Fixture lists for the opening weekend have already taken over football discussions on social media.

When does the Serie A season begin?
Unlike other top European leagues that open on a Friday, Italy’s Serie A will get underway on Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Bundesliga start date
The German Bundesliga is set to begin on Friday, August 22, 2025, with champions Bayern Munich hosting RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena.

Friday, August 15, 2025

Premier League

• 21:00 WAT — Liverpool vs AFC Bournemouth

La Liga

• 19:00 WAT — Girona vs Rayo Vallecano
• 21:30 WAT — Villarreal vs Oviedo

Ligue 1

• 20:45 WAT — Rennes vs Marseille

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Premier League

• 13:30 WAT — Aston Villa vs Newcastle
• 16:00 WAT — Brighton vs Fulham
• 16:00 WAT — Tottenham vs Burnley
• 16:00 WAT — Sunderland vs West Ham
• 18:30 WAT — Wolves vs Manchester City

La Liga

• 19:30 WAT — Mallorca vs Barcelona
• 21:30 WAT — Alaves vs Levante
• 21:30 WAT — Valencia vs Real Sociedad

Ligue 1

• 17:00 WAT — Lens vs Lyon
• 19:00 WAT — Monaco vs Le Havre
• 21:05 WAT — Nice vs Toulouse

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Premier League

• 15:00 WAT — Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
• 15:00 WAT — Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
• 17:30 WAT — Manchester United vs Arsenal

La Liga

• 17:00 WAT — Celta Vigo vs Getafe
• 19:30 WAT — Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla
• 21:30 WAT — Espanyol vs Atlético Madrid

Ligue 1

• 15:00 WAT — Brest vs Lille
• 17:15 WAT — Angers vs Paris FC
• 17:15 WAT — Auxerre vs Lorient
• 17:15 WAT — Metz vs Strasbourg
• 20:45 WAT — Nantes vs Paris Saint-Germain

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Arsenal have officially completed the signing of Spanish midfield maestro Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal reported to be worth £60 million, making him Mikel Arteta’s second summer acquisition.

The Gunners confirmed the long-anticipated move on Tuesday, revealing that the 26-year-old has penned a five-year contract at the Emirates. Zubimendi’s switch had been in the pipeline since the tail end of last season, with final agreements now concluded.

Arsenal had been keen on securing the midfielder’s services as early as last summer, identifying him as a long-term replacement for Jorginho and Thomas Partey, both of whom are leaving the club after entering the final year of their contracts.

 

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Reports suggest Mikel Arteta played a pivotal role in ensuring the deal materialized. Arteta reportedly convinced Zubimendi to hold off on a move until the 2025 window, assuring the player of his importance to Arsenal’s midfield rebuild.

The deal also follows last year’s £31.6 million acquisition of Zubimendi’s former Sociedad teammate Mikel Merino, who is believed to have influenced his decision to reunite with him in North London.

Arsenal had initially pursued both players simultaneously, but Sociedad were unwilling to sanction a double exit in one window.

Zubimendi’s arrival follows the signing of Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea for £5 million. Arsenal are also expected to finalise the £15 million move for Brentford captain Christian Norgaard, while an approach for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke is reportedly being prepared.

 

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Zubimendi, a product of Real Sociedad’s academy, made 236 appearances for the La Liga side, carving out a reputation as one of the most composed and intelligent deep-lying midfielders in Europe.

Speaking on his move, Zubimendi expressed excitement at joining Arsenal:

“This is a huge moment in my career. It’s the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are.
I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.”

He will wear the No. 36 shirt and is expected to join up with the team for pre-season training in the coming days.

 

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised the signing:

“Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. He will fit in really well and has all the attributes to be a key player for us.”

Sporting director Andrea Berta added:

“We’re very happy to welcome Martin to Arsenal. He’s a top target we’ve worked hard on, and his ability and mentality align perfectly with our ambitions.”

Zubimendi’s arrival marks another bold step in Arsenal’s mission to build a title-winning side under Arteta, and fans will be eager to see the Spaniard in action as the Premier League campaign edges closer.

Welcome to The Arsenal, Martin Zubimendi 😍

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 6, 2025

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Arsenal are on the verge of securing the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, according to a report. The Gunners, who have been actively seeking a new midfielder this summer, have intensified their efforts to strengthen their squad in recent days.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal and Merino have reached an ‘agreement in place’ regarding personal terms, with the transfer fee being the last hurdle to overcome. Real Sociedad is aiming for a deal exceeding £25 million for Merino, who is in the final year of his contract. Verbal negotiations between the two clubs are ongoing.

Merino played a key role off the bench for Spain during their Euro 2024 triumph, notably scoring the decisive goal in the final minute of extra time against hosts Germany in the quarter-finals. The 28-year-old has been capped 28 times by La Roja at the senior level.

Having joined Real Sociedad from Newcastle United in 2018, Merino has made an impressive 242 appearances for the Basque club. Arsenal values his extensive experience, which has been a significant factor in their pursuit.

Initially, Arsenal showed interest in Merino’s teammate Martin Zubimendi, who was also linked with Manchester United and Liverpool. However, Zubimendi has remained committed to staying at Real Sociedad.

So far this summer, Arsenal has made three senior signings, including making David Raya’s loan from Brentford permanent and acquiring Riccardo Calafiori and young goalkeeper Tommy Setford.

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PSG manager Luis Enrique has expressed no reservations about substituting Kylian Mbappe early in the upcoming Champions League clash against Real Sociedad.

During a press conference held on Monday prior to the return leg against Real Sociedad in the Champions League last 16, Luis Enrique disclosed his willingness to withdraw Mbappe early in the game, a strategy that he has employed in recent Ligue 1 fixtures.

Asked “Are you going to manage Kylian Mbappe in the same way in the Champions League?”, Luis Enrique replied: “Yes, of course, why not?”

Since his impressive 90-minute performance and goal in the first leg against Real Sociedad, which PSG won 2-0, Kylian Mbappe has seen limited playing time in full Ligue 1 matches. Despite coming off the bench to score in a victory over Nantes, Mbappe was substituted after 65 minutes in the subsequent 1-1 draw with Rennes and then at half-time in the goal-less stalemate against Monaco over the weekend. These developments coincide with Mbappe’s decision to depart PSG in the summer.

Although Mbappe has yet to confirm his destination club, speculation heavily favors a move to Real Madrid. In the meantime, the 25-year-old remains focused on achieving success in his final Champions League campaign with his hometown team. Additionally, Mbappe is reportedly eager to represent France at the Olympics on home soil before embarking on his new journey abroad.

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Here is every piece of information regarding the 2023–2024 champions league season that football fans should be aware of, including the kickoff time, clubs that have qualified, where the finals would be held, and many more.

On June 27, 2023, the UEFA Champions League will start. Other than the confirmed clubs, this date is for teams competing for a position in the champions league.

For this qualifying stage, important dates include:

Draw:

Preliminary round: June 12, 2023
First qualifying round:June 20, 2023
Second qualifying round: June 21, 2023
Third qualifying round: July 24, 2023
Play-off round: August 7, 2023

• When games would be played:

Preliminary round semi-finals: June 27, 2023
Preliminary round final: June 30, 2023
First qualifying round: 11/12 and 18/19 July 2023
Second qualifying round: 25/26 July and 1/2 August 2023
Third qualifying round: 8/9 and15 August 2023
Play-offs: 22/23 and 29/30 August 2023

UEFA has officially confirmed that the group stages of the 2023/2024 competition will kick off in September 2023. Teams would be put into different groups in a draw held on 31 August 2023.

• Fixture dates for the champions league are:

Matchday 1: 19/20 September 2023
Matchday 2: 3/4 October 2023
Matchday 3: 24/25 October 2023
Matchday 4: 7/8 November 2023
Matchday 5: 28/29 November 2023
Matchday 6: 12/13 December 2023

The Champions League finals will be hosted on June 1, 2024, at the 90,000-capacity London Wembley Stadium in England, according to UEFA. The finals were hosted at this stadium not for the first time; they were also held in 2011 and 2013.

The full list of teams assured a spot in the 2023–2024 champions league is as follows:

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has stated that the club wants to keep Ansu Fati and that the player wants to stay as well.

Ansu Fati has been linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer, but club president Laporta has reiterated that the club wants to keep the player beyond the current season and that the player wants to stay at the Catalan club.

Speaking to TV3, Laporta said: “Ansu Fati is a player we want at the club, and he wants to stay at Barca too.”

The Spanish international, who has fallen out of favour at Barcelona under Xavi this season, is apparently a target for a number of Premier League teams, including Manchester United. According to reports, the Catalan club was even considering trading him to Wolves in exchange for Ruben Neves.

The recently crowned La Liga winners’ next game is against Real Sociedad in La Liga on May 20.

Despite recent rumours regarding Ansu Fati’s future, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has affirmed the club has “great aspirations” for the player.

Fati has been one of the highest-rated young players in Europe for the past number of years but has not played as much football as expected for Barça this season, making just seven La Liga starts.

Under manager Xavi Hernandez, the young player is now below players like Raphinha and Gavi in the pecking order.

The Spanish international’s lack of playing time has sparked speculation about his long-term future with La Blaugrana, according to reports.

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Real Madrid have denounced the report claiming away shirts are banned from the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of their Copa del Rey clash with Atletico Madrid.

Ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal matchup at the Bernabeu versus city rivals Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid released a strong statement. Los Blancos have retaliated against a Marca report that claimed the team had banned away jerseys in their stadium.

Real Madrid also offered up an explanation as to why they have only allocated Atletico 334 tickets for the match. The Spanish champions say this is the same amount they will receive for the second leg of the tie at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in a week’s time.

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“This information is categorically and entirely incorrect. Real Madrid has never refused entry to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium to fans wearing away team jerseys. This has always been the case, as we have seen in every match held in our stadium, and this will continue to be the case,” the club said in a statement.

“Regarding the number of tickets that Real Madrid has made available to Atlético de Madrid for this upcoming match, our club would like to clarify that the number of tickets made available to Atlético de Madrid is the same number that Real Madrid receives when visiting the Metropolitano stadium.”

Los Blancos face two crunch matches in the space of four days at the Bernabeu. Madrid welcome Atletico in the Copa del Rey on Thursday and then host an in-form Real Sociedad side in La Liga on Sunday.

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Erik ten Hag was overjoyed with teenager Alejandro Garnacho, who scored the game-winning goal in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Thursday night.

The Argentine forward gave the Red Devils the lead in the first half with a fantastic goal, but they were unable to get the second goal they needed, and the 1-0 victory they earned put them in second place in the group.

There were plenty of positives, though, most notably Garnacho who scored his first goal for the Manchester United first team and looked impressive doing so.

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Ten Hag is glad that the 18-year-old is proving he can cut it with the first team, especially with a trio of forwards struggling for fitness at the moment.

‘We made a really good goal with Garnacho,’ Ten Hag told BT Sport. ‘We need options, we ave probnlem there, Antony, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho not available.

‘I’m really happy with that performance and I hope he can keep the process going. He was a threat, he scored a goal, he was reliable defending. If he can keep this going, I’m really happy.

‘It was a great finish. It was a great attack, from David de Gea, Bruno, Ronnie and a great finish. It was really enjoyable.’

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After Thursday night’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Real Sociedad for Manchester United, Chris Sutton slammed Bruno Fernandes for his remarks on Alejandro Garnacho.

The 18-year-old put up a strong display and scored the winning goal for United in Spain, but it wasn’t enough to keep Erik ten Hag’s team from finishing second in Group E. As a result, they will have to compete in a playoff in February in order to advance to the Europa League last-16.

Speaking after the win over Real Sociedad, Fernandes accused Garnacho of limiting his first-team opportunities because of a bad attitude during the team’s preseason campaign.

‘He was good but he knows we expect a lot from him,’ Fernandes said of Garnacho after United’s win over Real Sociedad.

‘Obviously he’s still really young, he’s doing really well.

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‘At the beginning of the season he was not at his best. In the [pre-season] tour he didn’t have the best attitude that he should have, and that’s why he didn’t get his chances until now.

‘He’s getting his chances because he’s training better, he’s got a different attitude and he’s deserving his chances.’

When asked about Fernandes’ comments on Garnacho, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton told BT Sport: ‘Totally unnecessary.

‘The message which I think Erik ten Hag wants coming out of Manchester United is that it’s harmonious.

‘I was really surprised at that. He could’ve used different language.

Garnacho had a brilliant game tonight, he was the one real threat Manchester United had. I don’t get that from Bruno. He’s better than that.’

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Bruno Fernandes addressed Alejandro Garnacho’s attitude issue after Manchester United defeated Real Sociedad in their last Europa League group stage game.

Fernandes acknowledges that Garnacho’s attitude problem hindered his start of the season for Manchester United.

On Thursday night, Garnacho scored his first goal as a senior for United, helping Erik ten Hag’s team defeat Real Sociedad 1-0 in the Europa League.

Ten Hag revealed last week that he was dissatisfied with the 18-year-attitude old’s during the team’s preseason training, which may explain why the winger has made few appearances for United this season.

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Fernandes has now backed up Ten Hag’s assessment of Garnacho’s problems inside United’s dressing room and believes the midfielder did not deserve to start matches until he showed signs of improvement.

‘He was good but he knows we expect a lot from him,’ Fernandes told BT Sport after United’s win over Real Sociedad.

‘Obviously he’s still really young, he’s doing really well.

‘At the beginning of the season he was not at his best. In the [pre-season] tour he didn’t have the best attitude that he should have, and that’s why he didn’t get his chances until now.

‘He’s getting his chances because he’s training better, he’s got a different attitude and he’s deserving his chances.’

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In training on Wednesday, Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay had a bit of fun with Alejandro Garnacho as he stole the young teammate’s hat and kicked it out of training.

Garnacho appears to have a bright future at Old Trafford. The kid scored twice in the FA Youth Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest and was named the club’s coveted Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year in May.

After putting in a strong performance on his complete debut against Sheriff, the Argentine will now be hoping for more first-team time.

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Despite receiving his first senior start for United in last week’s 3-0 Europa League victory over Sheriff Tiraspol, highly regarded adolescent Garnacho has been brought back to earth on the training pitch.

As the players were put through their paces on Wednesday morning, The Football Daily cameras spotted McTominay on camera removing Garnacho’s hat and kicking it away.

Scott McTominay may have a personal vendetta with hats 😂 pic.twitter.com/xFt85yG2fI

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 2, 2022

The Red Devils are at Real Sociedad on Thursday in the Europa League and must win by two clear goals to top Group E.

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has explained the main reason he substituted Antony at half-time of Manchester United’s victory over FC Sheriff in the Europa League.

 Ten Hag has refuted claims that he replaced Antony against FC Sheriff at halftime as a result of his theatrics in the first half.

The Red Devils won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Thursday to maintain their chances of winning their Europa League group. If they defeat Real Sociedad the following week, they will avoid a play-off against a Champions League drop-out in February.

However, Antony caused a stir when he executed his signature double 360-degree drag-back manoeuvre before overshooting a pass straight out of play while the scores were still locked at 0-0.

The Brazilian was branded ‘embarrassing’ and ‘ridiculous’ by pundits Paul Scholes and Robbie Savage at half-time, with the latter suggesting Ten Hag should have taken off his winger.

Though the United manager says his decision was pre-planned and unrelated to his former Ajax charge’s showboating, Antony had actually been withdrawn and replaced by Marcus Rashford when the players emerged from the tunnel at halftime.

Asked if Antony’s spin had influenced the substitution, Ten Hag told BT Sport: ‘No, no. It was more or less planned. If we were [winning], I wanted to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford close together, that was one of the reasons.

‘Also to bring another dynamic over to the right side. I thought over the left side Alejandro Garnacho was playing quite well and he had a real threat in his actions, really good tempo dribbles, so that was good to see. So it [Antony’s withdrawal] was more or less planned.’

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Asked at his post-match press conference if he liked the skill, Ten Hag replied: ‘I don’t have a problem with that as long as it’s functional. So from him I demand more: more runs in behind, more often in the box, more tempo dribbles especially and more playing in the pocket.

‘So we demand more dominance in this game and when, now and then, there is a trick like that it is nice as long as it’s functional, you’re not losing the ball and it’s attracting players, then it’s okay. But if it’s a trick for the sake of a trick, then I will correct him.’

Despite Ten Hag’s justification, United icon Scholes was adamant that Antony’s needless showboating contributed to the substitution.

Reacting to the Dutchman’s explanation, he responded: ‘[He said] more or less. I think it will have had a little bit of something to do with it.

‘I think you saw his reaction on the bench, I think it frustrated him. I just don’t know what it achieves. This crowd – and me – we love a bit of showboating, a bit of entertaining, but does that do anything for anybody? Does it do anything for himself? I don’t know what it achieves.’

Ten Hag also rejected suggestions his side needed to be more clinical in the first half, instead feeling they needed to commit more men forward: ‘I don’t know if that’s the words, it was more to bring more numbers in, to get behind the defending line of the opponents and especially the occupations of positions in the box.

‘And that was what we could do better and I think the examples are the second and third goal. We had more in the box, we occupied the positions and that is what we have to do more and where we need to improve.’

On needing to beat Real Sociedad next week by two goals, he added: ‘We are confident, we know what we have to do. That crazy penalty that we conceded in the first game, we have to deal with that, so that means we have to win by two goals difference.’

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