this is the match to watch this weekend.

Napoli v. AC Milan – Milan’s Serie A campaign begins this weekend after their opening fixture was postponed due to the tragic bridge collapse in Genoa. We should see a Milan debut for Gonzalo Higuain against his former side.

Germany | Bundesliga begins

Bayern Munich v. Hoffenheim – Friday’s Bundesliga curtain-raiser Yes, Bayern cruised to the Bundesliga title with a 21 point margin last season, but Hoffenheim have only lost once in four competitive matches against Bayern under manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Borussia Dortmund v. RB Leipzig – Dortmund finished fourth last season, with Leipzig two points behind them in sixth. Under new manager Lucien Favre, Dortmund should reclaim their legacy for high-tempo attacking football and the occasional title challenge.

Spain | Real Madrid head to Girona

Real Valladolid v. Barcelona – Real Vallaolid won the last match up between these two sides in 2014, their last stint in La Liga. But after Messi’s performance last weekend, don’t count on a repeat result.

Girona v. Real Madrid – Real lost their last trip to Girona, a result that put them eight points behind Barcelona in October of last year. Gareth Bale missed that match, and now heads to Catalonia on Sunday as Real’s key man.

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What to Watch for this Weekend

England | Another early test for Arsenal

Chelsea v. Arsenal – Unai Emery has a daunting start to life at Arsenal, beginning with a loss to a record-shattering Man City side. Now the Gunners visit Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea on Saturday, whose attack-first mindset has N’Golo Kante tasked with becoming a true box-to-box midfielder. That should provide plenty of motivation for Emery to hand defensive mid Lucas Torreira his full debut.

Spurs v. Fulham – In their first match back in the EPL, Fulham had 7 debuts in their starting 11. Their squad looks strong enough to finish mid-table, but given the amount of turnover, Saturday’s match against Spurs may be too early of a test.

Man City v. Huddersfield – You’d expect City to comfortably get three points on Sunday, even in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury. However, Huddersfield did hold them to a 0-0 draw in May (albeit after City were already crowned champions).

Brighton v. Man United – A straightforward fixture on paper, yet Brighton won their last meeting 1-0. Plus, the Seagulls’ record signing, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, should get his full debut on Sunday against United.

Italy | Ronaldo’s debut

ChievoVerona v. Juventus – Juve’s chapter with Ronaldo begins away to ChievoVerona on Saturday, which is a bit distant from the Champions League ambitions he was purchased for. Yet, Ronaldo’s insane drive means we won’t see a half-hearted debut.

Lazio v. Napoli – Napoli begin life without manager Maurizio Sarri away to Lazio, who have managed to hang onto star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic…for now.

Spain | La Liga Kicks off

Barcelona v. Deportivo Alaves – Messi has been made captain after Iniesta’s departure, as Barca chase a fourth title in five years. Saturday’s visitors, Alaves, begin their third consecutive season in La Liga with Swedish striker John Guidetti arriving on a permanent deal in the summer.

Real Madrid v. Getafe – Real Madrid finished third in La Liga last season, but of course no one remembers that after they won their third Champions League in a row. They’ll start this La Liga campaign at home to Getafe, who haven’t beaten Real since 2012.

We’re counting down the hours until the Premier League kicks off and we’ve taken a look at how the final table could look on May 12th. Hit us up on Twitter and let us know your thoughts ahead of the new season!

1. Manchester City – Last year’s champions by a 19 point margin added Riyad Mahrez to stifle any complacency in the squad. It’s difficult to see anything other than a repeat title.
2. Liverpool – Necessary squad depth was added through Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabinho, and Naby Keita while the addition of Alisson should put to rest goalkeeper worries. Klopp’s crew won’t be able to catch City, but they should again prove to be one of the EPL’s most entertaining sides.
3. Tottenham – There were no new faces during the transfer window, but more importantly, no exits. Davinson Sanchez is set to become a mainstay in Spurs’ defense while the familiarity between Alli, Kane, Son, and Eriksen should ensure their attack remains one of the league’s best.
4. Manchester United – Will Jose Mourinho be United manager by the end of this season? The fact that it’s not an unreasonable question demonstrates the uncertainty surrounding United. A quiet window where the club hierarchy didn’t agree with Mourinho’s transfer targets, plus ongoing rifts between the manager and key players will see United slip down the table.
5. Arsenal – A fresh start under Unai Emery and an off-season for Lacazette, Aubameyang, and Mkhitaryan to gel should bring new energy to the Emirates. Lucas Torreira should add some steel to midfield that the Gunners have missed in recent years.
6. Chelsea – It will take time for Chelsea to adapt to a new system under Maurizio Sarri, but Jorginho’s familiarity from their time together at Napoli could speed the transition. If Hazard can be settled at Chelsea, they could thrive under Sarri’s more proactive style and be back in the Champions League places.
7. West Ham United – Manuel Pellegrini will take the helm of a significantly improved squad with plenty of competition for places going forward.
8. Everton – Ricarlison joined former manager Marco Silva along with Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes from Barcelona. If Silva can utilize Gylfi Sigurdsson correctly, they should maintain last season’s eighth place finish.
9. Burnley – It may not be exciting to watch, but Sean Dyche has made Burnley tough to beat, allowing just 39 goals last season. Should they progress in the Europa league, it could stretch a thin squad.
10. Wolves – A newly-promoted side adding Joao Moutinho? Wolves are a different animal than most promoted sides. They scored 82 goals in the Championship last year while allowing the fewest goals and have a squad to compete in the EPL.
11. Fulham – The Cottagers were busy on deadline day, adding five players to their squad. Capturing Aleksandar Mitrovic on a permanent deal, plus the additions of Jean Michael Seri and Andre Schurrle should help them stay up confidently.
12. Leicester City – Losing Riyad Mahrez was inevitable, but it does put their Premier League status into doubt. James Maddison has been brought in from Norwich to take on the vacant playmaker role. He created 124 chances, the most in the Championship last season.
13. Crystal Palace – Roy Hodgson should ensure Palace are solid enough in defense to grind out results.
14. Bournemouth – A quiet summer for Eddie Howe’s side without the addition of a clear goalscorer.
15. Southampton – The Saints narrowly avoided relegation last year and will likely find themselves in a similar position, unless Danny Ings revitalizes his career there.
16. Brighton & Hove Albion – The Seagulls scored just 34 goals last year and have brought in the Eredivisie’s top scorer, Alireza Jahanbakhsh as a remedy, which is no guarantee.
17. Newcastle United – Rafa Benitez was again denied any serious squad investment, but he’s shrewd enough to keep the Magpies up.
18. Watford – Where will the goals come from? It’s hard to see them staying up without a renaissance from Gerard Deulofeu.
19. Huddersfield – Manager David Wagner won’t be able to repeat last year’s escape from relegation without much squad investment.
20. Cardiff City – The Bluebirds simply don’t have the squad to stay up and will yo-yo back down to the Championship.

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As we see scenes from the Champs-Élysées, it’s easy to forget all the people and places that have amazed us over the past month. Our friends Where Is Football were on the ground, capturing the passion fans from across the globe brought with them to Russia. More on our Instagram.

Matthew Stith

 

M.K. Sadler

 

Matthew Stith

 

M.K. Sadler

 

Matthew Stith

 

Matthew Stith

 

Matthew Stith

 

M.K. Sadler

 

M.K. Sadler

 

Matthew Stith