International Football: It’s kick-off time again in England, Spain, and France

It’s back! The English, Spanish and French leagues return this weekend. Three weeks after the Jupiler Pro League, the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1 are finally kicking off again — much to the delight of football fans.

The stakes are high. Will Liverpool manage to keep their Premier League crown? In La Liga, Real Madrid cannot afford to let Barça claim the title for a second year in a row. And in Ligue 1, can anyone stop PSG’s dominance after their recent Champions League victory?

The Parisians, who lost the last FIFA Club World Cup final to Chelsea, had only a short break and will start their season in Nantes with just two weeks of preparation.

Here’s a look at the main storylines in these three leagues that will keep us hooked all season long. Perfect to help you bet smartly on the best bet online site in Belgium: GoldenVegas Sport.

Premier League: A big match from the start

The off-season was tough for the defending champions. Liverpool barely had time to celebrate their 20th title before tragedy struck: striker Diogo Jota died in a car accident. The whole country is in mourning.

A minute of silence will precede all first-round matches in tribute to Jota and his brother André Silva, who also died in the accident. The Reds will want to beat Bournemouth for them — and to secure back-to-back titles for the first time in four years.

As usual, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United will be ready to pounce. And speaking of United, they face Arsenal straight away at Old Trafford in a clash that will keep everyone on edge. After a disastrous 15th-place finish last season, the Red Devils went big in the transfer market.

Despite racking up €1.5 billion in losses over the past decade, the club spent €240 million this summer on three players: Benjamin Sesko (Leipzig, €80m), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford, €81m) and Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton, €73m). The goal: win their first Premier League title since 2013.

Just months after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham (1-0), Manchester cannot afford a slow start — and neither can Arsenal. Who will take this first showdown, and who will already be among the early disappointments after Matchday 1? We’ll find out this Sunday around 8 p.m.

*Odds are subject to change. End of event: August 17, 5:30 p.m.

Real or Barça for La Liga?

Further south in Europe, Spain will once again be gripped by the head-to-head between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Last season, it was Hansi Flick’s Blaugrana who took the honours.

On the domestic front, the Catalans swept everything — the league, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup — always at the expense of their Madrid rivals. Unsurprisingly, Florentino Pérez, president of the Casa Blanca, couldn’t let that slide.

Carlo Ancelotti didn’t survive such a record and has left to take charge of the Brazilian national team, just one year before the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Xabi Alonso, a former Santiago Bernabéu resident, has taken his place on the bench, fresh from winning the 2024 Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. The new coach got a taste of his role at the FIFA Club World Cup, even though PSG knocked them out in the semi-finals.

For Kylian Mbappé’s second season, Real are under pressure to win La Liga. The capital club also secured centre-back Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth for €60 million.

In what promises to be another thrilling and tightly contested duel, can Atlético Madrid join the title race? Will Villarreal, Bilbao, or Valencia spoil the party? Or could Sociedad pull off a shock like in 2001, when the Basque side stunned everyone by beating their rivals to the title? It’s up to you to guess who will lift the La Liga trophy.

*Odds are subject to change. End of event: August 15, 8:30 p.m.

In Ligue 1, who will succeed Ousmane Dembélé?

Unlike the Premier League and La Liga, there’s less suspense in Ligue 1. PSG should, barring a surprise, claim a fifth consecutive title. Lille, the last team other than PSG to win the league in 2021, is unlikely to challenge for the trophy after selling their goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier to the Paris club.

The real question is: who will be the top scorer? Last season, Ousmane Dembélé and Mason Greenwood were tied with 21 goals each, but the Frenchman took the crown over the OM player thanks to having scored fewer penalties.

This season, both are expected to battle for the top spots again. But competition will be tougher with the return of some former stars. Thirteen years after leaving France, Olivier Giroud has returned, signing with Lille.

Georges Mikautadze, who played in Belgium and our Jupiler Pro League, will no longer have to share playing time at Lyon with Alexandre Lacazette, who has moved to Neom in Saudi Arabia.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, meanwhile, returns from the Gulf to Marseille. At 36, can the Gabonese striker still find the back of the net regularly? Predicting who will finish as Ligue 1’s top scorer is no easy task.

*Odds are subject to change. End of event: August 15, 8:45 p.m.

To celebrate the return of the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1, enjoy a BetXtra when betting live on these leagues.