European Football: What to look forward to this weekend

In La Liga, Spanish giant Barcelona could see Luis Suarez return to action after he resumed training, while in Bundesliga, the top two sides RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich will face off in an enticing encounter at the Red Bull Arena.

Luis Suarez could make his Barcelona return as he took part in training on Wednesday.

Club football is back after the international break. Here's what you can expect from La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 this gameweek.

 

1) Suarez could make Barca return against Valencia in La Liga

Barcelona forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

 

Luis Suarez returned to first-team training at Barcelona on Wednesday to give head coach Ernesto Valverde hope that he could feature against Valencia on Saturday and lessen the need to rush Lionel Messi back from injury.

Suarez is nearing full fitness again after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in Barcelona's defeat to Athletic Bilbao on the opening day of the new La Liga season.

After missing Barca's subsequent 5-2 win over Real Betis and its 2-2 draw at Osasuna, the Uruguay international trained with the team in the build-up to Valencia's visit to Camp Nou to provide Valverde with a welcome boost to his attacking options.

Messi, meanwhile, had been expected to make his first appearance of the season against Valencia after recovering from a calf injury but Valverde may opt not to risk the 32-year-old if Suarez is available.

The muscle strain sustained on the first day of pre-season training has kept Messi out of Valverde's matchday squads since then, but the Barcelona coach said he hoped to have him back in time to face Valencia.

READ | Valencia appoints Albert Celades as Marcelino replacement

 

2) Juve gunning for third-straight Serie A win for fourth consecutive season

Juventus celebrating its all-important victory against Napoli in the last gameweek.

 

After defeating Napoli in its last Serie A fixture, thanks to an own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly, Juventus faces rival Fiorentina away from home. Having beaten Parma in its campaign opener, Juventus registered its second straight win on September 1.

The Old Lady has won its first three league games in each of the last three campaigns. No other team has done that, just as Juventus looks to do it for the fourth consecutive campaign.

Against Fiorentina, Juventus will miss the services of skipper Giorgio Chiellini, who has been sidelined for at least six months due to a knee injury. Mattia Perin and Marko Pjaca are also still unavailable for selection, whereas Aaron Ramsey is yet to make his Juventus debut.

Ramsey also pulled out of Wales' squad for its Euro 2020   qualifier against Azerbaijan. The 28-year-old has been recovering from a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Arsenal in April.

3) Battle of top two in Bundesliga as Bayern faces leader Leizpig

Bayern Munich is presently second in the league standings, two points below RB Leipzig.

 

Bayern will look to gain the top spot in the Bundesliga standings when it takes on current table topper RB Leipzig. With three wins in as many matches, Leipzig leads the table for the first time since matchday 13 of the 2016-17 season, and goes into the clash ahead of The Bavarians in the table for the first time.

Leipzig is already off to a promising start this season as The Red Bulls set two new club records - winning all of their first three fixtures and scoring nine goals.

Facing Bayern at its home ground, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig will face a stern test against Bayern, which now has new signing Philippe Coutinho in its arsenal.

After a disappointing 2-2 draw against Hertha Berlin, the 28-time Bundesliga champion bounced back with convincing victories against Schalke (3-0) and Mainz (6-1).

4)  Icardi could make PSG debut as Ligue 1 giant faces Strasbourg

Mauro Icardi signed for PSG on deadline day.

 

Mauro Icardi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan on deadline day, could be handed his PSG debut this Ligue 1 gameweek. It remains to be seen if he would come off the bench or be given a spot in the starting XI.

Icardi completed an initial season-long loan move to PSG with the Ligue 1 club having an option to buy for a reported €70 million at the end of this season.

On Saturday, PSG would continue to be without star players Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, who are out with injuries.

Neymar would, however, be available for selection after his move away from Paris fell through. The Brazilian international comes from national duty, having lost to Peru in an international friendly.

PSG is at the top of Ligue 1 standings with nine points from four matches and has lost none of its last 28 home games against Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

( With inputs from Opta )