Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United vs. Tottenham and a Madrid Derby headline huge weekend

Happy Friday, everybody! We have Bayern Munchen vs. Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid in La Liga to look forward this weekend. I am Jonathan Johnson getting you set for the next few days of action.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, September 27
🇮🇹 Serie A: Milan vs. Lecce, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Championship: Plymouth Argyle vs. Luton Town, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

Saturday, September 28
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Newcastle United vs. Manchester City, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Udinese vs. Inter, 6:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Championship: Leeds United vs. Coventry City, 10 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munchen vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

Sunday, September 29
🇮🇹 Serie A: Roma vs. Venezia, 9 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Napoli vs. Monza, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇸 La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇩🇪 Mammoth Bayern vs. Leverkusen showdown in Bundesliga

This weekend sees Bundesliga’s top two going up against each other with leaders Bayern Munchen hosting second-placed defending champions Bayer Leverkusen at Allianz Arena on Saturday. Vincent Kompany’s home side are three points clear with four wins from a possible four for 12 points while Xabi Alonso’s visitors have already lost once and sit on nine points which makes this one fairly important as far as a fledgling German title race goes. The Bavarians have absolutely blasted their opponents so far with 16 goals scored and just three conceded across their four outings while Die Werkself are not far behind in terms of goals scored but are far less solid in defense having conceded three times as many goals. 

It will be a good first real test for Kompany, who has so far seen his side overcome Wolfsburg, third-placed Freiburg, Holstein Kiel and Werder Bremen with two of the three conceded goals coming in that opening game against the Wolves. Alonso’s side have admittedly faced tougher opponents with it being no surprise that their loss came against RB Leipzig, and their wins over Borussia Monchengladbach, Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg arguably more impressive than Bayern’s. These are the games which can prove decisive for the Bundesliga title, though, and a six-point gap at this this early stage could already be insurmountable in terms of the titleholders defending their crown.

Bayern’s Harry Kane is already leading the scoring charts with five German topflight goals while Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is in hot pursuit on four. However, there is a chasing pack of Victor Boniface, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala on three goals apiece which suggests that we could be treated to a bit of a goal feat in Munich come Saturday. Leverkusen still average more shots per game than Bayern and both sides like to dominate possession so expect a close-fought and entertaining spectacle in this one with the winners arguably holding the early advantage in the title race come the end of the weekend.

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🔗 Midfield Link Play

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 United vs. Spurs headlines EPL action

Sunday’s meeting between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League brings together two midtable clubs with both managers not being where they want to be so far this season. The Red Devils are 11th while Spurs are 10th with Ange Postecoglou’s side four goals better off than Erik ten Hag’s men thanks to their more prolific attack. A win for either side gets them back into the European reckoning but a defeat could bring fairly hefty consequences for both managers — especially the Dutch tactician who remains in a state of constant pressure at Old Trafford which a midweek UEFA Europa League draw with Twente will not have helped while Tottenham were seeing off Qarabag despite Radu Dragusin’s early red card. Francesco Porzio checked in on both teams.

• United: “Erik ten Hag’s side are the favorites to win the tournament, but things are not looking good after the 1-1 draw against Twente in their opening game in the competition. Despite the opening goal of Christian Eriksen, the away side managed to find the equalizer with Sam Lammers at Old Trafford and showed once again how this team can’t be consistent during the season.”
• Spurs: “Despite the 3-0 win of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham at home against Qarabag, former Genoa man Radu Dragusin was sent off seven minutes into the game. Dragusin becomes the first player to be sent off on his debut in major European competition for Tottenham, while his seventh-minute red card is Spurs’ earliest from the start of a major European match.”

Both sides need the points here and you could argue that United possibly need them even more as a home loss to another European hopeful from a similar position in the table could prove problematic for Ten Hag given the slow start to the season and the midweek result. When you factor in tricky games against Aston Villa and Brentford as well, it is not likely to get much easier for the Dutchman while Postecoglou will at least fancy a win over West Ham United although Brighton and Hove Albion is likely to prove to be a trickier task.

🔗  Top Stories

🚫 Preston’s Milutin Osmajic charged for biting by FA: Blackburn’s Owen Beck was allegedly bitten and both players received red cards, but a longer ban could be coming Osmajic’s way if found guilty.

🧤 Wojciech Szczesny to Barca? Why the retired former Juventus keeper might be tempted by a new challenge as Szczesny’s retirement is only few months old with Mark-Andre ter Stegen injured for a long time.

🤬 Ex-USMNT player Tab Ramos on American talent development: ‘The coaching has to be better‘ said Ramos as the latest guest on Kickin’ It, CBS Sports Golazo Network’s interview show.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bet

• La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid, Sunday, 3 p.m. ET
  💰 THE PICK: Daw and both teams score (+300) — Sunday’s Madrid Derby will impact the La Liga summit with Barcelona clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid with a gap which could grow to seven points. Atletico are two points behind Los Blancos and could overtake Carlo Ancelotti’s men with a win at Estadio Metropolitano. Kylian Mbappe has already been ruled out of this one and the defending champions are unbeaten in almost a year since their last defeat which was against Atleti. There is little separating these two sides with two points and three goals between them and the hosts’ defense stronger than their visitors’ back line. Mbappe missing out is not a good thing for Real but Endrick and Rodrygo will get greater minutes to show Ancelotti what they can do and Vini Jr. does not  have to fight to compete as much given. This injury as well as Jude Bellingham’s recent issues hint that Real could be in danger of losing their main stars before Christmas. It comes at a frustrating moment for Mbappe, though, who is still finding his feet in the Spanish capital after a slower than expected adaptation period. Getting used to La Liga has proven more challenging — especially on the road — than many anticipated while teammates like Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr. have had to get used to the France star as well as Rodrygo and Endrick. The Brazilian pair can benefit as Mbappe’s absence likely means improved game time for them and a chance for Ancelotti to test out other options.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page. 

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday,): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and co. cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.

Don’t miss CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.