Ahead of the latest weekend of European soccer, we pick out the must-watch matches from around the continent. We have the champions elite tackling the big-spending noisy neighbors, two irrepressible behemoths taking on fallen giants and a team hoping to make headlines back on the pitch after a tricky week.
We are across the Premier League, Ligue 1, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Women’s Super League as we preview the weekend’s action.
– Tighe: Alternative transfer awards
– Connelly: Bold predictions for the 2026-27 season
– Ogden: Premier League’s summer transfer market is out of control
Champions want to put challengers back in their place
Arsenal vs. Chelsea
Premier League, Matchday 3
Kickoff: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. BST
With the transfer window shut, attention returns to the on-field action. But there will be repercussions from yet another record outlay from the Premier League, and in the case of Chelsea and Arsenal, it will be about opportunities missed.
Arsenal desperately wanted a superstar to bolster the left side of their attack, while Chelsea saw Enzo Fernández depart on transfer deadline day and thought they had a ready-made replacement in Lamine Camara, only for that latter deal to fall through after the window shut.
But this should be a fascinating game, and a true barometer of where both clubs are. Arsenal have started life as champions with back-to-back victories: a comfortable 3-0 stroll against Coventry City and a far trickier 1-0 win at Aston Villa last time around. Mikel Arteta’s side spent in the region of £195 million to bolster their squad over the summer, with several valuable squad players departing.
Despite missing out on Vinícius Júnior and Julián Álvarez, Arsenal will have a host of attacking power in their team, but you sense Arteta is still figuring out his first-choice front four.
Over at Chelsea, there’s talk of a potential tilt at the title. Xabi Alonso’s arrival has brought great excitement to SW6, while their busy summer saw a wedge to the tune of £400m accrued, and £350m money spent on Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda, Pep Chavarría and Valentín Barco alongside the valuable experience of Emiliano Martínez, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
Martínez could yet be the final piece in the jigsaw for Chelsea to emerge as Arsenal’s greatest challengers for the title as he fixes their problem keeper position. Chelsea have two victories from two under Alonso in the Premier League, after they won at Fulham and then at home against Brighton & Hove Albion.
MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea. The hope is this will be a thriller. Both teams are wonderful going forward, but Chelsea’s defense has looked shaky given they’ve conceded five goals in their first two matches. Martínez’s arrival will help there, while their front three of João Pedro, Rogers and Cole Palmer is already one of the most deadly attacks in the league. If Chelsea can get a point, it’ll be far more valuable for them than it would be to Arsenal.
Barça look to move on from the one that got away
Valencia vs. Barcelona
LaLiga, Matchday 4
Kickoff: Sunday, 10:15 a.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. BST
Barcelona travel to fallen giants Valencia on Sunday, looking to continue their perfect start to the 2026-27 season.
For much of the past transfer window, the focus was on whether Barcelona would pull another rabbit out of a hat and sign Álvarez from their rivals. In the end, Álvarez stayed put, with relations between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona at an all-time low. Without Álvarez, Barcelona haven’t replaced Robert Lewandowski, but they still have an embarrassment of riches. Anthony Gordon has slotted into Catalan life nicely, while Raphinha is the man occupying the striker spot, neatly flanked by Lamine Yamal and with Dani Olmo behind.
Rodri is still settling in at Camp Nou, but we could see him make his first Barcelona start this weekend, while Gabriel Jesus could also make his debut as Hansi Flick’s side look to make it four wins from four games.
While Barcelona were trying to tempt Atleti with a nine-figure sum for Álvarez, Valencia continue to shop in a completely different market. Their total spend from the summer is around €10m as they continue their long goodbye to their famous Mestalla home ahead of moving into Nou Mestalla by 2027.
Fans remain aggrieved at the club’s owners and their lack of investment in the team, but on the touchline, Carlos Corberan continues trying to get his side going after a draw and two defeats. They also have new loan signing Harvey Elliott to raise morale.
MY PREDICTION: Valencia 1-3 Barcelona. The visitors will have too much for the hard-up hosts.
1:31
Gomez: Gabriel Jesus can have a second coming
Inter out to continue winning start to title defense
Internazionale vs. Napoli
Serie A, Matchday 3
Kickoff: Saturday, 12:00 p.m ET / 5:00 p.m. BST
There are six teams in Italy that have started the new Serie A season with back-to-back wins: AS Roma, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Lazio and reigning champions Inter.
Inter knocked over Monza 4-1 in the opening round, then backed it up with a 1-0 win at Cagliari last time out. Inter were ruthless against Monza, but far more profligate against Cagliari and very nearly paid the price.
There’s a dab of English graft at San Siro this year with John Stones, Djed Spence and Curtis Jones all there after a busy summer in which Inter signed that English trio alongside Aleksandar Stanković and Manuel Akanji, while bidding farewell to Denzel Dumfries among others.
Max Allegri’s Napoli were underwhelming against Como last weekend as they lost 2-1 at home. They were far too negative, and though there were individual errors to bemoan for Como’s two goals, they’re not yet baring their teeth.
Kevin De Bruyne was benched and since then, Scott McTominay has announced he requires a procedure on his heart. We’re yet to see a fully firing Napoli this term.
MY PREDICTION: Inter 3-1 Napoli. Inter will have too much. They’re a well-oiled machine, and Napoli are yet to kick into life.
Andoni’s Liverpool need a win to kickstart a new Reds era
Ipswich Town vs. Liverpool
Premier League, Matchday 3
Kickoff: Friday, 3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. BST
1:45
Iraola ‘very happy’ with Barcola ahead of potential Liverpool debut
The pressure is already mounting on new Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, who has two draws in his first two games at the helm. Despite failing to reinforce sufficiently in midfield, they did get their star right at the end of the transfer window, with Bradley Barcola joining from Paris Saint-Germain for $167 million. He’ll be expected to add life to a starry forward group that’s yet to really fire, though Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Víctor Muñoz have shown glimpses of excellence under Iraola so far.
While Barcola will certainly bolster the attack, the defense must improve after giving up two goals in each of their two games so far. Not only that, but they’ve conceded first and had to come from behind both times in order to get a point; that luck eventually runs out unless they can start controlling games and look sharper against the run of play whenever they lose the ball high up the field.
Newly promoted Ipswich will look to regroup after things fell apart for them in the second half of their 5-2 loss to Manchester United. Their mission is more modest — establish themselves in the English top flight after being promoted in 2023-24, relegated in 2024-25 and promoted again in 2025-26 — but manager Gary O’Neil is capable of getting results at this level, having kept Bournemouth up before struggling at Wolves and then Strasbourg.
A busy summer at Portman Road — the Tractor Boys had the second-highest net spend of all 20 Premier League teams — has seen 14 new first-team squad players arriving, with Julio Enciso (formerly of Brighton) and center forward Emersonn (from Toulouse) sure to give the visiting Reds some problems on the counterattack. — Steve Palese
MY PREDICTION: Ipswich Town 1-3 Liverpool. It could be a struggle early for Liverpool but they should be able to wear the hosts down in the end given the talent gap.
Ligue 1, Matchday 3
Kickoff: Friday, 3:05 p.m. ET / 8:05 p.m. BST
Monaco were one of the stories of Tuesday’s transfer deadline day. They managed to anger Chelsea and were left frustrated by Folarin Balogun‘s decision to pull the plug on his move to Everton, and were generally left maligned and miserable.
So to recap: if you were living under a rock, Monaco were desperate to cut a deal on Tuesday, any deal. It looked like it was going to be Balogun to Everton, then that fell apart, so Chelsea pounced for Camara, but once the Balogun deal got back on track, Monaco backed out of the Camara transfer. Chelsea were angry. Then Balogun left Everton without signing. Phew. All far from ideal.
But Monaco are two for two at the start of the Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 win at Le Havre and a 2-0 victory over Marseille. Paris Brunner has impressed, while Monaco are ticking along nicely under new boss Filipe Luís.
They’ll be desperate to put that behind them this weekend, and they’ll have to focus, as PSG will be the ultimate test. But if there’s a time to send a statement to Luis Enrique’s team, now’s the moment. PSG have made a slightly shaky start to the 2026-27 campaign with draws on the road at both Rennes and Lille.
They needed two last-gasp goals against Lille to snatch a draw last time out, with the equalizer coming in the 94th minute, when just three minutes were added on. Lille weren’t happy. Anyway, PSG will look to get back to business as usual when they welcome Monaco on Friday evening.
MY PREDICTION: PSG 3-1 Monaco. Luís has made an impressive start at Monaco, but PSG will remind them who the biggest fish is in France.
2:20
Why Folarin Balogun’s Everton move broke down
Mourinho’s first challenge of the new season
Real Betis vs. Real Madrid
Spanish LaLiga, Matchday 4
Kickoff: Friday, 3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. BST (watch on ESPN+
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side is off to a perfect start through three games since his stunning return to the Bernabeu after 13 years of gigs elsewhere in Europe. While it is clear Real Madrid is a work in progress, they have shown flashes of brilliance In scoring 10 goals so far. Mbappe, Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham have combined extremely well under the guy who has rebranded himself as “the calm one” in recent years.
We’re still waiting to see the best of Madrid — just wait until their big summer signing, Yan Diomande, finds his feet in LaLiga — but this weekend’s trip to Seville to face Real Betis represents their toughest test to date. A pair of 1-0 wins to open their season was followed by a heavy road defeat at Levante, but there’s lots to appreciate about their squad, which revolves around veteran playmaker Isco, wingers Antony and Rodrigo Riquelme, and defender Marc Bartra. If they can be sharp in transition, they can hurt a Real Madrid side that thrives on pushing numbers upfield. — Palese
MY PREDICTION: Real Betis 2-3 Real Madrid. Betis will be flying early in front of their raucous supporters, but Real Madrid’s quality will eventually make the difference in a back-and-forth affair.
Women’s Super League, Matchday 1
Kickoff: Friday, 2:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. BST
In southeast London on Friday evening, we’ll see a new, intriguing, emerging power in women’s soccer come up against a team still trying to throw their weight around after a turbulent summer.
All eyes will be on London City’s debutants: two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, Kadidiatou Diani, Mapi León and former England goalkeeper Mary Earps are among the eight signings they’ve made over the summer. But it’s fiercely tough to predict how they’ll fare. The aim is Champions League qualification, and they’re in a rush to get there.
For Manchester United, they aim to get back into Europe. It’s been a tough summer there, with Marc Skinner leaving and Eva Olid as the new manager. The summer saw a scramble to amass their squad with several first-team players leaving, including Melvine Malard to Chelsea.
So there’s been a wind of change in Manchester with Andrea Medina, Janina Leitzig, Rebeca Bernal and Monica Jusu Bah all joining. Maya Le Tissier and Ella Toone remain their heartbeat, and Olid is promising attacking soccer, but this is going to be a fascinating early test of both teams’ credentials.
MY PREDICTION: London City Lionesses 2-1 Manchester United. The new-look London City will get life off and running with a win over Olid’s side.
Classic rivalry reignited between old foes
Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Munich
Bundesliga, Matchday 2
Kickoff: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. BST
It is wonderful to have Schalke back in the German top flight after their three-season hiatus in the second tier. But if they were under any illusions as to just how tough the task will be to retain their Bundesliga status, they were given a brutal lesson last weekend when Augsburg knocked them over 3-0.
Come Saturday evening, Veltins-Arena will be packed to the tune of 62,000, their loyal fans finally having their hunger satiated with Bundesliga back in Gelsenkirchen. Miron Muslic, the former Plymouth Argyle manager, has done a great job at Schalke, as has Frank Baumann, their sporting director. But for all the steady planning and building, their foundations will be robustly tested when Bayern come to town.
Bayern Munich have enjoyed another efficient summer with Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown both joining, with João Palhinha and Leon Goretzka leaving among several others. Vincent Kompany has the usual abundance of riches at his disposal and will look to Ballon d’Or hopeful Harry Kane to continue scoring his ridiculous number of goals. This is a classic old Bundesliga battle, two traditional German heavyweights facing up against each other. But it’s Bayern who head here as overwhelming favorites.
They familiarly started their season with a 5-1 win over Stuttgart and a midweek 4-1 win at Osnabrück — complete with a rollercoaster tifo — in the DFB-Pokal. The rest of the league is on notice. Nothing but the league title will suffice.
MY PREDICTION: Schalke 0-2 Bayern Munich. Schalke will battle hard, but Bayern will have too much class for Die Knappen.
Premier League, Matchday 3
Kickoff: Saturday, 10:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. BST
Manchester City continued to rebuild on the fly in the post-Pep Guardiola era with the addition of Enzo Fernández from Chelsea for $169 million. Will he be able fill the massive void left by Rodri? And what about Elliot Anderson, another summer arrival trying to find his feet in a demanding midfield role?
While City figure out how to make the pieces fit in a tricky summer rebuild, they have plenty to feel positive about. Rayan Cherki might be the most entertaining player to watch in the world right now, and Erling Haaland is coming off a two goal performance at Crystal Palace. Will the Citizens be title contenders?
Standing in their way is Frank Lampard’s side that won the English Championship last season. A summer of big spending to prep for this level has yielded two defeats in two games, with Arsenal being especially ruthless on the opening day of the season and scoring three times in the opening 50 minutes. Don’t expect much different on Saturday when it comes to the big club showing how it’s done.
MY PREDICTION: Man City 4-0 Coventry City. This one may get ugly in a hurry, as the hosts will look to make a statement ahead of the Manchester Derby.
