"Saint Germain" Records First Victory
The second round of the Italian Serie A kicks off on Friday with a match between Milan and their visitors Venezia, one of the three teams promoted to the top flight this season. Milan secured a deserved 2-1 victory over hosts Torino in the opening round, and their new Portuguese manager, Ruben Amorim, hopes to secure a win in his debut appearance in front of his team’s fans at the San Siro stadium.
On Saturday, Juventus will face Parma. Juventus won their opener 1-0 against newly promoted Frosinone, but manager Luciano Spalletti said after that start that his team needs to deliver more, expressing dissatisfaction with the performance in the club’s first appearance of the season. Meanwhile, Parma lost to Cagliari in the opening round and are looking to make amends in a tough matchup. In other matches, Sassuolo will host Torino, Frosinone will visit Fiorentina, and Monza will face Udinese.
In France, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain aim to extend their winning streak when they travel to face Lille in the opening match of the second round of the French Ligue 1.
The Parisian side, led by Spanish manager Luis Enrique, are trying to regain their balance after inconsistent performances and results this season. They began the campaign by winning the UEFA Super Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over English club Aston Villa, but then suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lens in the French Super Cup.
PSG started their Ligue 1 title defense with a narrow 2-2 draw against Rennes. Trailing by two goals, they were rescued by new signing Ferran Torres, who joined from Spanish club Barcelona, scoring a brace after coming on as a second-half substitute to earn the draw.
In contrast, Lille began their league campaign with a 2-0 win over Angers. They are bolstered by the ambition of their young manager Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti, manager of the Brazil national team, as well as the experience of veteran striker Olivier Giroud, who scored the team’s first goal of the season. The midfield duo also provides energy, featuring Algerian international Nabil Bentaleb and promising talent Ethan Mbappé, brother of Kylian Mbappé, the star of Real Madrid, captain of the French national team, and its all-time top scorer.
Five matches are scheduled for Saturday, the most anticipated being Strasbourg against Lens. Other fixtures include Brest versus Toulouse, Lyon against Le Havre, and Lorient versus Troyes.
