A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Wednesday:
GERMANY
The first Klassiker of the season arrives as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund play for the rescheduled German Super Cup. Bayern is struggling with fixture congestion after shrinking its squad following the Champions League triumph and leaving coach Hansi Flick with few options to rotate the lineup. Playing 120 minutes against Sevilla in last week’s UEFA Super Cup didn’t help as Bayern lost 4-1 to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Flick has been urging the club to make new signings before the window closes Oct. 5. Dortmund surprisingly lost 2-0 to Augsburg on Saturday despite having 71% of possession. No fans will be allowed at the Super Cup game in Munich owing to the comparatively high local infection rate for coronavirus.
ENGLAND
Manchester United returns to Brighton for a League Cup fourth-round match after winning at the south-coast stadium in the Premier League on Saturday thanks to a penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time. But both teams will look very different. Brighton manager Graham Potter changed his entire starting lineup for victories over Portsmouth and Preston in the two previous rounds. Manchester City's League Cup defense continues at Burnley. Pep Guardiola looks set to turn to his youngsters again in the cup. Liam Delap, who scored against Bournemouth in the previous round last week, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Tommy Doyle, Cole Palmer and Felix Nmecha could get chances. American Zack Steffen is again set to play in goal, while Aymeric Laporte and Oleksandr Zinchenko could get some game time to help build up fitness. Everton hosts West Ham in another all-Premier League meeting. Newcastle is at fourth-tier side Newport.
SPAIN
Real Madrid goes for its second victory in a row when it hosts winless Valladolid, with Eden Hazard possibly making his season debut after regaining his fitness following an injury. Coach Zinedine Zidane will not be able to count on Toni Kroos because of a muscle injury. Luis Suárez could make his first start for Atlético Madrid after impressing off the bench in the 6-1 win against Granada on Sunday, four days after he joined from Barcelona. Atlético will visit promoted Huesca, which is winless in its return to the first division.
ITALY
Three Serie A matches that were postponed from the opening round -- because they involved teams which played deep into last season -- will be played. Europa League finalist Inter Milan visits Serie B champion Benevento in what amounts to a derby for Benevento coach Filippo Inzaghi, who won two Champions League titles as a player with AC Milan. Also, Lazio hosts Atalanta in a matchup of two of last season’s surprises, with both sides having qualified for the Champions League. Spezia, which won the Serie B playoff to reach the top division, visits Udinese.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The final three places in the 32-team Champions League lineup will be decided with the completion of the qualifying playoff round. Salzburg and its American coach Jesse Marsch can make the group stage for the second season in a row if they complete a win at home against Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Salzburg leads 2-1 from the first leg when Maccabi was missing several players who tested positive for COVID-19. Russian club Krasnodar was eliminated at this stage last year by a Greek club, Olympiakos, but this year holds a 2-1 lead from the first leg against another Greek opponent, PAOK Thessaloniki. Danish club Midtjylland and Czech club Slavia Prague are poised at 0-0 ahead of their second leg in Denmark.
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A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:
GERMANY
Bayern Munich can seal a record 10th consecutive Bundesliga title in style with three games remaining with a victory at home over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. Bayern is hoping to continue its strong record against Dortmund after winning their last seven encounters. In Europe’s top five leagues, Bayern is tied for the record of nine consecutive titles with Juventus, which won Serie A every season from 2012 to 2020. For Dortmund, Erling Haaland ended a goal drought by scoring twice against Wolfsburg last week amid speculation over his future. Elsewhere, Leipzig hosts Union Berlin for the second time this week after winning their German Cup semifinal, and Champions League-chasing Freiburg hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bayer Leverkusen visits last-placed Greuther Fürth, Eintracht Frankfurt takes on Hoffenheim, and Cologne plays Arminia Bielefeld.
PSG's Kylian Mbappe, center right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoJeremias Gonzalez)
FRANCE
Paris Saint-Germain is just one point away from sealing a record-equaling 10th league title. With five matches left to play this season, Mauricio Pochettino’s players have the opportunity to wrap up their dominant campaign in front of their home fans against Lens at the Parc des Princes. PSG has a 15-point lead over Marseille and can be crowned even if it loses against Lens on the condition that Marseille does not beat Reims on Sunday. PSG is set to move level with Saint-Etienne, which won its 10th title in 1981 and is fighting to stay up this season. Only two of PSG's previous titles — in 1986 and 1994 — were conquered before Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG in 2011 with the aim of turning it into a world-class club. Also, Saint-Etienne hosts in-form Monaco and Montpellier travels to Lyon.
ENGLAND
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoDave Thompson)
Manchester City can move four points clear of second-placed Liverpool in the back-and-forth Premier League title race with a home win over relegation-threatened Watford. A victory for City would put pressure on Liverpool ahead of its Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday. More intrigue this weekend might lie in the race for Champions League qualification, with two candidates meeting at Emirates Stadium when fifth-placed Arsenal hosts sixth-placed Manchester United. Arsenal is tied on points with fourth-placed Tottenham, with United three points back. Tottenham visits Brentford in a match between Christian Eriksen's past and present clubs. Last-placed Norwich is eight points from safety heading into a home match against Newcastle, and Leicester hosts Aston Villa in the other game.
SPAIN
Real Betis and Valencia play the final of Spain’s Copa del Rey in Betis’ hometown of Seville. The match will be at Estadio La Cartuja, a neutral ground where Spain’s national team played its group phase matches for last year’s European Championship. Valencia will be seeking its ninth Copa del Rey after winning No. 8 in 2019. Betis’ second and last cup title came back in 2005. The winner will also earn a Europa League berth.
ITALY
Inter Milan forward Edin Džeko could bring up a century of Serie A goals by scoring twice against his former club as the defending champion hosts Roma. Džeko has a total of 98 goals in the Italian league — 13 for Inter this season and the rest in five years at Roma. A win would send Inter to the top of Serie A, with current leader AC Milan playing at Lazio on Sunday. Inter will also be buoyed after beating Milan 3-0 midweek to reach the Italian Cup final. A win could reignite Roma’s challenge for a Champions League berth. Atalanta has seen its hopes of a top-four finish evaporate following a run of three straight defeats and it visits relegation-threatened Venezia. Two other sides battling the drop, Sampdoria and Spezia, travel to Hellas Verona and Torino respectively.
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