Before the world’s top footballers join up with their national teams, Europe’s top leagues serve up a weekend full of intrigue.
Matchday 5 in the Premier League
As we enter final round of Premier League games before the September international break, two teams are perfect, five are still unbeaten, five have yet to win – and one has yet to put a point on the board.
Brighton have outscored everyone in the Premier League but must now face the Gunners
Will anything give as two winless sides go head-to-head in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off? Tottenham — still yet to score — host Aston Villa, who registered their first goal of the campaign last time out, but lost to Nottingham Forest.
Elsewhere, champions Arsenal put their 100% start on the line away to the league’s top scorers Brighton on Saturday, with Manchester City doing likewise against Sunderland on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Coventry, still pointless and goalless four games into their first top-flight campaign for 25 years, will be desperate to give their fans something to cheer about when they travel to Forest on Saturday evening.
Simeone and Mourinho go head-to-head in Madrid derby
The first Madrid derby of 2026/27 comes from the Metropolitano on Sunday Afternoon, pitting third-placed Atlético Madrid against second-placed Real Madrid in a meeting of two LaLiga heavyweights in the dugout: Diego Simeone and José Mourinho.
Simeone and Mourinho will be reunited again in the Madrid derby
Both sides won in midweek – albeit in rather different circumstances, Atlético thrashing Osasuna 4-0 and Real edging a 3-2 thriller with Elche. But both will be determined to strike a early blow to their local rivals’ title ambitions.
For Simeone and Mourinho, it’s their first encounter in charge of these clubs since April 2013 – when Atleti came from behind to win the Copa del Rey final…
Something has to give in showdown between Serie A top two
At least one 100% record will fall in Serie A this Saturday evening as leaders Roma take on champions and fellow free-scorers Inter. The two teams have racked up 25 goals between them – Roma at an average of exactly three per game, Inter at 3.25.
The top two meet at the Stadio Olimpico
But, perhaps crucially, Roma boast the meanest defence in the division at this early stage of the campaign. Gian Piero Gasperini’s Giallorossi have conceded a solitary goal – while Cristian Chivu’s Nerazzurri have been breached six times, half of them in a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over Udinese last time out.
Ominously for Roma, however, they haven’t beaten Inter at home in Serie A for 10 years, losing the last five such fixtures.
Major spice expected in the Championship
Things could get interesting in the Championship this weekend, one marked by two serious grudge matches.
Millwall and West Ham have been waiting a long time for this - expect fireworks
All eyes will be on the Den at Saturday lunchtime, as Millwall and league leaders West Ham meet for the first time in over 14 years, in the 100th edition of the highly charged London derby.
While it’s been almost 22 years since the Lions beat the Hammers, West Ham last won away to Millwall at the old Den back in December 1988.
Then, just under 24 hours later, it’s over to the Black Country for Wolves and West Brom’s first league clash since 2021.
West Brom make the 27km trip to Molineux sitting three points ahead of Wolves, against whom they’ve lost only one of the last 10 league encounters.
The derby theme continues around Europe
It’s rivalries galore around the continent this weekend! In the pick of those games, Celtic host Rangers in the second Old Firm showdown in the space of eight days, looking for instant revenge for last weekend’s 3-0 League Cup quarter-finals defeat at Ibrox.
As with every Old Firm clash this season, there will be no away fans. Will a pattern of home wins begin to emerge?
Can PSG kickstart their season in Le Classique?
In France, Marseille entertain PSG amid stuttering starts to the season for both teams. They’ve each won just one of their opening four Ligue 1 fixtures, with Marseille losing three of theirs. A bragging-rights-securing victory over their arch-rivals could be just the spark that’s needed to kickstart the campaign.
And in Portugal, it’s the battle of two sides who’ve won 69 of a possible 92 titles between them: reigning champions Porto and Benfica. The former have notched six wins out of six so far this term, and the latter are Liga Portugal’s leading scorers with 21 goals in six games, winning five.
Starlet Sullivan continues to make his mark on MLS
With seven goal involvements in his last five MLS games and four in his last two, it’s fair to say Cavan Sullivan is on fire right now.
The prodigious Philadelphia Union midfielder doesn’t turn 17 until the end of this month, but he’s wasted no time in tearing it up in senior football – and Manchester City have already come calling.
In fact, they did so when he was just 14, when he became one of the youngest players in league history to sign a first-team contract – one that includes a clause for Man City to sign him after his 18th birthday.
After bagging a brace in the 5-0 thrashing of San Diego FC last time out, Mauricio Pochettino has rewarded Sullivan with his first call up to the USMNT.
But first, the prodigy will be aiming to continue his hot streak away to Sporting Kansas City this weekend as the Union look to cement their place in the playoffs.
What were you doing at 16? Not dropping 9.1 rated performances in top flight football!
Friday: The Premier League round begins in West London, where Brentford take on Chelsea. Only 7km separate the two team’s stadiums, and just one point is the difference between them in the league table.
In Germany, Harry Kane will be looking to score his 100th Bundesliga goal, in what will be his 98th league appearance for Bayern Munich. The champions can get back to top spot with a home win over Union Berlin.
Lens have already won the French Super Cup AND sacked their manager this season, tonight they travel to unbeaten Monaco, one of the early frontrunners in Ligue 1.
And in MLS, the latest round of matches kicks off with the Hudson River Derby as New York City face Red Bull New York. The energy drink franchise have won just one of the last eight meetings with City.
Saturday: We’re planning on starting the day with two huge lunchtime games in the UK. Winless Spurs and Aston Villa meet in an early season Premier League six-pointer. And Millwall meet old rivals West Ham for the first time since February 2012 down in the Championship.
We cannot condone the use of FotMob for your online humour
Elsewhere in the Premier League, it’s the division’s meanest defence vs. the current top scorers, as champions Arsenal head to Brighton. And both Hull and Everton will seek to extend their unexpected unbeaten start to the campaign - against Newcastle, and Ipswich Town, respectively.
Barcelona travel to Sevilla in LaLiga, a game that pits the team in fourth - following the midweek round - against the leaders. Barca put SEVEN past Racing Santander in their last game, setting a new league Expected Goals (xG) record with a figure of 6.74.
The biggest Bundesliga match up of the day sees Dortmund, who are one of two teams left with a 100% record, go to Stuttgart, where they’ve won on 10 of their last 16 visits.
And in Italy, there’s the battle between the top two we detailed above, with Roma hosting Inter in the capital.
Last, but not least, there’s the Mexican Súper Clásico, where Club América take on Chivas of Guadalajara. Just a point separate these two, with Chivas second and América third in the Apertura table.
Sunday: There’s four games to round off the Premier League weekend, including a first trip back to Bournemouth for the now Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola.
Man City will attempt to keep pace with Arsenal at the top of the table when they host Sunderland, while Michael Carrick will be looking for his Manchester United side to ease the pressure already mounting on his shoulders when the Red Devils visit Fulham, at Craven Cottage.
For the second Sunday in a row, Celtic meet Rangers in the Old Firm Derby - only this time, it’s at Celtic Park. In Ligue 1, it’s time for Le Classique as France’s big two - Marseille and PSG clash down on the Mediterranean coast. And it’s O Clássico in Portugal, where Porto face Marco Silva’s Benfica, their great national rivals.
Black Country neighbours Wolves and West Brom are reunited in the English Championship, and there is, of course, the Madrid Derby to headline the day in LaLiga, also detailed earlier in the newsletter.
Away from the big derby action, Juventus vs. Atalanta, and Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten Milan against Lecce should provide the drama in Serie A.
Check out the Premier League table according to xG
Here’s your annual reminder of the alternative xG tables available for every major league on FotMob. Simply switch the table view via the drop down menu from ‘Overall’ to ‘xG’ and you’ll see whether your team is overperforming (indicated by green numbers) or underperforming (red numbers).
Known in some circles as the Justice Table, it is ranked by points based on xG created and conceded - the goals you should be expected to score, and those the numbers suggest you should have let in.
For example, Manchester United could be sat as high as third in the Premier League on seven points. In reality, they’re 10 places worse off, on four points down in 13th, and Michael Carrick is beginning to get that uneasy feeling in his stomach.
