⚽︎Friday, August 18: A Frisky Saturday in the Premier League and a Serie A Preview
Plus: Chelsea do the transfer double over Liverpool, while Neymar Jr. flees Europe.
Welcome to THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND, your Friday morning rundown of all the best matches across world football over the coming weekend in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, and more. Get kickoff times and broadcasters, betting odds and what to watch for—all in your inbox to mark the beginning of the end of the workweek.
It’s looking like a very frisky Saturday this week, as a rare 3pm ET—8pm GMT kickoff creates a real bacchanal of Premier League football. The final two matches of the day will see four of the Top Four pretenders do battle, which means you could (in theory) head to the pub with some friends and carouse your way through four and a half hours of high-level, high-stakes stuff. It’s a proper doubleheader, the Super Saturday, though if you’re in the U.S. you should make sure they’ve got Peacock wherever you’re planning to watch.
We’ll be robbed of a first opportunity to see Luton Town’s idiosyncratic ground host a top-flight match, as their stadium renovation hasn’t finished in time for Burnley’s scheduled visit. They’ve had to build onto the house to accommodate the international press and VAR. That match, which presumably would have been the early kickoff on Saturday, is postponed. Meanwhile, The Messi Show continues on a different channel.
Let me know in the comments if there are any games I missed or just one or two you’re looking forward to. But first, it’s been a wild week on the newswires…..
THE HEADLINES
Chelsea have beaten Liverpool to not one but two defensive midfielders in the last week, making a mockery of TFW’s previous headline on the subject of Moises Caicedo’s destination. He snubbed the Merseysiders after Brighton accepted their £110 million bid and chose to move to West London on a £115 million deal. Then Liverpool, having passed on paying £50 million for Roméo Lavia a few weeks back, rushed back to Southampton with a £60 million offer only for the 19-year-old to also choose Chelsea. The one-two punch has left the Reds with a massive black eye, and they’re hoping Stuttgart and Japan captain Wataru Endo can step in for Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in deep-lying midfield after they both departed for Saudi Arabia this summer.
Speaking of which, Neymar Jr. has sealed a move to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League for the now-customary Big Fuckin’ Bag of Cash. It’s not the first move that the Brazilian maestro has (arguably) made for money in his career, though one argument at the time he left Barcelona for PSG was that he wanted to be the main man, out of Lionel Messi’s shadow. Ultimately, his time in Paris was bitterly disappointing, plagued by injury and underperformance in the Champions League knockout stages. At just 31, he leaves Europe with unfinished business and the possibility that he will look back in time with profound regret. The most shocking bit of all, though, is that he didn’t seem to have many other takers.
Wolves fans and Manchester United’s many haters are howling this week after the Red Devils eked out a 1-0 win on Monday thanks to a piece of officiating so egregious that the PGMOL had to apologize afterward. (It’s not the first apology of recent times, as your local Arsenal fan might remind you.) The challenge from André Onana was a blatant penalty that referee Simon Hooper failed to catch even on a VAR review. Goalkeepers’ conduct is officiated poorly in general, but United’s enemies will wonder if we’re set to return to the era when the home team seemed to get a different set of rules at Old Trafford.
Kevin De Bruyne will miss four months with a hamstring injury, a blow even to a miles-deep Manchester City squad, while brand-new Arsenal signing Jurriën Timber damaged his ACL in his competitive debut and will be out for most of the season. He’s one of many high-profile knee injuries in the last month following Christopher Nkunku at Chelsea and Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão at Real Madrid, raising questions about the relentless schedule that top players have been asked to endure over the last year. A midseason World Cup is one thing, but having further international fixtures this summer was egregious. Surely the priority should be that players are fit for their clubs and for major international tournaments.
And now, on to the matches…..
PREMIER LEAGUE: TOTTENHAM-MANCHESTER UNITED
Saturday 12:30pm ET on NBC / 5:30pm GMT on Sky Sports Main Event
The visitors were pretty much godawful at home on Monday, as Wolves were able to contain United when they came forward and slice through them with ease on the counterattack. (Look out for Matheus Cunha this season. He looked reborn in a central attacking midfield role under new Wolves manager Gary O’Neil.) Erik ten Hag will need to sort out his new setup in the middle of the park, as Mason Mount did not create balance beside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes last time out. If Tottenham retreat into a 4-4-2 out of possession, as many teams are doing these days, United will need to sort out how they’re going to get the ball into Bruno and Mount to create the danger.
Still, the Red Devils run a tight ship defensively and there’s always Marcus Rashford. Then again, there’s also Antony, who’s yet to demonstrate that his showboat is sailing in the right direction. United were first and foremost a counterattacking side last season in matchups with the bigger teams, sitting in and playing a very vertical game, though their opponents haven’t much liked keeping the ball over the last few years either.
SPURS+200 | DRAW+270 | UNITED+138
Ange Postecoglou will make his competitive home debut as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, and Spurs will make their home debut without Harry Kane. The hole that the Premier League legend will leave is hard to overstate—even if he’s now a Skechers Man—first and foremost on the goalscoring side: 234 in 352 Premier League and Champions League matches. Pretty much the only time Richarlison could score last season was when he was offside—which rarely prevented him removing his shirt in celebration—and new captain Son Heung-min is coming off a down season.
Kane was the crucial cog in Tottenham’s build-up machine, too, dropping into midfield to great effect, though the addition of James Maddison should help Spurs string the passes together and (crucially) get the ball to Son and Dejan Kulusevski early so they can torment opposing fullbacks one-on-one. Farther back, Postecoglou will hope that integrating Yves Bissouma in deeper midfield will make Spurs harder to break down than they were last season, though Brentford didn’t have much trouble in Matchweek 1. (Once upon a time, Bissouma was considered yet another Brighton gem.) That will also depend on whether new signing Micky van de Ven is the real deal at centerback.
Speaking of Brighton gems: check out this slick flip-flap from Kaoru Mitoma to glide past his marker on the sideline.
PREMIER LEAGUE: MANCHESTER CITY-NEWCASTLE
Saturday 3:00pm ET on Peacock / 8:00pm GMT on TNT Sports 1
It’s the battle of the Gulf nation-states, one of whom stands at the football mountaintop without any questions—not one—about how it got up there. The other’s got out the climbing gear, or perhaps the jetpack. Yes, Newcastle were impressive in their opener at home last time out, though Aston Villa’s choices defensively did not make it particularly difficult for them. Alexander Isak looks ready to continue what he started last season, with highlights that included a scooped lob over Emi Martinez to capitalize on Ezri Konsa’s disasterclass. They aren’t the biggest on the outside in Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon, the latter of whom in particular needs to make a statement this season, but overall Newcastle are a muscular and rangy side who can get about the pitch in a serious way, whether it be Joelinton and Bruno Guimarães in the middle or the backline of Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, and the improbable 6’6” fullback Dan Burn.
Last weekend’s star was Sandro Tonali, the 23-year-old who came over from A.C. Milan for £55 million. He looks a true #8, getting himself up and down the field while pressing, harrying, tackling, and spraying the passes around in the middle third, all before crashing into the opponent’s box to provide a goal threat. With not just Isak but Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes to pick out, expect the young Italian to rack up some assists by raking throughballs to runners in behind.
CITY-152 | DRAW+325 | NEWCASTLE+425
City, meanwhile, are the been-there-done-thats. They will fear no one, particularly at the Etihad Stadium, even with the loss of De Bruyne. How will they line up in his absence? Some combination of Julián Álvarez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish will be asked to connect City’s towering defensive wall and the rampaging Erling Haaland up front. Pep Guardiola went big down the stretch last season, fielding four centerbacks across the back line behind Rodri in deep midfield, adding power to the champions’ technical level to create a formidable machine. The great innovator has the occasional galaxy-brain mishap, but it rarely leads to a point dropped. They are that good, or at least they have been for a long time. Every season you have to do it all again.
A BRIEF ASIDE ON SERIE A, which kicks off this weekend with an unfortunately lackluster set of matches. The Italian first division is the only major European league without a standout team (in Spain, a couple of them) when it comes to securing league championships recently. Defending champs Napoli, their immediate predecessors A.C. Milan, Champions League finalists Internazionale, and Lazio could all feature in the title race, while Atalanta, Roma, Fiorentina, and Juventus are all serious outfits.
The league may have found its place among the new economic realities of the game in identifying young players early and selling them on at a profit when the moneybags of the Premier League come calling, though Napoli has kept hold of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Oshimen and Milan will have another season with Rafael Leão. The Rossoneri also picked up a couple of Americans, Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah, along with Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea. It should be a good year for calcio down in The Boot, with a lot of matches to feature in this here newsletter.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL: SPAIN-ENGLAND
Sunday 6:00am ET on FOX / 11am GMT on BBC One and ITV1
Both of these teams have really spread the goals around throughout the tournament. Three Spaniards are on three each: Alba Maria Redondo Ferrer, Aitana Bonmati, and Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes. England’s Lauren Hemp and Lauren James can say the same, but a combined 10 other players have scored for these sides. Spain showed quality and resilience across the final 10 minutes of their semifinal to knock out Sweden, winning knockdowns on crosses to create havoc in the box.
SPAIN+170 | DRAW+210 | ENGLAND+190
England #10 Ella Toone planted one in the top corner against Australia, but after Sam Kerr’s magical strike to equalize it took a defensive mistake from the hosts to book the Lionesses their ticket to the final. Alessia Russo was the one to capitalize, and she’s among the main threats in her last match before she meets up with Arsenal Women following a Bosman transfer from Manchester United.
PREMIER LEAGUE: WEST HAM-CHELSEA
Sunday 11:30am ET on NBC Sports (USA) / 4:30pm GMT on Sky Sports Main Event
East London vs. West, and an opportunity (perhaps) to get a first impression of Chelsea’s new-look midfield: Moises Caicedo could slot in alongside Enzo Fernández to form a nearly £222 million partnership.
WHU+295 | DRAW+265 | CHELSEA-100
The Hammers, on the other hand, have a lot to sort out in the middle of the park. Declan Rice has long since departed for Arsenal, and Lucas Paquetá could be off to Man City if they meet West Ham’s reported £85 million valuation. Premier League legend James Ward-Prowse has come in from relegated Southampton to take charge over dead balls, but Edson Álvarez is the marquee addition in this department so far, the proceeds from yet another Premier League raid on Ajax. West Ham really need a striker, though, with Michail Antonio and Danny Ings getting on in years and Gianluca Scamacca departed back to Italy. They’ll be looking for someone to combine with Jarrod Bowen, a constant threat to score and create goals from the half spaces in right attacking midfield.
THE MESSI SHOW: NASHVILLE-INTER MIAMI
Saturday 9:00pm ET / 2:00am GMT on MLS Season Pass
The footballing Great One has written all his own scripts to kick off his career in America, and you’d expect him to show out here in the Leagues Cup Final. But also check out Robert Taylor in the Miami pink. The Finn often seems to be in and around Lionel Messi when the magic’s happening. His old Barcelona mate Sergio Busquets, meanwhile, is still pulling all the strings. Stick your eye on him for a few minutes and watch him quarterback the team from the base pivot.
Bonus Monday PL: Crystal Palace-Arsenal
Monday 3:00pm on Peacock / 8:00pm GMT on Sky Sports
For anyone in the U.K., and for the Stateside unemployed, the title-race hopefuls cross the Thames to visit the cauldron of Selhurst Park. Expect a physical battle as Arsenal conduct an experiment in whether jerseys impact performance. Adidas crushed it last year with the black away kits (and the red homes for that matter) but this season’s squiggly neon number is not a highlight. Arsenal are very good, but every match is a must-win when you are trying to challenge Manchester City.
THE FANTASY DIARY
A run of 73 straight Premier League starts came to an end for Gabriel (£5.0) the same week I picked him for my FPL squad. Mikel Arteta said it was a tactical decision, raising the question of whether now that he has a bigger squad he’ll turn to more unpredictable selections—not unlike his former boss, Pep Guardiola. As with Man City’s oft-rotated players, Arsenal’s could be buyer-beware at times this season.
It was the first of many setbacks for The Weekenders in a decidedly below-average Matchweek 1. There were assists for Julián Álvarez (£6.5) and captain Mo Salah, but Diogo Jota (£8.0) and Marcus Rashford (£9.0) failed to secure a significant points return. The same for Leandro Trossard (£6.9), despite looking dangerous when he came on as a substitute. Kieran Trippier (£6.5) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0) failed to contribute at either end, be it with goals and assists or a clean sheet. Manchester United did manage to secure the latter, so Andre Onana (£5.0) and Luke Shaw (£5.5) tallied some points, while Alexander Isak (£7.6) is looking a clever option. He posted 13 points.
That’s the same as Erling Haaland (£14.0) and Rodrigo (£5.6) at City, while Raphael Varane (£5.0) added a goal and a clean sheet to go one better. Harvey Barnes (£6.5) is also a good shout over at Newcastle along with FPL legend Callum Wilson (£8.0), while Yoane Wissa (£6.0) showed he could profit from Ivan Toney’s absence at Brentford, particularly because he’s taken over penalty duties. Meanwhile, my choice of Trossard at Arsenal is looking a bit galaxy-brain today when Bukayo Saka (£8.6) is right there and Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0) may be among the league’s top scorers this season.
It’s already feeling like an early Wildcard for this squad, but for now I’ll mostly stick with my preseason gut:
You might notice one exception: João Pedro (£5.5) looks like another Brighton value player, and he comes in for Luke Shaw as I think Spurs will score. Otherwise, you sometimes have to stick rather than twist after a tough week. Salah is looking like an easy captain choice with Bournemouth at home, while I get the feeling Rashford could strike on the counter at Tottenham. As far as Álvarez, Haaland can’t possibly score all the goals, can he?⚽︎