SOCCER
Real Madrid and Manchester City lead the way: Which teams have had the best starts in Europe?
Most of the top European clubs have now played three matches and there are some familiar names at the top of the ‘big five’ leagues.
The 2023/24 season is only a few weeks old but already there are some familiar names leading the way in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues.
Of the teams to have played three league fixtures, Real Madrid and Manchester City are the only two to pick up the maximum nine points. Strangely, both teams have the exact same records with six goals scored and one conceded in their opening fixtures.
Spanish midfielder Rodri scored a late winner for Manchester City on Sunday. He told reporters after that the team has done well to bounce back from a Community Shield defeat to win their first three league fixtures.
“It is a good start, after losing one final and winning the other one, the team is great,” he said. “The rhythm is quite good. Three games, three victories, we have to keep going.”
Rayo Vallecano are yet to play their third game of the season and will draw level with Madrid at the top of LaLiga if they continue their winning run when they take on Atletico Madrid on Monday night.
Monaco and Marseille are level at the top in France having both secured seven points from their opening three fixtures. As it stands, Monaco’s ten goals in three matches gives them the edge on goal difference.
Bayern and Union impress in Bundesliga
It is no surprise to see Bayern Munich leading the way in Germany, but the positive start made by Union Berlin is a little less expected. Union overperformed last season to secure Champions League qualification and they have started 2023/24 in the same vein.
Bayern Munich have added England striker Harry Kane to their squad and the former Tottenham Hotspur man has impressed from the start. Kane has three goals and one assist in his first two games as his new side have put defeat in the German Super Cup behind them.
Bayern Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and SC Freiburg are also on six points after two Bundesliga games, but have a worse goal difference than Union and Bayern.
In Italy, the other top European league to start a week late, there are three teams who have picked up maximum points from the opening two fixtures. AC Milan top the table, ahead of reigning champions Napoli and Verona on goal difference.
When does the Champions League start?
With the major European leagues back in action after the summer break, eyes will inevitably turn to the start of the 2023/24 Champions League campaign.
The final games of the Champions League qualification play-off round will take place on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 August, meaning that we will soon know the identities of the 32 teams in the group stage.
The draw for the group stage will take place on Thursday 31 August and is due to begin at 6:00pm local time in Monaco. For fans in the United States, that’s 12:00pm ET or 9:00am PT.
We’ll have live coverage of the Champions League draw right here on AS USA. Coverage will begin around an hour ahead of the event.
The first round of Champions League group stage fixtures will take place on 19-20 September. The group stage will conclude on 12-13 December with the final round of fixtures.