Our Picks: A Greek classic and an old English rivalry catch the eye
AEK Athens v Olympiacos - Anthony Paphitis
One of the biggest games on the football calendar in Greece has already arrived as AEK Athens brace themselves to play inter-city rivals Olympiacos at the OPAP Arena on Sunday.
Respective European commitments have meant both teams have been busy this campaign, but a derby fixture on their return from the international break ensures either side won't be eased back in.
Hosts AEK will play in the Europa League after failing to progress through the Champions League qualifiers and have been dealt a tough hand with a group featuring Brighton, Marseille and Ajax.
The Double-Headed Eagle have opened their Super League title defence unbeaten with a win and draw apiece, although they would have felt frustrated with their home stalemate against newcomers Panserraikos after registering 36 shots and 82 per cent possession.
AEK went into the break with a 3-2 win at Volos and Argentine coach Matias Almeyda would have been very pleased given his team played over an hour with 10 men following Petros Mantalos' first-half red card.
In front of what is expected to be a raucous home atmosphere, they will definitely come out the blocks quickly with giants Olympiacos making the trip across Athens to Nea Filadelfeia.
And AEK will need to given the Erythrolefki (Red and Whites) have remained perfect domestically so far with three wins and 10 goals scored without conceding.
Diego Martinez's men sandwiched qualifying for the Europa League with two separate 4-0 wins against Atromitos and Lamia - already stamping down their marker as they look to wrestle title rights back from AEK.
Giorgios Masouras has led the way with four goals in all competitions while captain Konstantinos Fortounis - a constant for Olympiacos - has seen him come away with an impressive three goals and five assists in seven outings.
Olympiacos will want to gain revenge for their draw and defeat to AEK in the play-offs last term, which contributed to the latter claiming the title, and they will feel well-equipped to do so riding on the back of their current form.
Real Madrid v Sociedad - Ali Pollock
An intriguing match in La Liga sees Real Madrid take on Real Sociedad on Sunday evening.
Madrid are the only side in the division to maintain a 100% record so far, winning all four of their opening games. That run of form has seen them score eight and only concede two – taking them to the top of the table in the process.
A lot of that run is owed to Jude Bellingham, who has been man of the match in every game so far and will be looking to impress again following a productive international break with England.
The former Birmingham midfielder is quickly being recognised as one of the best in the world in his position and is catching the eyes of fans across the globe.
Sociedad currently sit eighth in the league but are the only side outside of the top four yet to lose a game. They’ve won once and drew three times, arriving at the Bernabeu on Sunday hoping to cause a major upset.
Winger Takefusa Kubo has been the standout performer for the visiting side, netting three times in four appearances in La Liga. He’s another player to look out for when the two teams meet.
Millwall v Leeds - Brad Ferguson
Millwall welcome their dear old friends Leeds to the Den on Sunday in a kick-off moved to midday for very obvious reasons.
There's never been much love lost between the two sides - and while the hooliganism aspect of the clash has subsided (at least for the most part), the animosity between the two sets of fans will likely never completely go away - if watching on TV, expect to hear multiple apologies from the commentators for any bad language or offensive chants from the crowd.
They might be better simply switching off the pitchside microphones.
It’s certainly not one for the faint of heart, and the Lions will be delighted to see one of their favourite old foes back down in the Championship for this spicy fixture.
In terms of the battle on the pitch, both sides will be desperate to kick-start their seasons after mediocre starts prior to the international break.
A positive opening day victory away to Middlesbrough proved to be a false dawn for Gary Rowett’s Millwall.
Optimism amongst the fanbase for another play-off place challenge has dissipated somewhat since then, with disappointing defeats to Bristol City and Norwich - plus a humbling at home to a struggling Reading in the EFL Cup - derailing the start of their campaign.
The same can be said for Leeds - the Yorkshire side has fumbled out of the gates and are displaying some topsy-turvy form in their opening games, picking up just one win in their opening five league encounters.
This early mid-table clash could prove relatively pivotal in the ambitions of two sides who had expected to be comfortably in the top half of the table.
While it’s still early days in what is often a completely bonkers league in its first stages, a win for either could provide a mightily big adrenaline-fuelled boost for fans and players.
Don’t be surprised to see a red card or two amongst the fireworks here, too. In the previous five meetings, there have been two straight reds and 21 yellows dished out.
Darmstadt v Monchengladbach - Joel Barnett
A possible season-defining clash awaits fans at the at the Stadion am Böllenfalltor on Saturday with Darmstadt, currently rooted to the foot of the Bundesliga, facing a luckless Monchengladbach who are yet to find their way this term.
The Foals replaced head coach Daniel Farke with Gerardo Seoane in June after finishing 10th in 22/23, missing out on Europe for a third successive season. But they have endured a disastrous start to this campaign and travel to newly-promoted Darmstadt in need of inspiration.
Their thrilling 4-4 opening day draw to Ausburg - in which they were 2-0 and 3-1 up before coming from 4-3 behind in the seventh minute of injury time - was followed with a 3-0 home defeat against Leverkusen - Seoane’s previous club - with Bayern taking all three points last time out courtesy of an 87th minute winner from Mathys Tel.
What better way to plug their leaky defence and kick-start their season with a trip to newly-promoted Darmstadt.
The Lilies - back in the Bundesliga for the first time in six years - suffered a narrow opening day loss to Frankfurt, but their bubble truly burst with thumping defeats against Union Berlin (4-1) and Leverkusen (5-1). Welcome back to the big time.
With a tricky trip to third-place Stuttgart on the horizon, it’s becoming a race against time to avoid being cut-off entirely at the bottom of the table.
It’s far too soon to call this a relegation scrap, but with both teams battling for points at the wrong end of the table this is surely a must-not-lose fixture if they want to harbour any ambition of achieving their goals this season.
Fiorentina v Atalanta - Ste Carson
There is one match taking all the attention in Italy this weekend: Inter v Milan. But it's not the only one worth keeping an eye on.
Fiorentina have started the new Serie A season in a very inconsistent manner, with one win, one draw and one loss (to Inter) from their first three outings. Atalanta, on the other hand, have picked up two wins while succumbing to defeat (to Frosinone).
La Viola's last match, their first defeat of the season, was to high-flying Inter by a weighty scoreline of 4-0. It would have been a bitter pill to swallow and they will be wanting to get back on track.
La Dea, however, are on the back of a 3-0 victory over Monza - they're feeling good and may fancy their chances against a hurting side.
One area this weekend's visitors to the Stadio Artemio Franchi have excelled in so far this season is their defence - both of their league wins boasted clean sheets.
History is on Fiorentina's side, though, with just one defeat to Atalanta in their last five clashes (one loss, one draw and three wins).
Gianluca Scamacca is certainly 'one to watch' for the Nerazzurri, with two goals in his first three matches after swapping London for Lombardy. Naturally, Nicolas Gonzalez, who also has two league goals for La Viola is another to keep an eye on.
