Another weekend of exciting football is here. Defending champions in Germany, Spain and France are looking to bounce back, Monaco are hoping to end a run of two defeats in a row while Juventus will be without their manager for the start of the season. Here are Things to look out for in European football this weekend. Bet on football here.
Champions to bounce back?
Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich stuttered in the league last weekend and are hoping to bounce back this time out. Spanish champions Barca lost out to Athletic Bilbao last time out but have a chance to right the wrongs against Real Betis, a team who beat them 4-3 in a thriller at Camp Nou last season. PSG produced a disappointing performance as they lost 2-1 Rennes. They host Toulouse on Sunday night hoping to bounce back. Bayern were forced to settle for a draw against Hertha Berlin in their first Bundesliga match. However, they have a difficult away game against Schalke 04 on Saturday. Can they kick-start their campaign with a win?
O Classico: Benfica v Porto
Two Portuguese giants meet in the Primera Liga in a mouth-watering encounter at the Estadio da Luz. Benfica have made a 100% start to the next season and have won all of their last six matches, while Porto have lost three of their last six. Benfica pipped their arch-rivals to the title last season meaning this game should be fiery. This fixture has been cagey in recent seasons with both teams sharing two wins apiece in the last six meetings. However, Porto have won twice away from home in the six meetings with Benfica winning just once at home. Who will walk away with the bragging rights
Juventus to win first match without Sarri?
Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri will sit out Juventus’ first two league games after receiving treatment for pneumonia. The 60-year-old also missed last weekend’s friendly against Triestina because of what was initially thought to be flu. Italian champions host Parma in their first league game of the season. The Bianconeri have dominated this fixture and with the squad they’ve got, dispatching the visitors shouldn’t be a problem.
Monaco to bounce back?
Monaco’s poor start to the new Ligue 1 campaign continued with a 3-0 defeat at Metz. Monaco also endured a terrible start to last season where they fired manager Leonardo Jardim then hired Thierry Henry then re-hiring Jardim as they narrowly survived relegation. This weekend, they host Nimes Olympique as they seek to kick-start their campaign. After losing their first two matches, can they rediscover their mojo?
Bundesliga promoted teams looking for their first wins
Union Berlin, Paderborn and Koln suffered defeat in their first game on the German top flight. Union Berlin, in their first-ever season in the Bundesliga, were hammered 4-0 by RB Leipzig in an emotional match in front of their fans. They’ll meet Augsburg as they look for their first-ever win in the Bundesliga. Paderborn played a thriller against giants Bayer Leverkusen where they eventually lost 3-2 but showed signs that they can compete at the top level. Can they produce the same performance against Freiburg? Koln lost their first match away to Wolfsburg 2-1 in a match where they were outplayed by the hosts. Things won’t get any easy for them as they face giants Borussia Dortmund. Can they stop the rampant BVB?