Top games to watch this week
Friday, August 13
Borussia M'Gladbach vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
Brentford vs Arsenal (English Premier League)
Valencia vs Getafe (La Liga)
Saturday, August 14
Manchester United vs Leeds United (English Premier League)
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (English Premier League)
Lille vs Nice (Ligue 1)
Norwich City vs Liverpool (English Premier League)
Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga)
Benfica vs Arouca (Primeira Liga)
PSG vs Strasbourg (Ligue 1)
Sporting Braga vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
Deportivo Alavés vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
Sunday, August 15
Tottenham vs Manchester City (English Premier League)
Celta Vigo vs Atletico Madrid (La Liga)
Famalicao vs Porto (Primeira Liga)
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad (La Liga)
Monday, August 16
Villarreal vs Granada (La Liga)
Tuesday, August 17
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern (DFL Supercup)
Monaco vs Shakhtar Donetsk (UEFA Champions League Playoff)
Palmeiras vs Sao Paulo (Copa Libertadores)
Wednesday, August 18
Benfica vs PSV (UEFA Champions League Playoff)
Flamengo vs Olimpia (Copa Libertadores)
Atlético Mineiro vs River Plate (Copa Libertadores)
Thursday, August 19
Barcelona vs Fluminense (Copa Libertadores)
What are the must-watch games this week?
Bayern Munich kick off the 2021/22 Bundesliga season on Friday live on ESPN+ with their 2:30 p.m. ET showdown vs Borussia M'gladbach
Last week, it was Ligue 1 that kicked off. Fast forward to this week and several other European major leagues are set to embark on the 2021/22 season. The Bundesliga is one of them, with defending champions Bayern Munich getting things underway on Matchday 1. Things are made all the more interesting by their Friday opponent as Lewandowski and Co. are set to face the always-tricky Borussia M'gladbach. The last seven encounters between these two teams have produced a mouthwatering 32 goals! Will Julian Nagelsmann get off to a winning start at the Allianz Arena? Don't miss this tie.
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The 2021/22 Premier League season gets underway live on NBC Sports, with Sunday's Tottenham vs Man City clash headlining Matchweek 1
Everyone's favorite league will make its return on Friday, with Brentford vs Arsenal kicking off the 2021/22 English Premier League season. The Gunners will visit the newly-promoted side for the opening game, but the most exciting fixtures are set to take place over the weekend, with Man United hosting bitter rivals Leeds in Saturday's early fixture and Chelsea welcoming Crystal Palace later that same day.
The standout tie, however, will take place on Sunday and it is Tottenham vs Man City at 11:30 a.m. ET live on NBC Sports, as well as Telemundo, fuboTV, Sling, and SiriusXM FC. The Citizens head into this tie on the back of their disappointing 1-0 FA Community Shield defeat to Leicester, with Guardiola's side missing out on the title thanks to a late penalty. Spurs, on the other hand, have been dealing with the Harry Kane transfer fiasco, with the Englishman keen on forcing a move to the Etihad Stadium. Will the Three Lions ace feature on Sunday? Will he lead his club to victory over the team he desperately seeks to join? Tune in this weekend for the answer.
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La Liga is back! Barcelona vs Real Sociedad the standout game as Matchday 1 commences on Friday live on ESPN
And finally, we have La Liga, yet another European major league making its return on Friday for the 2021/22 season. Valencia vs Getafe gets things underway but Spain's top dogs—Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico—will not be in action until the weekend. Los Blancos take to the pitch first, with Ancelotti's side locking horns with Deportivo Alaves on Saturday. Simeone's crew face Celta Vigo on Sunday while the Blaugrana host Real Sociedad later that same day. Barcelona's fixture will be interesting as not only will it be against a tricky side, but it will also be their first competitive match since the surprise exit of Lionel Messi. The Argentine icon waved goodbye to the Camp Nou and has since joined PSG, leaving football fans wondering how Koeman's team will handle to post-Messi era. Catch the action live on ESPN, fuboTV, Sling, and ABC.
Biggest stories of the week
Pique issues emotional farewell to Lionel Messi after Argentine's bombshell Barcelona exit
Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona has come as a shock to many. Football fans in general were left stunned, not only Cules, while the Argentine himself was said to be devastated by this decision as he had agreed to stay at the Camp Nou.
And this does not even take into consideration the response of his team-mates, some of which have shared a dressing room with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner for over a decade. Sergio Busquets, who was the first senior Blaugrana player to publicly pay tribute to La Pulga, falls into this category, as does Gerard Pique.
The Spanish center-back has played alongside Messi in the Barcelona first team since returning to the club from Man United back in 2008, conquering the world with the diminutive magician. That is more than 13 years of camaraderie brought to an end in the blink of an eye. As a result, when the defender took to social media to bid farewell to his close friend, he penned one of the most heartfelt and touching goodbyes in recent football history.
"Nothing will be the same again. Not the Camp Nou, not the city of Barcelona, not ourselves," Pique wrote on Instagram.
"After more than 20 years at the club, you will stop wearing the Barça t-shirt. Reality, sometimes, is very harsh.
"We met in 2000, we were 13 years old and had a career ahead of us. What career! The mother who gave birth to us! If we had designed it at that time, it would be impossible to do it better. A f*cking madness!
"In my first season, after returning to FC Barcelona, we won the treble and you became the best player of all time. From Rosario to touching the sky of Rome. That's where the legend began. What came next is history. And what a time we had!
"Now you are leaving, but I know that one day you will come back. There are things to do. Have fun, enjoy wherever you go and keep winning as only you know how to do. Here we will miss you. I love you Leo."
Messi bid a tearful farewell to Barcelona, sparking several touching tributes
Inter Milan line up Man Utd star as Romelu Lukaku's replacement
Serie A giants Inter Milan are reportedly targeting the recruitment of Manchester United forward Anthony Martial this summer. The 25-year-old Frenchman has been identified as a prospective signing for the Nerazzurri who are keen on finding a replacement for the departed Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker has completed a mega-money switch from Inter to Chelsea, ending a two-year stint at the Guisseppe Meaza. Since arriving in Serie A from Manchester United, the former Blues academy graduate has been extremely reliable for the current Scudetto holders, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances.
With Lukaku's transfer having been completed, Inter are moving swiftly to bring in successor as they aim to defend their Serie A title. As per the Mirror, Anthony Martial is the player that Simeone Inzaghi's side aims to recruit to lead their attacking line and are willing to take him onboard as a loanee for the first season. An obligation to buy clause is expected to be inserted should United agree to the Italian club's proposal.
The first phone call between Ramos and Messi revealed after becoming PSG teammates
Lionel Messi's move to PSG has been made official, bringing to fruition several things that seemed nearly impossible a few years back – how many fans expected to see the Argentine in a jersey other than Barcelona's? One of the strangest things to come out from this transfer is the teaming up of La Pulga and Sergio Ramos at the Parc des Princes.
For a long time, the pair had been arch-rivals on the pitch, with the Argentine representing the Blaugrana and the Spaniard donning the Real Madrid shirt in the always fiery El Clasico. No one can forget the rough tackles Leo suffered in his showdowns with Ramos!
However, the iconic attacker and center-back have now gone from rivals to teammates in one transfer window, which might take some time getting used to. Several jokes were made about what their first conversation would be like, but fans no longer need to wonder, as the first phone call between the former La Liga superstars has officially been revealed.
Their short interaction was recorded and made public by beIN Sports, who have close ties with PSG. In the clip, Ramos is seen picking up his phone and greeting his new coworker. Only Sergio's side of the conversation has been aired, meaning the entirety of the conversation remains uncertain. However, what is clear from the Spaniard's words is that their conversation was nothing short of warm and lovely.
"Leo… thank you so much, my friend," Ramos said while smiling and laughing.
"Come over, perfect," the 35-year-old added before saying "Allez Paris!"
"Thank you, Leo. See you later," were the defender's final words before hanging up.
Messi already has his eyes on winning the UEFA Champions League title at PSG
Other key headlines from the world of football
Telemundo Deportes kicks off coverage of the 2021-22 Premier League season
It's time to watch the beginning of the 2021-22 Premier League season, and Telemundo will have a thorough coverage of the league once the competition begins this Friday, when Brentford host Arsenal at 3:00 p.m. ET, live on Universo. The show will be preceded by a half-hour pre-game show called La Liga Premier Extra.
If that was not enough, Universo will be featuring three more games on Saturday, starting with Manchester United vs Leeds at 7:30 a.m. ET. Next up, Community Shield winners Leicester City host Raúl Jiménez's Wolves, and as the cherry on top, Mohamed Salah and Liverpool kick off the tournament with their visit to the recently-promoted Norwich City at 12:30 p.m. ET.
The most anticipated match in the opening weekend will pit defending champions Manchester City against Tottenham, who are still eager to keep Harry Kane around to help Nuno Espirito Santo's term as boss. Telemundo's coverage will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET with Liga Premier Extra, followed by the clash between the two EPL contenders.
Tuchel reveals worrying update on Ziyech's injury after UEFA Super Cup win vs Villarreal
Wednesday was a bittersweet day for Chelsea despite winning the UEFA Super Cup. Although getting your hands on silverware is always a moment to celebrate, let alone a European trophy, the midweek triumph over Villarreal came at a cost: the injury to Hakim Ziyech.
The 28-year-old suffered another knock and it was during Chelsea's curtain-opener UEFA Super Cup tie. Right before half time, the attacker could be seen in visible pain after taking a blow to the shoulder shortly after getting tangled with Juan Foyth. Ziyech was treated with an oxygen device to help with the pain before being taken off the pitch.
"If you take a player out during the first-half it is serious," Tuchel told BT Sport after the final whistle.
"[It's] unfortunate, because he has been a decisive player in recent games."
Transfer: Arsenal to do battle with Man United in the race to sign cut-price Bayern midfielder
It's no secret that both Arsenal and Man United are in need of midfield reinforcements ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season, which is set to kick off this Friday with the Gunners' showdown with Brentford. As a result, it comes as little surprise to see these two English clubs battling it out for one Bayern Munich player put up for sale: Corentin Tolisso.
Given that he is into the final 12 months of his contract, die Roten are finding it impossible to recoup a substantial fee for Tolisso. Initially, a $23.6M price tag was set for the out-of-favor Frenchman but, according to Bild, the German giants have now slashed their asking price to a mere $12M. This decision has thus garnered attention from Premier League suitors.
The Red Devils' interest in the Frenchman has been known for some time as Paul Pogba's future at Old Trafford is under heavy doubt. The Gunners, on the other hand, could do with an additional partner for Thomas Partey, who has picked up yet another unwanted injury.
