MATCHDAY: Barcelona looks to end 3-match winless run
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong walks from the pitch after being given a red card during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Cadiz and Barcelona at the Nuevo Mirandilla stadium in Cadiz, Spain, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Miguel Morenatti)
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Sunday:
SPAIN
In turmoil after three consecutive matches without a win in all competitions, Barcelona hosts Levante in the Spanish league. Coach Ronaldo Koeman is under added pressure and remains at odds with club president Joan Laporta and even some of his players. The Dutch coach will not be on the bench after receiving a two-match ban for being sent off after complaining with the fourth official at the end of the 0-0 draw at Cádiz on Thursday. The Catalan club sits in eighth place, eight points behind leader Real Madrid with two games in hand. Fourth-placed Real Sociedad hosts Elche, while Rayo Vallecano, off to a good start back in the first division, welcomes Cádiz. Last-placed Getafe visits Real Betis.
ENGLAND
Tottenham is chasing a first Premier League win at Arsenal since 2010 with the north London rivals having endured a mixed start to the season. Successive 3-0 Premier League losses have derailed what was an impressive start for Tottenham with a hat trick of wins. Tottenham will have forward Lucas Moura back after he missed the last two games with a knock, but Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon remain sidelined. Arsenal only has six points from five games. Arteta has Granit Xhaka back in contention following suspension and a bout of COVID-19. In Sunday’s other game, Southampton hosts Wolverhampton and is still searching for a first league win of the season. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl needs striker Adam Armstrong to start finding the net, having scored on his debut but not in the four subsequent league games. Wolves have had a slow start under Bruno Lage, taking three points from five Premier League games with just two goals along the way.
ITALY
Victor Osimhen will be looking to continue his fantastic form and help fire Napoli back to the top of the table when it hosts Cagliari. Osimhen has scored five goals in his last three matches and played a big role in Napoli’s perfect start to Serie A. Juventus finally got its first win of the season midweek and will be hoping to build on that against Sampdoria. It’s also José Mourinho’s first capital derby as his Roma side visits Lazio. Promoted sides Empoli and Salernitana play Bologna and Sassuolo, respectively, while Udinese hosts Fiorentina.
GERMANY
Promoted Bochum is looking for a tonic against Stuttgart after losing its previous Bundesliga game 7-0 at Bayern Munich. Stuttgart can expect a furious start from the home team but will expect to get its second win of the season after beating another promoted side, Greuther Fürth, 5-1 for its first. Freiburg hosts Augsburg for its last game at the scenic Dreisamstadion with its views of the Black Forest. Freiburg is moving to a newly constructed stadium after using the Dreisamstadion since 1954.
FRANCE
Unbeaten Marseille’s strong start to the season coincides with a goalkeeper change. Pau Lopez has kept three clean sheets since replacing captain Steve Mandanda, a veteran with 463 league appearances for the club. If he keeps another one at home to Lens, then Lopez will become the first Marseille goalkeeper to keep clean sheets in his first four league games since 1950. A win for Marseille can strengthen its grip on second place but Lens has lost only once so far. Elsewhere, Monaco looks to climb further away from midtable with a win at promoted Clermont, which conceded six goals in midweek.
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