With the Community Shield out of the way this weekend, the 2024-25 European season is kicking off. If you can’t wait until next weekend, I’ve got good news for you regarding midweek action.
Tuesday, August 13th
12:00 PM Fenerbahçe – LOSC Lille (Champions League Qualifying, Paramont+). This is by far the highest profile of the 3rd Round Qualifying 2nd Leg matches for the Champions League. Lille take a 2-1 lead from the first leg to Istanbul, but with the away goals rule no longer in play, the runners-up in last year’s Turkish Süper Lig will definitely feel they’re still in this tie, especially with José Mourinho now in charge of the club.
Wednesday, August 14th
2:00 PM Real Madrid – Atalanta (Super Cup, CBS Sports/Paramount+). This pre-season opener certainly can’t be any worse that the Community Shield. If nothing else, it will be a chance to see Mbappé’s Real in a (sort of) competitive match. And it would be a mistake to count out Gian Piero Gasparini’s Atalanta. They were the only team to beat Bayer Leverkusen last season.
Thursday, August 15th
12:00 PM Athletic Bilbao – Getafe (ESPN+). La Liga kicks off with two games on Thursday, and this is the first of them. Euros’ darling Nico Williams will be back with Copa del Rey winners Athletic, playing alongside his older brother, Iñaki. Getafe will be focused on defense as always, so this should be a competitive match, if not an open one.
2:30 PM Real Betis – Girona (ESPN+). Girona will be looking to repeat last season’s fairy tale, but Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis is a tough place to start. Míchel’s men have lost top scorer Artem Dovbyk and top prospect Savio/Savinho, among others, which may put a lot of weight on the shoulders of Cristhian Stuani, Portu, and loanee Bryan Gil; but Donny van de Beek and loanee Oriel Romeu are impressive additions in the midfield. This should be an interesting game.
Friday, August 16th
12:00 PM Celta de Vigo – Deportivo Alavés (ESPN+). 13th plays 10th. Not exactly a relegation six-pointer, but a definitely a game that benefits from being the only match available.
2:00 PM Manchester United – Fulham (USA). This kick-off of the Premier League is probably a better option than La Liga’s Las Palmas – Sevilla, at 2:30 PM on ESPN+. While American fans may miss Tim Ream in Fulham’s defense, the addition of Emile Rowe Smith up front is certainly exciting.
Saturday, August 17th
6:30 AM Ipswich Town – Liverpool (USA). This will probably not be a great game; but it’s what’s on, and you will get to see Ipswich Town’s first game in the top flight in 22 years, on the back of three straight promotions. Good luck, Tractor Boys.
9:00 AM Arsenal – Wolverhampton Wanderers (USA). This is a challenging window, featuring games between top half clubs (and 12th place Bournemouth) against teams in the bottom quarter. This is my tentative call for the best of the three available matches. One other alternative would be Stade Brestois – Olympique de Marseille at 10:00 PM–if you can find it, as Ligue 1 currently has no television/streaming deal in the US. But this is definitely the most exciting game of France’s opening weekend, and will probably be more interesting than the Premier League alternative.
11:30 AM West Ham United – Aston Villa (NBC). It’s the David Cameron derby! More importantly, it’s a chance to see two strong teams. Unai Emery’s Villa finished 4th in the league, while West Ham managed a top hat finish while also reaching the quarterfinals of the Europa League, where they lost to Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen Invincibles. With Julen Lopetegui having replaced David Moyes as manager and a raft of new players in (including Niclas Füllkrug and a number of younger defenders to keep up with Lopetegui’s high-pressing approach), it’s difficult to know what West Ham will look like this season–but it’s likely to be more entertaining, at least for neutrals.
1:30 PM Bayer Leverkusen – Stuttgart (DFL-Supercup, ESPN+). The two most exciting teams from last year’s Bundesliga face off in Germany’s pre-season opener. There are other options here (Valencia – Barcelona at 2:30 PM or–for those who want more Serie A in their opening weekend–AC Milan – Torino at 1:45 PM, both also on ESPN+), but Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen is one of the special teams and deserves your attention, even in a glorified pre-season friendly. And you can always catch the end of the Barcelona game afterward.
Sunday, August 18th
8:00 AM Brentford – Crystal Palace (USA). This is a much better game than it may sound to the casual fan. Crystal Palace were one of the most exciting Premier League teams to watch at the end of last season, and while the departure of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich will certainly have an impact, Oliver Glasner has a suitable replacement in Marseille’s Ismaïla Sarr. Thomas Frank’s Brentford have been the hipsters’ darlings for several seasons now, and while Ivan Toney’s gambling and transfer drama may have taken a bit of the bloom off the rose, Toney will be in place for at least the start of the season to ensure an exciting attack.
10:30 AM Chelsea – Manchester City (NBC). Notwithstanding the chaos at Chelsea, this is probably the game of the weekend, two big sides facing off in a genuine competitive fixture. New manager Enzo Maresca will be eager to prove he is not another one of Chelsea’s disastrous mistakes, and new recruit Pedro Neto will likely slot into the departed Conor Gallagher’s spot in midfield. City are, well, City. It will be interesting to see what changes Pep Guardiola has up his sleeve in pursuit of another treble–or perhaps even a quadruple.
1:45 PM Cagliari – Roma (Paramount+). Serie A doesn’t have the most favorable match-ups in the opening weekend, making this your best bet to get in a little Mediterranean football. It will be interesting to see what Roma look like in their first full season under club legend, Daniele De Rossi, with new arrivals Artem Dovbyk and Leipzig’s Angelino replacing the departing Romelu Lukaku and Leonardo Spinazzola, as well as back-up keeper Mile Svilar stepping into goal in place of Rui Patrício. Cagliari are returning for a second season in the top flight, though with relegation specialist Davide Nicola replacing Claudio Ranieri at the helm. In truth, they are unlikely to prove serious opposition to Roma, and if you chose to watch Leicester City – Tottenham Hotspur at 2:00 PM on Peacock (or even Rennes – Lyon at 1:45 PM–if you can find it), I wouldn’t blame you.
Monday, August 19th
12:00 PM Real Valladolid – Espanyol (ESPN+). La Liga and Serie A both have two Monday games to finish off the “weekend,” and if you opted for Lecce – Atalanta at 11:30 AM on Paramount+ instead of this one, I wouldn’t hold it against you. On the other hand, this is a nice opportunity to see two of La Lisa’s promoted sides facing off against one another. You can think of it as a relegation six-pointer, or as a learning opportunity.
2:30 PM Villarreal – Atlético Madrid (ESPN+). This game is a good way to finish off the opening “weekend” of the season. Both teams are in transition up top, with Alexander Sørloth moving from Villarreal to Atlético this summer. He and Manchester City’s Julián Álvarez (and possibly returning loanee João Felix) are set to replace the departing Álvaro Morata and Memphis Depay, while at the other end of the pitch Robin Le Normand looks set to replace the departing Stefan Savić. Villarreal have brought in Nicolas Pépé to replace Sørloth, and Marseille’s Papa Gueye for the departing Étienne Capoue. These are two teams expecting to finish in the European places, and it should be a solid match.
Stoopid American 