5 games to watch: 1-3 September 23

Another weekend is almost upon us, but which matches are the ones to pay close attention to when following the action on Superbru Football?

Here are Mike De Mesmaeker's 5 games to watch:



Borussia Mönchengladbach have the unenviable task of trying to stop the current free scoring champions Bayern Munich as they welcome them to Borussia Park this weekend. Harry Kane seems to be loving life with the Bavarians and will be looking to extend his scoring streak with his new club.

However, the reason this match is interesting is that Bayern just can't seem to beat Gladbach at the moment! In fact, Bayern are winless in their last 6 meetings with Borussia Mönchengladbach across all competitions and you’d have to go all the way back to May 2021 before you find a win for Bayern over this weekend's opponents.

Personally, I have to feel that with Tuchel at the helm and Bayern using the combination of Kane, Sane and Gnabry, they should end the hoodoo and pick up another win in the already unbeaten start they have to the season but it will be interesting! My prediction: Gladbach 1-2 Bayern. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)



A mouthwatering prospect coming up this weekend in the Serie A as last season's champions and runners-up meet early in the season. This is definitely a tale of contrasting fortunes in 2023/24 though as Napoli carry a 100% record so far this season coming into this game while Lazio sit three places off the bottom with consecutive losses. Last season, we saw an away win in both meetings between these two as Matias Vecino scored the only goal in this fixture.

Kvicha Kvaraskhelia could be ready to start for Napoli after coming off the bench and registering an assist last weekend as he recovers from injury, while star striker Victor Osimhen will be looking to maintain the champions unbeaten start to this year’s campaign. Lazio have had a very surprising start to this season but count them out at your own peril. Something has to start going right for them and this game could well be that catalyst so I'm going with a slight upset - a 2-2 draw. Saturday: 19:45 KO (UK)



Footballing rivalries don’t get much bigger than the Old Firm between these two sides, and recent form suggests this game really could go either way. Rangers are fresh off a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of PSV in the Champions League qualifiers, meaning they failed to qualify for this season’s competition, but Celtic have been far from convincing themselves. A far cry from the side we saw clinch the domestic treble last season thus far, Celtic were held to a goalless draw at home against St Johnstone last weekend and were knocked out of the League Cup the week before by Kilmarnock.

For both sides, there's obviously no better way to get a season going properly than with victory against their biggest rivals. Don't forget that due to safety concerns when these sides meet, it has again been agreed that no away fans will be allowed entry into the stadium meaning this weekend will see stands filled with only Rangers fans. With that in mind, I'm wondering if Rangers might have enough to outmuscle a struggling Celtic side despite their poor showing in the champions league qualifier. My prediction: 2-0. Sunday: 12:00 KO (UK)



The burning question on every Liverpool fan's mind, do they or don’t they start man of the moment Darwin Nunez after his scintillating off the bench showing against Newcastle last weekend. Liverpool are anything but short in the front with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo having both been preferred to Liverpool's number nine of late, but could that change this weekend?

Despite their thrashing at the hands of Newcastle on the opening day of the season, Aston Villa have been in fine form and Unai Emery and co. will be coming into this game with nothing but 3 points on their mind. They’ve found real confidence under the new head coach and have been playing some amazing football. Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins will be wanting to find the scoresheet again this weekend and show the premier league big guns that Villa mean business.

In the last 7 meetings between these sides, Liverpool have won 5, with 1 draw and the only loss being the 7-2 nightmare Liverpool suffered back in 2020. A lot will be riding on the midfielders for Liverpool in this game if they’re going to take anything from this fixture in my opinion, and with Virgil Van Dijk missing through suspension I certainly have some doubts when making this pick, but I think the hosts will just about take it 2-1. Sunday: 14:00 KO (UK)



Arsenal will be looking to make a big statement this weekend with a victory against what has so far looked to be a fairly average and far from convincing Manchester United side. That said, a disappointing draw for the Gunners against Fulham will leave them feeling like they have questions of their own to answer, with the spotlight particularly on Mikel Arteta's attempts to get new signing Kai Havertz into an effective system.

This fixture comes at a very interesting time ahead of the international break as it should give us a good indicator of where each team really is ahead of the upcoming months. Arsenal will feel buoyed by the news that Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Mason Mount will all miss the game this weekend through injury, but Man Utd have something to build on having fought back from two goals down to win 3-2 against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

The Gunners have not lost at home to the Red Devils in almost six years and should contend better with the big-game atmosphere in my opinion. My prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United Sunday: 16:30 KO (UK)

Which games are you most looking forward to this week?