The Euro Preview: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus begin title defenses
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus all open their title defenses, but will a new champion emerge in their respective leagues?
La Liga
Real Madrid opens up their title defense without Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been suspended for five games after shoving the referee in his team’s Spanish Super Cup first leg last Sunday in a 3-1 victory against rivals Barcelona. While Real shined, Ronaldo’s antics served as a distraction as the club embark on a new season. The Ronaldo ban means he missed Wednesday’s second leg along with four league games, including Sunday’s season-opener against Deportivo La Coruna.
The Super Cup’s second leg on Wednesday proved another thrilling affair. Without the Portuguese superstar, Real Madrid still managed to defeat Barcelona, this time by a score of 2-0. In less than two years at the helm, Real coach Zinedine Zidane has led the club to two Champions League titles and the 2016-17 league title. Zidane adds the Spanish Super Cup to his resume after Real Madrid defeated Manchester United, winners of the Europa League, to win the European Super Cup earlier this month.
Barcelona will again serve as Real’s biggest contender for the title. While Barcelona remain a team loaded with stars, the loss of Neymar to PSG has left the team with a hole in attack. Lionel Messi remains at the top of his game, but his partnership with Luis Suarez and the Brazilian made Barcelona’s attack one of the strongest in the world. It remains to be seen whether the Catalan giants will pick up any big names with two weeks left in the summer transfer window. In addition, team captain Andres Iniesta is out with a leg injury and likely to miss Barcelona’s opener Sunday at home against Betis.
The Liga season officially opens Friday night with two matches: Leganes vs. Alaves and Valencia vs. Las Palmas.
Bundesliga
While Real Madrid dominate Spain, the question in Germany is whether any team can topple Bayern Munich. The answer seems to be no, but Borussia Dortmund, and American superstar Christian Pulisic, are likely to be the ones fighting Bayern for the Bundesliga title. Bayern Munich open the season Friday at home versus Bayer Leverkusen, a tricky first match for the defending champions.
With Bayern already cemented as their country’s best team after winning the past five consecutive league titles, RB Leipzig, who finished second last season, are also likely to put on another strong season. While RB Leipzig will have to do double duty on both the domestic front and in the Champions League, the team are also prepared to take on Bayern. They open the season on the road Saturday against Scahlke 04.
Another team to keep a close eye on this season is Hoffenheim, who finished a surprise fourth last season. They take on Werder Bremen on Saturday at home.
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Serie A
Italy’s top flight is all about Juventus. Winners of the last six straight titles, Juve open up their title defense Saturday at home against Cagliari. The Old Lady’s 3-2 loss to Lazio this past Sunday in the Italian Super Cup left coach Massimiliano Allegri reeling with anger. His players know that anything but a win to open up the new season will be seen as a negative step towards winning the title again.
Napoli, who finished third last season, have a strong roster and did little on the transfer market this summer. Their fast-paced attack, which features midfielder Marek Hamsik and speedy wingers Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, is the envy of teams across Europe. Napoli, 2-0 winners on Wednesday against French side Nice in the opening leg of their Champions League qualifying match, open up their Serie A season Saturday on the road versus Verona.
Other notable matches that take place Sunday include: Atalanta hosting AS Roma, Inter Milan versus Fiorentina in Milan and Torino on the road against Bologna.