Osasuna, Sevilla open La Liga new season today
Estadio El Sadar will host the opening match of the 2022-23 La Liga campaign, with Osasuna welcoming Sevilla to Pamplona on Friday night.
Osasuna finished 10th in Spain’s top flight last season, securing a fourth successive campaign at this level of football, while Sevilla were fourth, which has now been the case in each of the last three seasons.
Osasuna were promoted back to La Liga for the 2019-20 campaign courtesy of winning the Segunda Division in 2018-19, and they have managed to consolidate in the top flight once again, finishing 10th, 11th and 10th in their last three campaigns at this level of football.
Los Rojillos were 12 points behind seventh-place Villarreal last season but will again be looking to battle for a top-half finish, and it has been a relatively busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings.
Osasuna have also been active in terms of pre-season friendlies, playing seven matches in total, winning their last three against Feyenoord, Burgos and Mirandes, so confidence should be high ahead of their return to competitive action on Friday night.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barcelona to begin on positive note as they welcome Vallecano
After a tumultuous 2021/22 season that saw them go trophyless and extend their wait for the La Liga title to three seasons, Barcelona will look to begin their new season on a positive note when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to the newly remanded Spotify Camp Nou.
The hosts have enjoyed a productive summer that has come with the additions of Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde to their squad.
Although they have been unable to register any of the players as yet, there remains optimism within the Barca camp following the impressive pre-season outings that saw them win five out of their seven friendlies, including a 1-0 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The aim will now be to turn their pre-season form into league performance as they look to regain their lost supremacy in La Liga.
A win here will see them extend their record of 12 wins in season openers across the last 13 LL campaigns; something that Xavi will be keen on achieving as he looks to build early momentum in the race for the La Liga title.
Credit: football.com
Chelsea welcome London rivals Tottenham Hotspur
One of the standout fixtures on the Premier League calendar will take place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea welcome London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Both London rivals go into this game week two clash on the back of wins against Everton and Southampton, respectively and will be hoping for another positive result in this capital clash.
Chelsea remain a work in progress and continue to pursue transfer targets before the deadline.
The Blues will enter this contest in fine form when it comes to head-to-head meetings with Spurs, having won five consecutive games against their north London rivals.
Tottenham will arrive at Chelsea in confident mood, with Antonio Conte’s side topping the early table after a 4-1 thrashing of Southampton on the opening weekend.
After a strong end to last season and solid summer of recruitment, there is optimism at Spurs that the club can enjoy a successful season.
If either team loses this match, it’s a massive step in the wrong direction. Neither Chelsea nor Tottenham Hotspur can afford to suffer defeat this weekend.
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Arsenal aim at back-to-back wins as they host Leicester City
Arsenal will aim to begin the 2022-23 Premier League season with back-to-back wins as Leicester City visit the Emirates Stadium for Saturday afternoon’s match.
The Gunners kicked off the new campaign with a 2-0 victory away to Crystal Palace, while the Foxes threw away a two-goal lead against Brentford to draw 2-2.
Arteta has affirmed that his side are still hoping to be active in the transfer market before the window closes, but the core of the current Arsenal crop ought to feel confident of getting the job done against a Leicester side whose summer business has been virtually non-existent.
As for Leicester, Rodgers did not pick up any fresh injury woes at the weekend and has since allowed Hamza Choudhury to leave for Watford on loan, but the club have been dealt a devastating blow with Ricardo Pereira and is set to spend six months recovering.
Brendan Rodgers has hinted that his side’s lack new purchases has been down to those higher up rather than his managerial decisions, and the priority for the next few weeks will likely be warding off interest in James Maddison, Wesley Fofana and Youri Tielemans.
With Saliba and Zinchenko providing some added steel to the Arsenal defence, the Gunners are well-placed to put another three points on the board this weekend, especially if Arteta has every single one of his players available.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
AC Milan host Udinese AS Serie A kick-starts
The 2022-23 Italian Serie A season gets underway on Saturday with reigning league champions AC Milan hosting Udinese. The home team is looking to kick off the new season with a bang after winning their final six straight matches to end last campaign.
They host a Udinese team that finished toward the middle of the Serie A table last season but has looked strong in the preseason.
Milan’s run to the Scudetto last season was incredible. The team won 26 out of 38 games, and lost just four out of those 38. And while it’s true that Inter Milan were down after selling Romelu Lukaku and Juventus just weren’t the same without Cristiano Ronaldo, you simply don’t put up the kind of record Milan did without playing at an incredibly high level.
They open against an Udinese team that has some potential, but Milan will be expected to take all three points to kick off their title defense.
Credit: cbssports.com
