After a lengthy international break filled with transfer sagas and World Cup Qualifiers, domestic action returns this weekend across Europe.
The top showdown this second weekend of September comes from Manchester, as Manchester City welcomes Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium. Both sides are 2-0-1 so far in their opening three matches, with the Reds holding a slim lead on goal difference. This result last season saw the sides share the points after Sergio Aguero canceled out James Milner’s opener. Raheem Sterling leads Man City with two goals so far, while Sadio Mane leads the Reds with three.
Elsewhere in Europe, Everton hosts Tottenham on Merseyside, while Chelsea faces a trip to Leicester City. Bayern Munich travels to Hoffenheim in Germany, while Lazio hosts AC Milan in Italy. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid face winnable home fixtures in La Liga, while Ligue 1 leaders Monaco travel to Nice.
Here’s a closer look at this upcoming weekend’s European action:
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
In a battle of two sides both level on four points apiece, Everton hosts Tottenham at Goodison Park. Ronald Koeman’s men are coming off a 2-0 road defeat at Chelsea on August 27 and will look to bounce back against another title contender. Tottenham drew, 1-1 ,vs. Burnley in their last match out. Midfielder Dele Alli leads Spurs with two goals so far.
Defending champs Chelsea head on the road this weekend, facing off with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Antonio Conte’s men have rolled off back-to-back victories over Tottenham and Everton, and will now look to make it three in a row. Spaniards Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso have two goals apiece for the Blues. Leicester is coming off a 2-0 road loss to Manchester United on Aug. 26th. Strikers Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki each have two goals each for the Foxes.
Here’s all of this weekend’s EPL fixtures:
Saturday
- Manchester City vs. Liverpool
- Arsenal vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. West Bromwich Albion
- Everton vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- Leicester City vs. Chelsea
- Southampton vs. Watford
- Stoke City vs. Manchester United
Sunday
- Burnley vs. Crystal Palace
- Swansea City vs. Newcastle
Monday
- West Ham United vs. Huddersfield Town
SPANISH LA LIGA
Real Madrid will look to bounce back from a 2-2 draw against Valencia, as they welcome Levante to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Zinedine Zidane will look to rising star Marco Asensio to add to his two league goals already this season. Levante is also unbeaten to start the new season, after earning promotion back to the top flight. The visitors have three players whom each have a goal apiece, and will look to spoil the party in Madrid.
Valencia welcomes Atletico Madrid to Mestalla on Saturday, looking to build off a 2-2 draw at Real Madrid prior to the international break. The hosts will look to Italian striker Simone Zaza who has a goal already this season. Geoffrey Kondogbia and Carlos Soler are two midfielders to watch for Valencia. Atletico arise unbeaten in their opening two matches, including a 5-1 trouncing of Las Palmas on August 26. Midfielders Koke and Angel Correa each have two goals.
Saturday’s late showdown comes from the Camp Nou as Barcelona hosts Espanyol in a local derby. The hosts have won their opening two matches by a scoreline of 4-0, seeing Lionel Messi score two goals already. Barcelona will look to kick off a busy month of September with another home success. Espanyol is winless to start the season, but have been in both matches. Striker Leo has the only tally for the visitors so far this season.
Here’s all of this weekend’s La Liga fixtures:
Friday
- Leganes vs. Getafe
Saturday
- Real Madrid vs. Levante
- Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid
- Sevilla vs. Eibar
- Barcelona vs. Espanyol
Sunday
- Deportivo vs. Real Sociedad
- Athletic Bilbao vs. Girona
- Celta Vigo vs. Alaves
- Villarreal vs. Real Betis
Monday
- Malaga vs. Las Palmas
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
Round three in the Bundesliga kicks off on Friday as Hamburg welcomes RB Leipzig to the Imtech Arena. The hosts are unbeaten in their opening two matches, defeating Augsburg and Koln in the process. Hamburg has seen four top players all get on the scoresheet already this season, and will look to striker Bobby Wood to lead the line. Leipzig bounced back in a big way, defeating Freiburg 4-1 on August 27. Last season’s runners-up, will look to midfielder Emil Forsberg and striker Timo Werner to lead the attack away from home.
The match of the round comes from Sinsheim as Hoffenheim hosts Bayern Munich on Saturday afternoon. The home side is unbeaten in league play so far, defeating Werder Bremen and drawing against Bayer Leverkusen. Striker Andrej Kramaric leads the team with two goals so far. Bayern is unbeaten to start the season, and look like early favorites to lift the German title once again. Robert Lewandowski leads Carlo Ancelotti’s men with three goals so far, while new boys Corentin Tolisso and Niklas Sule each have a goal to their name.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Bundesliga fixtures:
Friday
- Hamburg vs. RB Leipzig
Saturday
- SC Freiburg vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- FC Augsburg vs. FC Koln
- FSV Mainz vs. Bayer Leverkusen
- VfL Wolfsburg vs. Hannover
- 1899 Hoffenheim vs. Bayern Munich
Sunday
- Hertha Berlin vs. Werder Bremen
- Schalke 04 vs. VfB Stuttgart
ITALIAN SERIE A
The must-watch match this weekend in Italy comes from Rome as Lazio hosts AC Milan at the Olympico. Lazio is unbeaten in their first two matches, and will be favorites to claim all three points at home. Striker Ciro Immobile is in good form after scoring for Italy in World Cup Qualifying, and already has a goal in league play this season. Milan are unbeaten to start the season across Serie A play and Europa League Qualifiers. Vincenzo Montella’s side have only conceded once through six matches, and will look to keep their strong defensive start going. Suso and Patrick Cutrone each have two goals apiece for AC Milan in league play.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Serie A fixtures:
Saturday
- Juventus vs. Chievo Verona
- Sampdoria vs. AS Roma
Sunday
- Inter Milan vs. Spal
- Atalanta vs. Sassuolo
- Cagliari vs. Crotone
- Hellas Verona vs. Fiorentina
- Lazio vs. AC Milan
- Udinese vs. Genoa
- Benevento vs. Torino
- Bologna vs. Napoli
FRENCH LIGUE 1
Once again, all eyes will be on Paris Saint-Germain this weekend as the French powerhouse takes on Metz. With Neymar already fully within the fold, Kylian Mbappe joins up with his new club after sealing his loan deal during the international break.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Ligue 1 fixtures:
Friday
- Lille vs. Bordeaux
- Metz vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Saturday
- Nice vs. Monaco
- Caen vs. Dijon
- Montpellier vs. Nantes
- Strasbourg vs. Amiens
- Troyes vs. Toulouse
Sunday
- Saint-Etienne vs. Angers
- Lyon vs. Guingamp
- Marseille vs. Rennes