What Matches to Watch This Week (August 30-September 1)
As the major leagues in Europe continue through their early fixtures and finalize their transfers, we start to get a clearer picture of where teams stand for the campaign ahead. This series aims to inform soccer fans where they can watch some of the most intriguing matchups on any given weekend. It’s a lighter slate this time as the International Break will follow.
I will mention how many points each team mentioned in my recommendations has at the time of writing. Since La Liga are 3 games, PL and Serie A 2 games, and Bundesliga just 1 game into the season, table position doesn’t mean much. Once we get into October, I’ll replace that with table position. Domestic games will be the exception since they are farther along.
While this series will focus on the top flights of England, Germany, Italy, and Spain as they are the most accessible through a combination of common cable channels and streaming services, such services also carry matches from cup competitions, European competitions, lower divisions, and other peripheral leagues (such as Eredivisie on ESPN+). Therefore, some of those matches may make the article.
Since I am US-based, I will include domestic matches and streaming/time zone information relevant to US-based readers. If you are reading this from another country, you may need to do additional digging to find matches.
Lastly, while I have my preferences for which clubs and players I support, I will do my best to include a variety of clubs, leagues, and reasons for inclusion.
If you appreciate this kind of content, be sure to support me on Medium as well as on Twitter (X) @IvanOrnelas2 and Instagram ivanthewriter95.
How my recommendations went last week:
The Good
Monchengladbach 2–3 Bayer Leverkusen: Typical Bundesliga goal-scoring fun with typical Leverkusen winning in deep extra time courtesy of Florian Wirtz.
Brighton 2–1 Manchester United: Brighton weathered the storm in more ways than one. They absorbed a lot of pressure and then struck with precision. Manchester United had two goals disallowed but need to improve.
Freiburg 3–1 Stuttgart: While Stuttgart scored their goal in the second minute, Freiburg reached halftime level at 1–1 before showing up big in the second half.
Aston Villa 0–2 Arsenal: Arsenal get their revenge after Aston Villa did the double on them, and they’re just as rewarding to watch defensively as offensively.
Espanyol 0–1 Real Sociedad: Takefusa Kubo’s goal alone made this match a worthwhile watch. Martin Zubimendi was another standout performer that night in Barcelona.
Oakland Roots 1–1 Memphis 901: 4th vs 3rd in the USL Championship Western Conference was a cat-and-mouse affair, both sides having their advantageous moments. A draw in Hayward was a fair result even if both teams felt like they could’ve won it.
Atlético Madrid 3–0 Girona: Atlético’s goals all came from their emblematic standard bearers: Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente, and Koke. The Atlético Madrid DNA is looking strong in the early stages of this season.
Cagliari 1–1 Como: Patrick Cutrone’s second-half equalizer ensured one of the more intriguing promoted sides among Europe’s elite top flights get an early point on the road.
Villarreal 4–3 Celta Vigo: I could only catch the first half live but what a fun way to end the match week! Vigo goalkeeper Ivan Villar made some big saves throughout but there was no saving Sergi Cardona’s equalizer for the yellow submarine in the 26th minute off a corner. Oscar Mingueza responded with a direct free kick goal for Celta. It only got nuttier from there but Villarreal got the win at home!
The Bad
Bournemouth 1–1 Newcastle: It was a solid game, but what brought it to this category was the stoppage time events of a disallowed Ouattara goal for handball (in controversial fashion), but then the Bournemouth managerial staff losing their cool and also Joelinton needlessly fouling Neto after the goalkeeper secured the ball. Sometimes an ending can dictate how you feel about the journey.
Fiorentina 0–0 Venezia: Fiorentina traded underperforming in lower-tier European Cup finals for underperforming at home against a newly promoted team. Credit to Venezia for their solid defense though!
The Mixed Bag
Swansea City 1–1 Cardiff City: The South Wales derby didn’t disappoint from an animosity sense, which is what neutrals enjoy from derbies. Yellow cards handed out like Oprah and even the Cardiff manager was sent off. It was relatively controlled chaos that made up for the average at best quality of play.
Charlotte 1–1 New York Red Bulls: Both goals came in the first half (a penalty in Charlotte’s case) before a cagey second half. A lot is at stake for the final 10 games of the MLS season so it’s understandable.
Do you agree that two-thirds of the matches I recommended were solid options? Do you disagree with which matches I placed in which category? Let me know your thoughts and let’s get into this upcoming weekend.
Friday, August 30
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E Inter Milan (4 pts) vs Atalanta (3 points) Paramount+
Inter shrugged off a draw against Genoa to beat Lecce, but another worthy opponent comes into the San Siro in the form of Europa League champions Atalanta. Both sides will compete in the Champions League this season, but it’s a deep group of strong Italian clubs vying for the title and Champions League places. Even in this early stage of this season, this has the makings of a crucial six-point swing.
Saturday, August 31
4:30 am P/7:30 pm E Arsenal (6 pts) vs Brighton (6 pts) USA
The Gunners and Seagulls are flying high with 2 wins in 2 to begin the campaign. In a season that many expected Brighton to be firmly mid table rather than competing for Europe, they’ve already gotten the better of Manchester United. Arsenal is another challenge entirely though and a resurgent Thomas Partey will be key to neutralizing Brighton midfield dynamo Kaoru Mitoma.
7 am P/10 am E Brentford (3 pts) vs Southampton (0 pts) Peacock
So far Southampton have played a great style of football but it hasn’t translated to results. Both sides are looking to bounce back from last week. Losing at home to Nottingham Forest, one of the candidates for relegation if not the three promoted sides, is a blow for the Saints. Brentford pushed hard for a late goal against Liverpool but came up empty. Let’s see which forward between Ben Brereton Diaz and Bryan Mbeumo gets going in this fixture.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E Bayer Leverkusen (3 pts) vs RB Leipzig (3 pts) ESPN+
Usually neutrals want to see other teams take down the defending champions, but especially within Germany, neutrals will hope Leverkusen take down the hated RB Leipzig. There’s no questioning the recruitment strategy among these two as Leverkusen and Leipzig feature several young or in their prime players surging in value and reputation. The likes of Lois Openda and Antonio Nusa will be needed to keep up with Florian Wirtz’s firepower.
12:30 pm P/3:30 pm E Valencia (0 pts) vs Villarreal (7 pts) ESPN+
The Derbi de La Comunitat sees these Valencian clubs meet with contrasting fortunes. Valencia have lost to Barcelona, Celta Vigo, and most recently Athletic Bilbao in the midweek, making them even more eager to spoil Villarreal’s strong start. Marcelino has Villarreal playing like a juggernaut, thanks in part to 35 year old Dani Parejo continuing to play at a high level in midfield.
7:30 pm P/10:30 pm E Portland Timbers (7th W/37 pts) vs Seattle Sounders (5th W/40 pts) Apple TV MLS Season Pass
Evander’s Portland Timbers will encounter Jordan Morris’s Seattle Sounders at one of the best venues to watch Major League Soccer. Providence Park will be electric in the latest chapter of this Cascadia Rivalry with playoff positioning and bragging rights on the line!
Sunday, September 1
5:30 am P/8:30 am E Newcastle United (4 pts) vs Tottenham (4 pts) USA/Telemundo
Ange Postecoglou moved Son Heung-min to a forward role due to Dominic Solanke’s injury, and Tottenham’s star player rewarded his manager with a brace in a 4–0 win over Everton. Newcastle United were a VAR handball decision away from falling against Bournemouth, and Alexander Isak is looking to get rolling. This should be a fascinating, evenly matched game between these ambitious clubs.
8 am P/11 am E Manchester United (3 pts) vs Liverpool (6 pts) Peacock
An early Northwest derby couldn’t come at a better time for Liverpool who are loving life to start the Arne Slot era. They only recently made their first transfer for this season in Federico Chiesa during the summer window, but their unchanged squad from last season are all looking sharp, especially Mohamed Salah. Manchester United have to be on their toes as they’ve suffered some embarrassing losses, in scoreline and even worse performances, in the last few years.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E Genoa (4 pts) vs Hellas Verona (3 pts) Paramount+
Genoa’s Andrea Pinamonti scored the lone goal against Monza to give them their first win of the season. Hellas Verona are the more intriguing side here because they had two tough opponents to start the season: surprisingly beating Napoli 3–0 and unsurprisingly losing to Juventus 3–0. Which Hellas Verona will show up here?
12:30 pm P/3:30 pm E Real Madrid (4 pts) vs Real Betis (2 pts) ESPN+
Real Betis are a strong La Liga side but have failed to win their opening fixtures, and it’s tough to change that trend when you’ve got Real Madrid up next. 18-year-old star Endrick scored his first goal for Madrid late on against Real Valladolid, further reinforcing their embarrassment of riches. Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva will have his work cut out for him.
Soak in these league fixtures! I know the season just started, and personally, I enjoy international breaks too, but for many fans it’s tough to fathom that early pause when things are just getting good! Thank you for reading.
