As European football returns this weekend, we preview some of the standout fixtures across the continent's top leagues. From Aston Villa's clash with a struggling Manchester United, to Bayern Munich's visit to in-form Eintracht Frankfurt, there's plenty at stake for teams and managers alike. In La Liga, Girona aim to halt their slide against Athletic Bilbao, while Monaco look to maintain their unbeaten run away at Rennes in Ligue 1. Here's what to expect from these key encounters.
Premier League - Aston Villa v Manchester United (Sunday 6th October, 2pm, Sky Sports TV)
Aston Villa come into this fixture on a massive high after defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 at home midweek in the Champions League, though last weekend an entertaining 2-2 draw with Ipswich ended their 5 game unbeaten streak in all competitions.Â
Man Utd’s awful form showed no signs of getting any better, with the Red Devils throwing away a 2-nil lead away at Porto, but did score a late equaliser to draw 3-3. This came on the back of a disastrous performance at home to Tottenham last Sunday; United have only 3 wins so far this season.
Form in the last 5 league games (Premier League)
Aston Villa = DWWWL
Man Utd = LDWLL
Head to Head (Last 22 Premier League meetings)
Aston Villa = 2 Wins
4 Draws
Man Utd = 16 Wins
Key Stat
Villa are unbeaten in their 6 previous matches
Key Player - Youri Tielemans
The former Leicester City midfielder has started this season in red hot form, cementing his place in the Villa line up. The Belgian has created the most big chances in a claret and blue shirt (5); against a poor United midfield, Tielemans could have an impactful afternoon on Sunday.Â
Key Player - The Starting 11
Quite simply who every Erik Ten Haag puts out as his starting 11 need to give a much better performance than what we have seen so far to help the Dutchman save his job; another poor display could see the end of the road for the former Ajax manager.
Injuries/Suspensions - Aston Villa
Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Robin Olsen, and Tyrone Mings are on the Villa Park treatment table, ruling them out for the clash.
Injuries/Suspensions - Man Utd
Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, and Tyrell Malacia are all out for Sunday; Mason Mount is a doubt.
Prediction
Though United have an excellent record away at Villa Park, I expect Villa to be too well organised to suffer defeat; Unai Emery to oversee a 2-0 win and inflict further pain on the Red Devils.Â
La Liga - Girona v Athletic Bilbao (Sunday 6th October, 1pm, Premier Sports 1 & La Liga TV)
Last season's heroics seem a distant memory for Girona, with the Catalan side only managing 2 wins so far in La Liga this season; on Wednesday they lost once again in the Champions League, this time to Feynoord, conceding 2 own goals and missing a penalty. For Michel, a win would give him and his side some relief and help rebuild some confidence.Â
Bilbao currently occupy 5th spot in the table, unbeaten in their last 4 league games. They also got their first win in the Europa League, defeating Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar 2-0 at the San Mames on Thursday night.
Form in the last 5 league games (La Liga)
Girona = DDLLW
Athletic Bilbao = DWWWL
Head to Head (Last 8 La Liga meetings)
Girona = 3 Wins
1 Draw
Athletic Bilbao = 4 Wins
Key Stat
Girona have scored just 2 goals in their last 5 matches
Key Player - Yangel Herrera
Having lost some of the key players from last season such as Artem Dovbyk, Yan Couto, and Savinho, a lot of the burden on keeping up standards falls on the Venezulean’s shoulders. He will need to step up in this fixture to help the likes of Bryan Ruiz and Viktor Tsigankov flourish further up the field.Â
Key Player - Inaki Williams
The older of the Williams brothers, Inaki has kept up his high standards thus far contributing with 4 assists and 1 goal as Bilbao target Champions League qualification for next season; with 9 chances also created, he continues to stand out in this side.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - Girona Â
Girona will be without the services of Daley Blind, Oriol Romeu, and Viktor Tsigankov for the visit of Bilbao.
Injuries/Suspensions - Athletic Bilbao
After his red card last weekend Julen Agirrezabala is suspended for this fixture; Benat Prados, Unai Simon, and Yeray Alvarez are expected to be out with injuries until later this month.
Prediction
With Girona struggling domestically and on the continent, Bilbao should have too much quality in all areas of the field; 2-1 win for the Basques.Â
Frankfurt, under the tutelage of Dino Toppmoller have hit the ground running this campaign, unbeaten in 6 in all competitions, their only loss coming on the opening day of the season away to Dortmund. After an impressive win on Thursday night away at Besiktas, confidence will be high among their squad ahead of such a high profile fixture.
Bayern suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, like their performance against Leverkusen last weekend, the Bavarians dominated but failed to make their dominance count. Still unbeaten in the Bundesliga, Vincent Kompany will hope his side can get back to winning ways on Sunday. Â
Form in the last 5 league games (Bundesliga)
Eintracht Frankfurt = WWWWL
Bayern Munich = DWWWW
Head to Head (Last 26 Bundesliga meetings)
Eintracht Frankfurt = 4 Wins
4 Draws
Bayern Munich = 18 Wins
Key Stat
Bayern have scored 23 goals in their last 5 matches
Key Player - Omar MarmoushÂ
The Egyptian has been in sensational form, smashing 6 goals and assisting 3 as Frankfurt sit in 2nd place in the Bundesliga, 1 point off today's opponents; this will be a big test for a Bayern defence rocked by the defeat to Aston Villa midweek.Â
Key Player - Michael Olise
Olise has slotted seamlessly into the set up at the Allianz Arena, with 5 goal and assist contributions to play his part in Bayern sitting top of the league; Frankfurt will be wary of his presence as the Frenchman continues to grow in confidence with every game.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - Eintracht Frankfurt
Kevin Trapp is a doubt for this match with a hip injury, Mehdi Loune and Oscar Hojlund are definite absentees with injury.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - Bayern Munich
Prediction
This should be an entertaining encounter with plenty of high octane action. Frankfurt are in superb form, but ultimately Bayern should just be too strong; Kane and Co to win 3-1.Â
Serie A - Inter v Torino (Saturday 5th October, 7.45pm, TNT Sports 1)
Inter currently sit in 4th spot coming into this weekend, still not exactly firing on all cylinders. The loss to Milan, as well as dropped points to Genoa and Monza have shown some vulnerabilities; back-to-back wins over Udinese and Red Star Belgrade should set them up nicely for Torino’s visit.
After winning his opening game after replacing Ivan Juric, Paolo Vanoli witnessed his side dumped out of the Coppa Italia, and lose a fascinating game to Lazio last Sunday. Level on points with their opponents, it would be a big statement if Torino could leave the San Siro with something.Â
Form in the last 5 league games
Inter = WLDWW
Torino = LWDWW
Head to Head (Last 24 Serie A meetings)
Inter = 13 Wins
7 Draws
Torino = 4 Wins
Key Stat
Torino are unbeaten in 5 away games
Key Player - Lautaro Martinez
Inter’s captain and talisman, Martinez has taken a while to get going this season after his Copa America exploits. He scored his first goals of the season against Udinese, the Argentine will look to add to his tally here.Â
Key Player - Che Adams
A surprise signing by Torino in summer from Southampton, Adams has taken to life in Turin quite comfortably. With 3 goals and an assist, his influence has helped his new side sit high in the European places.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - InterÂ
Tajon Buchanan and Nicolo Barella are the only players missing for the Nerazzurri, with both expected to return in a few weeks. Â
Injuries/Suspensions - Torino
Torino have a good squad to choose from heading to Milan, with only Perr Schuurs unavailable.Â
Prediction
With Torino losing their previous 2 games, the early season sheen appears to be wearing off, with Martinez back among the goals Inter should win this encounter, 2-0 to Simone Inzagi’s side.Â
With 3 defeats in Ligue 1 so far this season, Rennes have failed to make much further progress under manager Julien Stephan. A 10th place finish was disappointing for the club last season, a loss here would put further pressure on the former Strasbourg coach.Â
One of 3 teams still unbeaten in Ligue 1, Monaco look the real deal this season, and look like potential title challengers with 5 wins so far that has been built on a strong defence; they have only conceded 3 goals in the league.Â
Form in the last 5 league games
Rennes = LDWLL
Monaco = WWWDW
Head to Head (Last 23 Ligue 1 meetings)
Rennes = 5 Wins
6 Draws
Monaco = 12 Wins
Key Stat
Monaco are unbeaten in their last 6 away matches
Key Player - Ludovic Blas
With 4 goal contributions, Blas has been one of the few bright spots of Rennes campaign; The Rouge et Noirs (the red and blacks) will be counting on his continued good form on Saturday night.Â
Key Player - Thilo Kehrer
Surplus to requirements at West Ham, Kehrer has been a shrewd signing for Monaco, a fulcrum in their water tight defence.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - RennesÂ
Jota is expected to be the only absentee due to a muscle injury.Â
Injuries/Suspensions - Monaco
Youngster Edan Diop will miss out for the Principality outfit, otherwise they have a clean bill of health.Â
Prediction
With a superb defensive record, and looking dominant both home and away, it’s hard to see anything other than a Monaco win; Adi Hutter’s men to win convincingly 3-0.
