Elsewhere on the Golazo starting XI, Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent start strong for Americans in Europe




The opening weekend of Premier League action delivered plenty of good news for the title contenders, while European action takes center stage midweek as a handful of teams inch closer to booking their spots in the UEFA Champions League. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest as the European club game is back in full swing.
The Premier League's heavy-hitters started the season on a high over the weekend, with title hopefuls Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal each winning their opening matches. The performances were mixed, though, and it's unclear whether or not it was down to some lingering preseason rust or sign of trouble ahead.

City were easily the most impressive of those three with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with Erling Haaland scoring a brace and newcomers Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki bagging one each in their Premier League debuts. It was a very strong start for a new version of City, Pep Guardiola's side hoping to craft a redemption arc after falling short in the title race last season. Stiffer tests lie ahead for City, but the fact that they managed an uncomplicated, dominant performance without the likes of Rodri and Josko Gvardiol in the lineup is a very early signal that this summer's rebuild may be a successful one.

Liverpool, meanwhile, offered a stark reminder of their imbalance with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday and Arsenal survived an off day with their 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday. The Gunners pulled from a familiar playbook by scoring the game's lone goal off a corner but they conceded 22 shots and had a passing accuracy around 76% percent, their lowest totals in either category since a 2-2 draw against City in September 2022. New No. 9 Viktor Gyokeres also had a nondescript Premier League debut, taking zero shots as Arsenal's attack took a back seat at Old Trafford.

The big surprise of the weekend, though, took place at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as Sunderland notched a 3-0 win over West Ham in their first top flight match in nearly a decade. The Black Cats marked their Premier League return in style and as Chuck Booth wrote, Saturday's performance outlined the path forward as they attempt the uphill battle of surviving relegation.

Booth: "Despite only holding possession for 37% of the match, Sunderland were able to score in different ways, taking advantage of set plays and counterattacks. Simon Adingra showed why he was a smart addition from Brighton, adding an assist, and players who helped get Sunderland to this point, like Danny Ballard, played critical roles in their success. … For Sunderland, a fast start is critical since nothing is better than points out of the gate. Facing Burnley in their next match, the Black Cats have every chance to start life back in the Premier League with six points from two matches. That would be already 15% of the way to the 40-point target for safety with only 5% of the season played so far."

The last seven league phase spots in the UEFA Champions League will be up for grabs over the next two weeks, with 14 teams competing in the final round of qualification before next week's draw.

Three previous Champions League winners – Benfica, Celtic and Crvena zvezda – make the cut, as do Scottish giants Rangers and Bodo/Glimt, who became the first Norwegian to reach the semifinals of any European competition last season when they were one of the last four teams standing in the UEFA Europa League. The two-legged ties will be played over the course of this week and next, with the aggregate score winner of each series advancing to the league phase. Here's a look at the matchups.

Ferencvaros vs. Qarabag
Crvena zvezda vs. Pafos
Bodo/Glimt vs. Sturm Graz
Celtic vs. Kairat
Basel vs. Copenhagen
Fenerbahce vs. Benfica
Rangers vs. Club Brugge

The headlining act of Tuesday's first legs takes place in Glasgow, where Rangers host Club Brugge in a battle between two European regulars. After two successive trips to the Europa League round of 16, Rangers hope to reach the Champions League for the first time since the 2022-23 season while Club Brugge aim to return to the competition after surprisingly beating Atalanta to reach the round of 16. Crvena zvezda will also host Cyprus' Pafos on Tuesday, while Qarabag's trip to Ferencvaros rounds out the day's schedule.

Tuesday is merely a preview for the biggest tie of the round -- Fenerbahce vs. Benfica. Almost exactly 25 years after Benfica handed a 37-year-old Jose Mourinho his first managerial role, the accomplished coach will be tasked with leading Fenerbahce to the Champions League by getting one over on his former club. Fenerbahce have had to take the long road in the hopes of reaching the Champions League, beating Robin van Persie's Feyenoord 6-4 on aggregate in the previous qualifying round. Even without Mourinho's personal connection, the stakes are high for a Fenerbahce team targeting their first Champions League campaign since 2008-09, but that did not stop the manager from talking a big game after beating Feyenoord last week.

Mourinho: "I think [Benfica would prefer] Feyenoord. They know we're stronger, they know it won't be easy for them. But let's go. I want to play, the fans want to play, the players want to play. It's important financially, it's important in terms of prestige. But we're playing against great teams, Feyenoord and now Benfica, it's not an easy playoff. But honestly, I think Benfica isn't happy."

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