Editors' Picks: Formula 1 returns, Bayern & Liverpool facing tricky domestic tests
Here are the sporting events our editors will be making time for this weekend:
Saturday, October 19th
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC - 10:35 CET
Way back in 2005, Australia’s football landscape was changed irrevocably when the A-League kicked off its inaugural season. Fast forward 19 years, and the 20th edition of the league brings with it another new dawn.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for A-League over its extended adolescence. When the league launched, it was merely eight clubs - one of those, the New Zealand Knights (based in Auckland) no longer exists, since replaced by the Wellington Phoenix. The league now boasts 13 sides, although two other franchises have come and gone over the years.
In a moment of circularity, there is now a new Auckland-based team - Auckland FC - entering the league this season, with a Canberra side to follow. And Auckland isn’t the only shiny new toy for fans. With Juan Mata and Douglas Costa joining Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC, respectively, there is a bold new injection of star power into the competition.
The season kicked off on Friday with a Grand Final replay between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory while Auckland FC start their A-League journey against Brisbane on Saturday (06:00 CET).
However, the main event in round one will be the Sydney derby as Mata’s Wanderers host Costa’s Sydney FC in a blockbuster designed to capture the interest of an Australian sporting public now looking ahead at a long hot summer without the major football codes (Aussie Rules and Rugby League).
Forget the NRL and AFL, it’s A-League time Down Under and for European audiences looking for even more football, the matches are a great way to start the weekend, kicking off nice and early.
Pat Dempsey
Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart - 18:30 CET
Bayern Munich sit top of the Bundesliga, but it has been a tough run for the Bavarians, who are winless in their last three games.
They are still unbeaten in the league, however, and will want to get back to winning ways quickly as they look to regain the league title after Bayer Leverkusen's victory last season.
They will be without star playmaker Jamal Musiala though, who is suffering from a hip injury, but Harry Kane is fit and raring to go.
The England captain has five goals this season, and will be going up against Stuttgart's No. 9 Ermedin Demirovic, who has the same number of goals after signing for the club this summer to replace Serhou Guirassy.
It has been a mixed start to the campaign for Stuttgart. Their 5-1 win against Borussia Dortmund was the standout moment, but they have drawn three of their six games and sit in eighth.
A positive result against the team they pipped to second last season could be the confidence booster they need to really get up and running.
Tolga Akdeniz
Sunday, October 20th
Liverpool vs Chelsea - 17:30 CET
New head coaches Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca have enjoyed impressive starts at Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, with both sides sitting inside the Premier League top four after the opening seven games of the season.
The Reds occupy top spot going into this weekend’s round of fixtures, having made a seamless transition under Slot. Several players such as Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch and Luis Diaz have all rediscovered their best form while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah continue to prove their class at either end of the pitch.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have recovered from an inconsistent start to the campaign to go seven matches unbeaten across all competitions. New boss Maresca has a spectacular array of attacking talent to choose from, with Cole Palmer one of the best players in the world on current form and Nicolas Jackson firing on all cylinders up front.
Home advantage could be key for Liverpool in such a heavyweight contest, however, both sides will be confident of securing a statement result ahead of a busy 21-day period going into November’s international break. Anfield awaits, so make sure you tune in!
Danny Clark
United States Grand Prix - 21:00 CET
After a month away, Formula 1 is back for six races that will determine the winner of the 2024 championship, and first up is one of the best on the calendar.
The United States Grand Prix, held in the Texan city of Austin, is one of the few that combines a vibrant atmosphere off-track with a circuit - the Circuit of the Americas - that can always be relied upon to produce thrilling racing.
Max Verstappen fought off Lando Norris to claim victory last year and will be desperate to do so again with the Dutchman heading to the Lone Star State leading the McLaren man by just 52 points after failing to win any of the last eight races - that's his longest drought since 2020.
Whether he can end that drought will largely depend on how much Red Bull have managed to improve their car over the autumn break, and the effectiveness of the upgrades brought to Austin by them and McLaren will go a long way to determining who's crowned world champion, so the moment that it emerges how fast each car is will be a huge one.
There's also a sprint race the day before the main event and a (sort of) new driver on the grid in the form of Liam Lawson, who has replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB, so it's set to be a racing weekend full of talking points.
Finley Crebolder