MATCHDAY: Everton looks to extend unbeaten start

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2020 (2170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A look at what’s happening around European soccer on Sunday:

ENGLAND

Everton plays away at Southampton looking to maintain the league’s only unbeaten record but the leader could be without playmaker James Rodriguez. Southampton will have midfielder Stuart Armstrong available again after having the coronavirus, but on-loan Theo Walcott is not eligible to face his parent club. Arsenal and Leicester meet after both losing in the Premier League last weekend but then making winning starts in the Europa League. Arsenal is unbeaten in the Premier League at home in 2020 and Mikel Arteta will be hopeful of having both Willian and Dani Ceballos fit again. Jamie Vardy could return up front for Leicester. Newcastle is at Wolverhampton Wanderers after collapsing to lose to Manchester United last weekend.

ITALY

Former AC Milan and Italy World Cup-winning teammates Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi face each other as coaches when Gattuso’s Napoli meets Inzaghi’s Benevento. Gattuso will be looking for a reaction from his squad after Napoli was upset by Dutch club AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Europa League. After storming to the Serie B title under Inzaghi, Benevento has won two of its first four matches in the top division. Nine-time defending champion Juventus is still without Cristiano Ronaldo — who is recovering from the coronavirus — when it hosts Hellas Verona.

SPAIN

Real Sociedad and Villarreal seek wins to return to the top of the Spanish league after Real Madrid moved ahead of them by beating Barcelona. Sociedad hosts Huesca looking for a third consecutive win, while Unai Emery’s Villarreal visits a Cádiz side that upset Madrid last weekend. Villarreal striker Paco Alcácer is tied with Barcelona’s Ansu Fati as the top scorers in the competition with four goals each. Also, Getafe hosts a Granada side flying high after beating PSV in its Europa League debut. Valladolid seeks its first win at home against Alavés.

GERMANY

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Andrej Kramaric remains sidelined by a coronavirus infection as Hoffenheim takes on Werder Bremen with both teams able to move into the Champions League places with a win. The Croatian forward started the season for Hoffenheim with six goals in three games, including two in a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich. Wolfsburg has drawn all four of its league games so far and hosting promoted Arminia Bielefeld is a good opportunity to earn a first win.

FRANCE

Lille is the only unbeaten side in the league after Angers surprisingly won at Rennes on Friday, but the northern side needs a win to overtake Paris Saint-Germain at the top. That is because PSG thrashed last-placed Dijon 4-0 on Saturday for a sixth straight league win. Coach Christophe Galtier’s Lille has conceded the least amount of goals but the defence faces a strong test at fifth-place Nice. Elsewhere, Lyon hosts Monaco with both sides anchored in mid-table after making inconsistent starts.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports