Each of our five games comes from a different league this weekend, as domestic actions gets down to the weekly grind in a host of European leagues.

Once again, there’s a cracking contest to come from the Premier League which will get the weekend underway, this time with two local rivals desperate to get their campaign kickstarted in earnest. There are also standout matches from Italy, Portugal and Germany to savor. Capping things off is a clash between two Western Conference rivals in Major League Soccer.

All kickoffs are in Eastern time. Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the games!

 

Chelsea vs. Arsenal

Saturday, September 19, 7:45AM, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra

Neither Chelsea or Arsenal have enjoyed the greatest start to the season so far and you can guarantee that whichever side loses this fixture from the Premier League will edge closer to meltdown.

At least Chelsea come into this one on the back of a victory, even though it was against modest opposition in Maccabi Tel Aviv. Jose Mourinho brought a host of key players out of the side for that 4-0 hammering and it’s going to be interesting to see if he keeps faith the same XI which showed some renewed impetus on Wednesday evening or revert back to the side which lost at Everton.

Arsenal head to Stamford Bridge after a hugely disappointing away loss in the Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb secured a 2-1 win over the Gunners, who altered a lot of personnel for the trip to Croatia. After making so many alterations, there is big pressure on Arsene Wenger and his team to take three points back to north London.

It’s a fixture possessing plenty of subplots too. Wenger and Mourinho are not managers who have ever seen eye-to-eye, while Petr Cech will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since trading the Blues for the Gunners. But a win here would be the kind of result a team can build a campaign on.

 

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders

Saturday, September 19, 7:00PM, TSN and MLS Live

This is a critical contest in the race to finish top of the Western Conference, as the league leaders Vancouver Whitecaps look to stave off a resurgent Seattle Sounders side.

BC Place has been something of a fortress for the Whitecaps as of late, with four wins from their last four matches. The bedrock of this strong home form has been the defensive side of the team, not conceding a goal on their own patch since July 26; 270 minutes of playing time in total.

That record will be put to the test when they face the Sounders, who have some of the very best attacking players in the division at their disposal. After a dismal run of form, Seattle do seem to be finding their groove once again and can go to within three points of Vancouver with victory. Obafemi Martins is the man in form for the visitors, with one goal in each of his last three games.

The Cascadia rivals have already met twice this season, with the away side taking the spoils on both occasions. But with their superb home form considered, the Whitecaps will be a tough nut to crack, even for the likes of Martins and Clint Dempsey.

 

Chievo vs. Internazionale

Sunday, September 20, 6:30AM, beIN SPORTS and fuboTV

It’s second against first in Serie A this weekend, with high-flying Chievo looking to overtake league leaders Internazionale when the two square off at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.

For Chievo, the start to this campaign has been mightily impressive. Although the Flying Donkeys don’t boast any superstar players as such, they’ve already toppled Lazio—by a 4-0 scoreline, no less—and backed up wins in their first two games of the term with a draw at Juventus. Had it not been for a fortunate late penalty, they would have taken all three points from Turin.

Inter are a team who have showed their own early promise under Roberto Mancini, though. As of yet, the Nerazzurri aren’t quite clicking as an attacking unit, but they are strong in defence, difficult to pass through and seem to have forged a strong winning mentality. But that’ll be put to the test at a tough venue.

Of the two, Inter are the team most likely to launch a surprise title tilt. It means Chievo have nothing to lose, though, so expect Rolando Maran’s men to come out of the traps with attacking intent and pose big problems for their illustrious opponents.

 

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Sunday, September 20, 11:30AM, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO

The Bundesliga has been brilliant so far this season and this clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen at the Westfalenstadion has the potential to be one of the standout matches in the German top flight.

After falling off the pace last season, Borussia Dortmund are back with a bang in this one. Not only have Thomas Tuchel’s side won all four of their matches so far, they’ve done so with a swagger. BVB have bagged 15 goals in their quartet of contests to this point, with the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang running riot.

Leverkusen aren’t a bad side themselves, though, even though they have slipped up in their last two games. In fairness, the first defeat of the campaign came against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, where there is no shame in losing, but a 1-0 defeat at home to Darmstadt was a big shock for Roger Schmidt and his players.

They bounced back well in midweek with a 4-1 win over BATE Borisov, looking a lot more like their vibrant selves. But they’re going to have to up the ante again on Sunday if they’re to halt the masses of momentum which have been built up by this exceptional Dortmund outfit.

 

Porto vs. Benfica

Sunday, September 20, 2:15PM, NGSN and fuboTV

Both of Portugal’s most iconic names have started the season in magnificent form, and there’s a chance for both Porto and Benfica to steal a march on their nearest rivals when the two meet in a game known as O Classico.

Porto come into this clash with a slender advantage in the table, winning three and drawing one of their four matches so far. Julen Lopetegui’s team lost some key players this summer, but the likes of Vincent Aboubakar have really stepped up in the early weeks of the campaign to fire this team to the summit of the Primeira Liga table.

Benfica will be desperate to retain their title, though, and while they did slip up at Arouca in Week 2 with a 1-0 defeat, new manager Rui Vitoria has encouraged his team to play with freedom. The result has been 13 goals scored by the champions , meaning it’s unlikely they’ll head to the Estadio do Dragao with anything but attacking football on their minds.

Jorge Jesus’ departure from Benfica may mean there won’t be quite as many fireworks on the sidelines, but expect the Porto supporters to be in full voice for the visit of their bitterest rivals. An early blow here could be decisive for either side in the title race; the visitors’ 2-0 away masterclass in this fixture last season set them on the way to eventual glory.

 

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattJFootball