Club football returns this weekend with plenty of action to feast upon. The international break proved profitable for punters, so let’s hope for more of the same as we look at the 10 best matches to include in our weekend multiples.
Crystal Palace v Tottenham (Saturday)
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Tottenham will be hoping to continue their winning start to the 2021/22 Premier League season when they make the short trip to Crystal Palace, who seek their first win under Patrick Vieira. Spurs are the only team with three wins following respective 1-0 victories over Manchester City, Wolves and Watford. Palace, meanwhile, are winless in each of their last five London derbies in the league and have failed to win any of their last 12 Premier League meetings against Spurs, losing 10 times.
Arsenal v Norwich (Saturday)
Three matches into the Premier League season without anything to show for and rooted to the bottom of the table, Arsenal will be desperate for victory when they host one of the Premier League’s other winless sides, Norwich City, at the Emirates Stadium. It may be early in the campaign, but Mikel Arteta is under immense pressure and knows he could be just one defeat away from the sack. Fortunately for the Spaniard, he’s likely to have several key players back, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has scored four goals in his two Premier League games against the Canaries.
Manchester United v Newcastle (Saturday)
Boasting the best player in the Premier League in Cristiano Ronaldo and an unbeaten start under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United are strong contenders to win the Premier League title this season. The Red Devils face a very poor Newcastle United side that are leaking goals and may be in for a thrashing. Having beaten the Magpies comfortably in both league meetings last season with a combined 7-2 scoreline, it will only be tougher for Steve Bruce’s men when they come up against Ronaldo and co.
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (Saturday)
Julian Nagelsmann, Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer take on their former club RB Leipzig when Bayern Munich travel to the Red Bull Arena on Saturday. Having crippled their Bundesliga rivals, Bayern will fancy their chances of beating Jesse Marsch’s side, while Robert Lewandowski will be looking to get on the scoresheet for the eighth consecutive league game. The Poland striker already has five goals to his name this season, including a hat-trick against Hertha Berlin last time out.
Leeds United v Liverpool (Sunday)
Liverpool will be hoping to return to winning ways when they travel to Elland Road to face Marcelo Bielsa-led Leeds United. Jurgen Klopp’s side were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea last month, prior to the international break. But they will fancy themselves against the Yorkshire side who are winless in the Premier League so far. After scoring a hat-trick against Leeds on the opening weekend last year, Mohamed Salah will no doubt be looking to get his name on the scoresheet.
Roma v Sassuolo (Sunday)
Jose Mourinho’s Roma side are flying high in Serie A after winning both of their league games ahead of Sunday’s match against Sassuolo. The Giallorossi will be looking to maintain their perfect start to the campaign in their bid to finish in the top four by the end of the season. Sassuolo, meanwhile, will be no pushovers, but Roma’s confidence will be sky-high. French midfielder Jordan Veretout has started the season in fine form, with three goals and one assist over the first two contests.
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (Sunday)
Real Madrid welcome Celta Vigo to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are coming off a 1-0 win over Real Betis that moved them to the top of the La Liga table, prior to the international break. Celta Vigo, meanwhile, are languishing in the relegation zone after failing to register a victory in their first three matches. Having completed a league double over the Basque side last season, Los Blancos will be eyeing another win.
Brest v Angers (Sunday)
Seeking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season, Angers travel to the Stade Francis Le-Ble on Sunday to face Brest. The visitors have started the season brightly, picking up 10 points from a possible 12. They impressively saw off Strasbourg, Lyon and Rennes – keeping clean sheets in each of those wins – and earned a 1-1 draw at Bordeaux. As for Brest, they’re yet to win a match so far this season, suffering back-to-back defeats, while they have the leakiest defence in the division.
Sampdoria v Inter Milan (Sunday)
Reigning champions Inter Milan travel to Genoa on Sunday to face Sampdoria in Serie A action. The Nerazzurri have made the perfect start to their title defence under Simone Inzaghi, running out comfortable 4-0 and 3-1 winners against Genoa and Verona respectively. Meanwhile, Sampdoria have only a point from their two opening games, and their last meeting with Inter ended in a crushing 5-1 defeat. Inter will be hoping for a similar outcome.
Espanyol v Atletico Madrid (Sunday)
La Liga champions Atletico Madrid face Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Sunday, with Antoine Griezmann set to make his second debut for the club. The Frenchman’s best football was arguably in Atletico colours and he’ll be hoping to make an immediate impression. Diego Simeone’s men have made a positive start to the campaign as they seek to successfully defend their crown. They’ll be strongly fancied to claim maximum points against a struggling Espanyol side.