The Euro Preview: Barca, Juve, Dortmund look to remain undefeated
With Champions League action behind them, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus look to remain undefeated in their respective domestic leagues.
La Liga
What Barcelona crisis? With all the controversy surrounding Neymar’s move to PSG and Barcelona’s seemingly inept summer transfer deals, the Catalan giants remain undefeated in the league and in first place with nine points after three games. Barcelona, 3-0 winners on Tuesday against Juventus after Lionel Messi tallied twice, will put their perfect La Liga record on the line Saturday when they plays Getafe on the road. Barcelona are off to a very strong start with Messi and Luis Suarez in top form. Barca’s defense and midfield, which let them down last season, have upped their game this year. In the end, it could result in trophies for Barcelona.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have had a few blemishes this season. They even lost budding star Marco Asensio in their Champions League match against Apoel Nicosia (a game it won 3-0) with an infected pimple he picked up while shaving his legs. Over three La Liga rounds, Real find themselves in seventh place with just five points.
After being handed a five-match ban after pushing a referee last month against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has just one more Liga game to sit out when they travel to Real Sociedad this Sunday. Real Sociedad, also in first place with nine points and who lead the league in goals scored with 10, are led by Diego Llorente. The former Real Madrid center-back will be reunited with his former teammates at Madrid after he signed a five-year deal with the Basque club this summer.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich are going through a crisis. Despite a 3-0 victory against Anderlect on Tuesday to start their Champions League campaign, their inconsistent play in the Bundesliga and internal player turmoil has been a cause for concern for coach Carlo Ancelotti and Bayern fans.
Just three matches into the season and the team has yet to put together a convincing victory. Making matters worse, the team lost last Saturday to Hoffenheim 2-0. It has the chance on Saturday to make things right when Robert Lewandowski and his teammates host 13th-place Mainz at Allianz Arena.
Borussia Dortmund, in first place and undefeated after three games, host Koln on Sunday to close out matchday 4. The team led by Christian Pulisic will be looking for its fourth straight win as it tries to distance itself from two other teams with the same record (Hoffenheim and Hannover 96) and Bayern Munich, who are at six points. Meanwhile, Hannover 96 host Hamburger SV, while Hoffenheim are at home Sunday against Hertha Berlin.
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Serie A
Juventus may be strong domestically, but they’ll need to get over their loss to Barcelona if they wants to keep rolling in Serie A. They had a tough time this past Saturday, defeating Chievo Verona 3-0 but were only able to put the game away after Paulo Dybala entered the match in the second half. The defense, the team’s biggest strength the past few years, continues to have problems. Offensively, Juve have scored 10 goals in three games, their most-prolific start since the 1981-82 season. Juventus will look to win again Sunday at Sassuolo.
The other two teams currently at the top of the table, Inter Milan and Napoli, also have a busy matchday 4. Inter Milan are on the road Saturday against Crotone. Napoli, licking their wounds after they were stunned Wednesday by Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in the Champions League, host Benevento Sunday in the first-ever Campania derby in the top flight between these two clubs.
AC Milan, 4-1 losers to Lazio last weekend and currently in seventh place, host Udinese on Sunday in another banana peel of a match. Another loss could plunge the team into the middle of the table, a horrible proposition after the Rossoneri were touted by some as favorites to the title after spending heavily during the summer transfer season.