A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Friday:
ENGLAND
Arsenal is playing in the the Friday night Premier League opener for the second straight year and will be hoping for a better start to the campaign than it had last season, when it lost 2-0 at newcomer Brentford. This time, the Gunners are visiting another London club in Crystal Palace, managed by former Arsenal great Patrick Vieira. Palace beat Arsenal 3-0 at home last season, but Vieira is worried his roster is “quite a bit short on numbers” because of injuries. Arsenal, meanwhile, has looked in stellar form in the preseason with new signing Gabriel Jesus leading the attack, giving fans hope that Mikel Arteta’s team can reclaim a Champions League spot this season after finishing fifth in the previous campaign. Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who also joined from Manchester City in the offseason, are likely to make their competitive debuts for Arsenal.
GERMANY
The Bundesliga’s new season starts with perennial defending champion Bayern Munich visiting Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern has reinforced its squad strongly to compensate for Robert Lewandowski’s summer departure, and the pressure is on coach Julian Nagelsmann to deliver more than “just” the Bundesliga in his second season in charge. Bayern has won the last 10 league titles, a record. New arrivals Sadio Mané, Matthijs de Ligt, Mathys Tel and an established cadre of stars ensure Bayern is the favorite for yet another league crown. Mario Götze could face his former side on Friday. Frankfurt signed the German World Cup winner in the offseason giving him a chance to rekindle his career at age 30.
FRANCE
Lyon kicks off the league by hosting promoted Ajaccio. Under new owner John Textor, seven-time champion Lyon hopes to contend for European spots after a disappointing eighth place last season, the club’s worst finish since 1997. This summer, Lyon signed left back Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax Amsterdam, midfielder Corentin Tolisso from Bayern Munich, striker Alexandre Lacazette from Arsenal and promising youngster Johann Lepenant from Caen. Lyon will miss full back Henrique, who is suspended, as well as Maxence Caqueret, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Romain Faivre due to injuries. A poor result would put pressure on Lyon coach Peter Bosz, who is known for his attacking style but couldn’t fix the team’s defensive issues last season. A runner-up in the second division last season, Ajaccio signed two French league veterans, midfielder Thomas Mangani from Angers and forward Romain Hamouma from Saint-Etienne.
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