In this edition of The Assist we talk about some of the headline ties taking place in the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A, plus look at the record breaking start to the season in the Netherlands, and Aubameyang rolling back the years.
Something has to give in huge Premier League London derby
One of the Premier League’s early 100% records will go this Sunday as Arsenal face London rivals Chelsea in what’s set to be both sides’ toughest test yet.
With two victories to nil under their belts, Arsenal are as close to perfect as can be at the outset of their title defence – and Mikel Arteta has seen his team win in multiple ways already, sweeping aside Coventry 3-0 before grinding out a well-fought one-nil triumph against Aston Villa.
Expect goals and a lot of hard running from Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea
But free-scoring Chelsea will doubtless put the Gunners’ defensive rigidity to the test as they head to the Emirates Stadium. Xabi Alonso’s Blues have racked up seven goals in their first two league outings – though the fact they’ve beaten Fulham 3-2 and Brighton 4-3 tells another story as well.
Expect goals at the Emirates – and perhaps expect Arsenal maintain their 100% record: they’ve won their last five home meetings against Chelsea by a combined scoreline of 12-2.
Wily old champions collide in LaLiga
It’s a battle of two Premier League-winning managers in LaLiga on Friday as José Mourinho’s Real Madrid – who have taken maximum points so far – travel to Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis.
Can Jude Bellingham continue his good form as Madrid head to Real Betis?
And Mourinho will be aiming to do what neither of his two Madrid predecessors managed: win away to Betis, who are unbeaten in four at home to Los Blancos, Héctor Bellerín salvaging a point deep into stoppage time in their last encounter in April.
Carlo Ancelotti was the last Madrid boss to leave the Estadio Benito Villamarín with three points – and, just like the Special One, Don Carlo coached Chelsea to a Premier League title. An omen? Maybe. A tenuous one? Arguably.
Elsewhere on Sunday, early leaders Barcelona – just ahead of their arch-rivals on goal difference – head down the coast to Valencia, who are winless in 2026/27 but did triumph 3-1 in this very fixture on the final weekend of last season. Raphinha will be looking to keep up his record of scoring in every game so far this term for Barca.
Serie A’s traditional big-hitters go head-to-head
There’s something of a throwback feel to this weekend’s two standout Serie A clashes, featuring four clubs who’ve won 80 Scudetti between them.
Reigning champions Inter entertain the previous campaign’s winners Napoli on Saturday as the Nerazzurri try to make it three wins from three in 2026/27 and extend a domestic home unbeaten run that stretches back to last November’s Derby della Madonnina. The architect of that victory for Milan? Current Napoli boss Maxi Allegri…
Inter are out to stay on top in Serie A this season
And on Sunday, Juventus and Milan put their perfect starts on the line in Turin. Neutrals should be braced for a low-scoring affair – four of the last six meetings have finished 0-0 – though both sides have new strikers who will be eager to make an impression: Gonçalo Ramos notched his first Milan goal in last Friday’s 2-0 win over Venezia; Juve could hand a debut to Nick Woltemade, a deadline-day loan arrival from Newcastle.
It’s raining goals in the Eredivisie
In search of guaranteed excitement and goals galore? Look no further than this season’s Eredivisie, which has produced a whopping 4.0 goals per game – its highest-ever scoring start to a campaign.
This blistering momentum shows no signs of slowing down, as Ajax host PSV Eindhoven on Saturday evening in a clash between the Netherlands’ two most successful clubs, with the latter having netted 15 times in four matches thanks to nine different goal scorers. In their previous two outings, Peter Bosz’s rampant side have won 5-1 and 6-1 against Groningen and Utrecht.
PSV have scored 15 goals in four games so far this season
Incredibly, PSV aren’t even the league leaders. Top spot is currently occupied by AZ Alkmaar, who are two points ahead of PSV and have opened the season with four straight victories and 13 goals contributed by no less than 10 members of their squad!
AZ visit Heerenveen on Sunday and are on a mission to claim a first Eredivisie honour since the 2008/09 season, while PSV have a fourth consecutive league title firmly in their sights.
Capital clubs vs. The Islanders
Following Marítimo’s promotion to the Liga Portugal last season, they will join Nacional in proudly representing the North Atlantic Ocean island of Madeira in the nation’s top flight.
Marítimo celebrated promotion at Benfica B last season, now they play the real thing
On Saturday evening, Marítimo entertain Benfica, and Nacional travel to Sporting in a double-header that pits the Madeiran sides against Lisbon’s faction of Portugal’s Big Three.
Marítimo have started this campaign admirably, amassing seven points from four matches to sit seventh in the table. After back-to-back 14th-place finishes, Nacional are out to cement their top-tier status for another year. Meanwhile, Benfica and Sporting harbour the same objective of wrestling the Portuguese title back from bitter rivals Porto.
Although Madeira can claim Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in capital of Funchal, the island’s football history cannot compete with the star-studded success of Portugal’s capital. Since 1934, Lisbon-based sides have clinched 60 titles, while a team from Madeira has never been crowned league champions.
There’s an opportunity for bragging rights, but any Madeiran-inspired upset is a tall order.
Aubameyang can’t stop scoring
In the summer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined newly promoted LaLiga outfit Deportivo A Coruña, and the 37-year-old is rolling back the years in style.
The former Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona frontman has taken to life in Galicia like a duck to water, scoring in all of Dépor’s opening three games of the season to help Antonio Hidalgo’s men make an unbeaten start on their long awaited return to the top flight.
After eight years away from LaLiga, the fallen giants, remembered as a former top-flight staple and regular Champions League competitor, are back where they belong, and with a new cult hero up top leading the club’s resurgence.
Three in three for Aubameyang
Friday: We’re on for a big night around Europe with fixtures in each of the top five leagues. Liverpool will look to break their run of 2-2 draws when they visit Ipswich Town in the Premier League, while the much fancied Como defend their unbeaten start away to Genoa in Serie A.
There’s the Battle-Real between Betis and Madrid that we discussed above and a very tough game for PSG. The European Champions are winless in three to start the season but now face Monaco, the only side with maximum points in Ligue 1.
Stuttgart vs. FC Köln is the Bundesliga game, Bașakșehir vs. Galatasaray should provide excitement in Türkiye, and back in the UK, we’ll be looking out for the season opener between Man United and the big spending London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League.
Saturday: There are seven matches on the slate in the Premier League, with Newcastle vs. Bournemouth kicking of an epic day of action. Early season pacesetters Man City and Hull City are involved, with Maresca’s Blues hosting Coventry, and the Tigers closing the day against winless Villa.
Schalke, now back in the big time, have the daunting task of facing champions Bayern in the Bundesliga, and Athletic Club vs. Atlético Madrid is the headliner in LaLiga.
In Italy, Donyell Malen (five goals in two games) will be on the hunt for more goals when Roma play Atalanta, a game that comes just after the clash between title favourites Inter and Napoli.
In the record-breaking Eredivisie (see above), two of the big three clash as Ajax host PSV Eindhoven. And spare a thought for Sirius, the runaway success story in Sweden who went 16 games unbeaten but have seen their lead at the top cut down to six points after three straight defeats. They play away at midtable Västerås.
Sunday: Starting in the Premier League, David Moyes’ Everton take on Manchester United before we then concentrate all our attention on the mouthwatering early season clash between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Birmingham vs. Wolves will be worth a watch in the Championship but is by no means the biggest regional rivalry taking place in world football. We think that honour probably goes to Rosario Central vs. Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, which pits Ángel Di María’s current team against arch city rivals Newell’s, the spiritual home of Lionel Messi.
Barcelona go to Valencia with the LaLiga champions having already scored 12 goals in three games so far. And you already know about the massive Juventus vs. Milan clash that rounds off the weekend in Serie A.
FotMob fixture difficulty - Is there light at the end of the tunnel, or more trouble ahead?
If you haven’t spotted it yet, we’ve brought another new feature to the app for this season, one that can be viewed on your favourite team’s main page.
Whether you’re worried about your club’s form, or plotting your next FPL transfer, you can now check the difficulty of the next three fixtures and see if we’ve judged the run as Manageable, Moderate, Hard, or Brutal.
Fixture difficulty is just one of countless little ways in which we hope to make following football a little easier. Just make sure you check your app store for our latest update.
