This weekend promises plenty of great football once again. More than that: in Germany and Italy, the new season also kicks off this week, making the calendar even busier and leaving viewers with an even tougher choice. But in this article, you’ll find the matches we recommend.
Friday, August 22
The season is still young, but both West Ham and Chelsea have already dropped points at the crucial start of the 2025-2026 Premier League campaign. West Ham lost on Saturday against a strong Sunderland side, newly promoted and featuring new signing Chemsdine Talbi. Chelsea fared slightly better with a draw against Crystal Palace, but their performance was far from convincing. And The Blues are already under pressure after earlier wins by Manchester City and Liverpool. Both clubs know exactly what’s expected of them this weekend.
Saturday, August 23
As mentioned earlier: Manchester City already managed to take a slight lead by beating Wolverhampton. In that game, they were completely dominant with a 0-4 victory. Erling Haaland scored twice, while new signing Tijjani Reijnders particularly impressed. To keep their rivals at bay, the Cityzens will need to keep collecting points. And Tottenham will be eager to stop them: the Spurs also won their first match (against Burnley) and are chasing new silverware after their Europa League triumph. They will now have to do without captain Son Heung-min, who has moved to the United States, but the Spurs want to prove they are stronger than ever. A thrilling top-of-the-table clash!
At the same time as Genoa vs Lecce, Sassuolo and Napoli will also kick off the new Serie A season. The Napoli match is one to look forward to in particular: the reigning champions begin their challenging campaign to defend the title. Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku won’t be available, sidelined for at least three months with a thigh injury, but new arrival Kevin De Bruyne has already shown his quality and is expected to make his Serie A debut. On paper, Sassuolo—the Serie B champions—shouldn’t pose too much of a threat, but it’s often underdogs like these who manage to surprise.
Sunday, August 24
In Belgium, a top clash is also on the program: KV Mechelen made a strong start with 8 points from 12, while Antwerp have been solid but not yet convincing with 6 points from 12. Luckily for them, the leaders haven’t pulled too far ahead: Union and STVV both sit on 10 points. Still, it’s already time to step things up to keep hold of the top positions. Both teams enter this match with strong momentum: KV Mechelen already beat defending champions Club Brugge, while Antwerp can rely on their home advantage at the Bosuilstadion.
After that, England may deliver a surprise. Fulham face Manchester United. After a disappointing season, United wanted to start fresh, but they had to open against Arsenal. That didn’t go their way, but the Red Devils still looked strong. For Fulham, a win would be huge, potentially lifting them into the top five—a nice goal for a team that in recent years has mostly been stuck in mid-table.
AS Monaco have grown into more and more of a threat to Ligue 1 dominator PSG in recent years. Last season they finished 3rd, the year before that 2nd. They already managed to do it once back in 2017, so maybe this year they can topple the Parisians again. After one matchday, they are already three points ahead, and this week they play against Lille OSC. Lille is another strong French side and managed to break PSG’s dominance back in 2021. At the moment, Lille only have one point after a draw with Brest. They’ll need to pick up wins quickly to climb into the top five. All reasons to expect some excellent football.
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