Christian Pulisic is off to a blazing start and will look to continue his form in a huge Milan derby this weekend while the matches are already piling up. Midweek matches aplenty are running right into the weekend, but it does slow down for a bit on Friday.
We start with a busy day on Saturday and continue into a full Sunday of action as well with a number of players looking to build on their early season returns:
Saturday
Venezia v Genoa – 9a on Paramount+
Gianluca Busio received his first start of the season last week but Venezia fell to AC Milan 4-0 for their third defeat in four matches and are still looking for their first Serie A win. Venezia face Genoa this weekend needing to quickly get on track or they will be headed straight back to Serie B.
Heidenheim v Freiburg – 9:30a on ESPN+
Lennard Maloney was back in the starting lineup despite picking up an injury heading into the international break. His Heidenheim side fell to Borussia Dortmund 4-2 for their first defeat of the season and now face a Freiburg side that are also 2-0-1 early on.
Union Berlin v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+
Jordan Pefok came off the bench last weekend for the first time this season in Union Berlin’s scoreless draw with RB Leipzig. Pefok already has nearly three hundred minutes across all competitions for Berlin but is still looking for his first goal contribution.
Fulham v Newcastle United – 10a on Peacock
Antonee Robinson was not included in Fulham’s squad midweek as the Cottagers fell to second tier side Preston North End in a penalty shootout that went approximately one billion rounds (the actual final was 17-16). Robinson has of course played every minute of EPL action for Fulham, including last weekend’s 1-1 draw with West Ham to maintain their 12th place position. This weekend they face a Newcastle side that are undefeated through their first four matches and currently sit in third place.
Cardiff City v Leeds United – 10a on Paramount+
Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the season to Burnley last weekend snapping a two-match winning streak. This weekend they face Ethan Horvath and a Cardiff City side that are still looking for their first win of the season.
Lille v Strasbourg – 11a on beIN Sports
After starting his first two matches and coming on and notching an assist in the third Caleb Wiley was sidelined for Strasbourg last weekend and remains out this weekend with knee tendinitis.
Juventus v Napoli – Noon on Paramount+
The legend of Weston McKennie continues to grow as the player that Juventus seemed eager to move on from a month ago received his first start of the season midweek in Champions League play and scored a goal as Juventus defeated PSV 3-1. Tim Weah returned from his injury last weekend and played 23’ and saw another 21’ midweek in the Champions League victory.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach – 12:30p on ESPN+
Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach suffered their second loss in three matches as they fell to Stuttgart 3-1 last weekend. Scally has started all three matches for Gladbach but the team has given up three goals in two of those matches.
Crystal Palace v Manchester United – 12:30p on NBC
The glut of Crystal Palace center-backs is starting to be felt as Chris Richards did not make it off the bench last weekend in the team’s 2-2 draw with Leicester. Richards did start midweek in Palace’s 2-1 EFL Cup win over Queens Park Rangers though Matt Turner remained on the bench behind Dean Henderson. This weekend Palace face a Manchester United side that won 3-0 last weekend against Southhampton and put seven past Gaga Slonina and Barnsley midweek in cup action.
Sunday
Monaco v Le Havre – 9a on beIN Sports
Folarin Balogun came off the bench midweek in Monaco’s 2-1 win over Barcelona in Champions League play and was also used off the bench last weekend in a 3-0 win over Auxerre. Monaco was tied with Barcelona 1-1 when Balogun took the field and went on to record the upset which is a step in the right direction at least.
Bayer Leverkusen v Wolfsburg – 9:30a on ESPN+
Kevin Paredes remains sidelined for Wolfsburg who fell to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend and face defending champions Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Athletic Club v Celta Vigo – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and EPSN+
Luca de la Torre remains sidelined with an ankle injury but also reportedly out of favor and yet to appear for Celta Vigo this season.
Fortuna Sittard v PSV – 10:45a on ESPN+
Malik Tillman, Richard Ledezma, and PSV had their first real test of the 2024-25 campaign and fell short on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to Juventus. Ricardo Pepi played 13’ off the bench in the loss.
Brest v Toulouse – 11a on beIN Sports
Mark McKenzie and Toulouse picked up their first win of the season last weekend against Le Havre. McKenzie has started three straight for the French side who also have just one win in Ligue One but picked up their first ever Champions League victory on Thursday with a 2-1 win over Austrian side Sturm Graz.
Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund – 11:30a on ESPN+
Gio Reyna remains out for Borussia Dortmund side that have not lost to start the season, including a 3-0 midweek victory over Club Brugge.
Olympique Lyon v Olympique Marseille – 2:45p on beIN Sports
Tanner Tessman made a second straight, very brief appearance for Lyon last weekend as the side settled for a scoreless draw with Lens. In his two matches since joining Lyon Tessman has appeared both times for a grand total of five minutes.
Inter Milan v AC Milan – 2:45p on Paramount+
Christian Pulisic has already recorded three goals and two assists in five matches for AC Milan. This weekend as the team picked up their first Serie A win of the season last weekend against Venezia but fell 3-1 to Liverpool midweek in Champions League action despite Pulisic giving his team the early lead. Yunus Musah has started just once this season and did not make it off the bench on Tuesday in Milan’s loss. The team now has an early season Milan derby as they face last season’s runaway champions Inter Milan at the San Siro. Inter have won six straight matches in the inter-city rivalry and will surely be looking to continue their dominance and make an early statement by burying AC Milan before they can find their footing.
Monday
Real Betis v Mallorca – 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
Johnny Cardoso missed Real Betis’ 2-1 victory over Getafe on Wednesday and is in doubt for Monday’s matchup as well though the muscle injury is reportedly considered a minor issue.
