Racing Santander are back in the big time, but Villarreal represent a tough opening clash and scoring against the team that finished third in last season’s La Liga may be the best they can hope for.

Ajax have seen 20 goals in their first five games of the season but they still look vulnerable at the back. They have won seven of their last eight home meetings with Heerenveen, though, and have scored three or more goals in six of those.

Including friendlies, both teams have scored in Arsenal’s last six games and Manchester City’s last five. There have been goals at both ends in seven of the last nine Community Shields.

Gil Vicente completed a Primeira Liga double over Braga last season, winning 1-0 here in September before repeating the feat in a 2-1 home success in February, and they could cause plenty of problems again.

Maritimo struggled at the other top sides in the second tier last season, and Famalicao were excellent at picking off the Primeira Liga’s weaker teams. The hosts won nine of 11 home meetings with teams outside the top seven, scoring 22 goals.

Both teams have scored in Rangers’ first four matches of the season and, with St Mirren havng scored in four of their last five visits to Ibrox, it could be on the cards again in what should be an open cup tie.

Atlanta United are rock bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and are winless in their last eight in all competitions. They have lost four of their last five at home, while New York Red Bulls have won two of their last three away games and avoided defeat in both meetings with Atlanta last season.

New England Revolution have a 13-point lead over Toronto FC and have avoided defeat in three of their last four away games. A win may be beyond them, but Toronto FC have failed to win each of their last seven home fixtures.

Western Conference bottom-dwellers Sporting Kansas City have lost seven of their last eight away games and conceded 28 goals in this period, and they could fall foul of a Colorado Rapids side with three wins from their last four home games.

These sides may only be separated by three points, but 21 of Real Salt Lake’s 27 points have been won at home and they have claimed victory in nine of their ten home fixtures this season. Minnesota United were relatively strong on the road, but they have lost three of their last five trips in all competitions.

San Jose Earthquakes have hit a rough patch and head into this game with just one win in their last nine. They are winless in four home games during this period, while St Louis City are on a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Atlanta United are rock bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and are winless in their last eight in all competitions. They have lost four of their last five at home, while New York Red Bulls have won two of their last three away games and avoided defeat in both meetings with Atlanta last season.

PSG needed penalties to beat Marseille in last season’s French Super Cup but they should find things easier against a Lens side who have been decimated over the summer. Key midfielders Mamadou Sangare and Adrien Thomasson have followed Pierre Sage out of the club, leaving the door wide open for the Parisians to make it eight wins in nine head-to-heads.

Racing Santander are back in the big time, but Villarreal represent a tough opening clash and scoring against the team that finished third in last season’s La Liga may be the best they can hope for.

Southampton’s EFL Cup performance last weekend suggests they won’t be too affected by last season’s ‘Spygate’ scandal, and they look capable of opening the league campaign with a win at Watford. Saints are unbeaten in their last 13 away games across all competitions, while Watford ended last season with a five-game losing run.

West Ham have to get used to life back in the Championship but they performed well in the EFL Cup against Portsmouth and can get their league campaign off to a winning start.

Amadou Ba Sy has looked a handful in his last two appearances for Hearts and could break his domestic duck against lower-level opposition on Sunday.

Cyle Larin impressed on loan at Saints last season and has now moved to St Mary’s on a permanent basis. The Canada international opened his account for the season against Colchester and can get his first league goal of the new campaign at Watford.

Amadou Ba Sy has looked a handful in his last two appearances for Hearts and could break his domestic duck against lower-level opposition on Sunday.

Maritimo struggled at the other top sides in the second tier last season, and Famalicao were excellent at picking off the Primeira Liga’s weaker teams. The hosts won nine of 11 home meetings with teams outside the top seven, scoring 22 goals.

Ajax had 26 shots in that opening win over Zwolle but were helped by playing against ten men for over half an hour and their Conference League campaign has been littered with goals. The hosts have seen 20 goals in their first five games of 2026-27 and, while looking sharp going forward, they may still be vulnerable defensively.

Racing Santander are back in the big time, but Villarreal represent a tough opening clash and scoring against the team that finished third in last season’s La Liga may be the best they can hope for.

Including friendlies, both teams have scored in Arsenal’s last six games and Manchester City’s last five. There have been goals at both ends in seven of the last nine Community Shields.

Both teams have scored in Rangers’ first four matches of the season and, with St Mirren havng scored in four of their last five visits to Ibrox, it could be on the cards again in what should be an open cup tie.

Both of last season’s meetings between this pair finished 2-0 and the same outcome is likely in the Super Cup. Lens have lost key men and are unlikely to enjoy quite as strong a season, but PSG’s priorities lie elsewhere so it would be a surprise to see them at full tilt at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Six of the last nine Community Shields have ended in score draws before being decided on penalties and five of these were 1-1 affairs. Two of Arsenal’s last six have been 1-1 draws, as have two of Manchester City’s last five.

Racing Santander are back in the big time, but Villarreal represent a tough opening clash and scoring against the team that finished third in last season’s La Liga may be the best they can hope for.

Ajax have seen 20 goals in their first five games of the season but they still look vulnerable at the back. They have won seven of their last eight home meetings with Heerenveen, though, and have scored three or more goals in six of those.

After a decline that began in 2011, Racing Santander secured a long-awaited return to the top flight last season, but they face a tough opener against a Villarreal side that qualified for the Champions League last term. The Yellow Submarine won 22 of their 38 games and should get the new season off to a winning start in Santander.

Villarreal got the better of Atletico Madrid in the battle to finish third in La Liga last season and they can make a winning start to the new campaign at Racing Santander.Racing Santander won the Segunda Division title last season, finishing five points clear of Deportivo, but this represents a completely different challenge and they have had a tough pre-season, winning only one of their six friendlies.The hosts have lost 2-0 to Osasuna and 3-0 to Athletic Bilbao in pre-season, two of their La Liga rivals, and Villarreal suffered defeat in only seven of their 19 away league games last term.

Braga were held to a draw by Moreirense in their Portuguese Primeira Liga opener last weekend and, after a long midweek trip to Bulgaria to face Dinamo Minsk, they may be vulnerable against a Gil Vicente side that impressed last season.The underdogs finished sixth in last season’s top flight and began the new season with a 1-0 win over Rio Ave. They lost just five of their 17 away games last season and beat Braga home and away, while the hosts ended the season with the sixth best home record in the division after winning fewer than half of their games.

West Ham are the Championship title favourites and they can make an immediate impression by defeating Burnley at Turf Moor.Both clubs face the challenge of avoiding a relegation hangover and the Hammers look better prepared, having kept several key elements of last season’s team.Nuno’s side were narrowly relegated – finishing only two points below Tottenham – and collected 25 of their 39 points from the final 17 games.They have played to a reasonable standard in 2026 and look a more settled side than Burnley, who have many issues to address having won only four of 38 top flight fixtures.

Kristiansund secured a 2-1 victory over Molde to end a dire run of form last weekend, but they were fortunate to escape another defeat. They lost the Expected Goals battle 3.21 to 0.66, scoring with their only two shots on target.Before that win, Kristiansund had lost five of their previous six games, while they’ve suffered six defeats in eight away trips this season. The third-bottom visitors head to a Fredrikstad side that have won back-to-back matches, and the hosts have won all three of their home meetings with sides beneath them in the standings.

Espanyol can make a winning start to La Liga when they welcome Levante to the RCDE Stadium on Sunday.The hosts finished 11th last season, five places and four points above Levante, and have strengthened their squad over the summer.Levante survived by the narrowest of margins last term on head-to-head record and won just four of their 19 away matches. Their task is made harder by the departure of Carlos Espí to Real Madrid after he scored 11 league goals last season.Both meetings between the sides ended in draws, but Espanyol’s stronger squad and home advantage make them the side to back for three points.

The Buddies will look to build on their perfect Premiership start as they continue their defence of the Scottish League Cup at Ibrox.Craig McLeish’s men head to Glasgow with real confidence and momentum, unlike their winless hosts.Rangers crashed out of the Europa League after a 1-1 home draw on Thursday, their fourth game in a row to feature goals at both ends.Familiar defensive frailties continue to dog the Light Blues and they are unlikely to keep St Mirren at bay for 90 minutes, although they still have enough quality to find the net themselves.

PSG needed penalties to beat Marseille in last season’s French Super Cup but they should find things easier against a Lens side who have been decimated over the summer. Key midfielders Mamadou Sangare and Adrien Thomasson have followed Pierre Sage out of the club, leaving the door wide open for the Parisians to make it eight wins in nine head-to-heads.

Espanyol won only one of their last ten La Liga home games last season and may struggle to get off to a winning start against Levante, who win three of their final four fixtures.

Gil Vicente completed a Primeira Liga double over Braga last season, winning 1-0 here in September before repeating the feat in a 2-1 home success in February, and they could cause plenty of problems again.

Maritimo struggled at the other top sides in the second tier last season, and Famalicao were excellent at picking off the Primeira Liga’s weaker teams. The hosts won nine of 11 home meetings with teams outside the top seven, scoring 22 goals.

The first leg of this tie was a thrilling 3-3 draw in Belgium and that is far from an anomaly when it comes to Bodo/Glimt and Union Saint-Gilloise. Over 3.5 goals has been a winner in two of the hosts’ last three games, while the Belgians’ three fixtures this term have averaged 4.67 goals per game.

Dinamo Zagreb were utterly dominant in their 5-0 demolition of Kauno Zalgiris in the first leg, limiting the Lithuanians to three shots and none on target. There is little to suggest they will allow Tuesday’s hosts any more joy in the return leg, so expect them to stroll to victory.

NEC Nijmegen may be playing in Europe for the first time since a 2008/09 UEFA Cup campaign, but they were arguably the better side in the first leg and will take a good deal of confidence into the home leg against an Olympiakos side that were beaten by AZ Alkmaar and Ajax in pre-season.

PSG and Aston Villa played out two thrillers in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals, with the tie ending 5-4 on aggregate, and another high-scoring affair is expected in Salzburg. Both teams have scored in Aston Villa’s last five pre-season friendlies, and Les Parisiens saw goals at both ends in five of their final seven games last term.

Wolves may have lost Joao Gomes and Matt Doherty following their relegation, but the arrivals of Raul Jimenez and Kieran Trippier leave them with a very good squad for the Championship and they open against a Blackburn side that ended last term perilously close to the relegation zone.

Only the relegated Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday won fewer points on the road than West Brom last season and the Baggies may be in for a difficult season after losing Karlan Grant and Josh Maja in the summer. Norwich won four of their final seven home games last term and opened their season by thrashing MK Dons 4-1 in the EFL Cup.

Bradford City missed out on promotion last season, but they had the third-best home record in League One with 15 wins in 23 attempts. 18th-placed finishers Peterborough lost 14 of their third-tier trips, including six of their last eight trips and their February visit to Bradford.

Sevilla finished a dismal 13th in La Liga last season and have done little to improve their squad over the summer. They have lost Akor Adams, who scored ten league goals, and UEFA Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano went unbeaten in their last four away games last term.

After a decline that began in 2011, Racing Santander secured a long-awaited return to the top flight last season, but they face a tough opener against a Villarreal side that qualified for the Champions League last term. The Yellow Submarine won 22 of their 38 games and should get the new season off to a winning start in Santander.

Osasuna avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season and the summer loss of talented winger Victor Munoz will have hit them hard. They picked up just two points from their last seven away games and Celta Vigo will be full of confidence after securing their joint-best La Liga finish last year.

Portsmouth spent last season battling the drop and seem set for another season of struggle. They have made some bold transfer moves but they have signed players unproven in this league, and don’t necessarily seem any stronger than they were last season so they are among the contenders to drop down to League One.

Cambridge won promotion last term and are yet to really strengthen their team. The U’s spend four years in League One before a campaign in League Two last term, and they only finished higher than 18th in one of those seasons. Of all the promoted teams, Cambridge are perhaps the most likely to drop straight back down.

Tranmere lost 20 of their final 26 games last season and only avoided the drop by two points. The two teams that came up from the National League should be competitive and that should result in an intense relegation fight, and Rovers look likely to be involved.

Barcelona have won back-to-back La Liga titles and netted 95 times last season, and the return of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid is unlikely to stop the Catalans from clinching a third successive title.

Mourinho has not won a league title since 2015 and there is almost certain to be friction among the big egos at the Bernabeu, especially with the Special One at the helm.

Arsenal landed a long-awaited Premier League title last season and have improved with the additions of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis over the summer.

The main reason for their favouritism, however, is what is going on at their rivals.

Manchester City begin life without Pep Guardiola and both Chelsea and Liverpool have new managers to bed in, while Manchester United are still relatively unproven under Michael Carrick.

The Scudetto has not been successfully defended since 2020, but Inter can break that streak despite an upheaval at the back.

John Stones and Manuel Akanji arrive to compensate for the losses of Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij and Stefan de Vrij and, while the Nerazzurri may look weaker overall, many of their rivals have also taken a step backwards.

Napoli have an ageing squad and will have to do without Antonio Conte, while AC Milan have given Ruben Amorim a chance in the dugout and Juventus are still playing catch-up after a terrible period of recruitment.

Like Bayern Munich, PSG look almost untouchable at the top of Ligue 1 and, while Lens were last season’s surprise package, a host of departures bring the other Ligue 1 teams into play.

While other teams have suffered summer losses, sixth-place finishers Rennes have taken strides forward after cashing in on Jeremy Jacquet and boast last season’s top scorer in Esteban Lepaul.

It is hard to see anybody topping a rampant Bayern Munich, but Borussia Dortmund are the best chance of challenging the Bavarians after finishing second last season.

They have kept the majority of their squad together and added a host of exciting youngsters to their books, while last season’s third-place finishers, RB Leipzig, have lost Yan Diomande.

Bayer Leverkusen are unproven after the appointment of their third manager in the past year, while Stuttgart are unlikely to be able to bridge last season’s 11-point gap to Dortmund.