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MATCHDAY: Arsenal hosts Fulham, PSG plays Lens

2023-08-26 06:46
Arsenal and Brighton go for their third straight wins to open the Premier League season when they host Fulham and West Ham, respectively
MATCHDAY: Arsenal hosts Fulham, PSG plays Lens

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:

ENGLAND

Arsenal and Brighton go for their third straight wins to open the Premier League season when they host Fulham and West Ham, respectively. While Arsenal is expected to be among the title contenders, Brighton is more of a surprise even if the team has become more of a force under the astute management of Roberto De Zerbi. Brighton has lost central midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo this summer yet still has scored four goals in each of its two victories so far. Everton has no points and no goals heading into a home match against Wolverhampton, which has also lost its opening two games. Manchester United, on three points, has been underwhelming ahead of hosting Nottingham Forest, while Brentford is at home to Crystal Palace and Tottenham travels to Bournemouth.

ITALY

After a goalscoring debut last week, Christian Pulisic will be hoping for more of the same in his first match at San Siro, when AC Milan hosts Torino. Fellow United States international Yunus Musah, who was suspended last weekend, could make his debut. Roma needed a late equalizer to rescue a draw against Salernitana last weekend and Jose Mourinho’s side will be looking for improvement at Hellas Verona. Newly promoted Frosinone lost its first match back in Serie A, against defending champion Napoli, and faces another tough test against Atalanta. Monza hosts Empoli with both sides looking for their first points and first goals.

GERMANY

Borussia Dortmund visits Bochum for a derby before Borussia Mönchengladbach welcomes Bayer Leverkusen for the late game in the Bundesliga. Dortmund was fortunate to start the league with a win last weekend and will be looking for improvement in Bochum, where it could only draw 1-1 in its last two visits. Bochum also needs to make amends after its 5-0 loss at Stuttgart last weekend. Leverkusen, in contrast, is full of confidence after starting with a 3-2 win over Leipzig and will hope to take advantage of Gladbach’s shaky defense. Also, Union Berlin visits promoted Darmstadt, Cologne welcomes Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen visits Freiburg, and Heidenheim hosts Hoffenheim for its first ever home game in the Bundesliga.

FRANCE

Still looking for a first league win this season with just two points in as many games, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain could have to do without new forward Gonzalo Ramos against Lens. PSG, which has made a big reshuffle of its squad during the offseason, said Ramos is suffering from a slight muscular problem that could rule him out of the match against last season's runner-ups. Ramos, who was expected to feature up front alongside Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, was signed from Benfica and has yet to score for his new team. Lens has made a slow start, too, with just one point, and will likely hand striker Elye Wahi a debut against PSG. Wahi scored 19 goals for Montpellier last season. Saturday's other match pits Marseille against Brest.

SPAIN

Sevilla hosts Girona seeking its first win of the season after losing both its Spanish league games and the UEFA Super Cup to Manchester City. Almeria is at Cadiz after also losing both of its games so far, while the winless Granada hosts Mallorca.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer