Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a win over Porto, powered by two Erling Haaland goals in a hard-edged contest. Real Madrid also started with three points, beating Inter 2-1 in Madrid. Carlos Augusto scored for Inter, but costly early mistakes by Curtis Jones and Josep Martinez proved decisive. Lautaro Martinez was Inter’s only Serie A nominee for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Juventus were dealt a serious blow after Manuel Locatelli underwent knee surgery that could sideline him for five to six months. Jeremie Boga is out for several weeks with a thigh strain, while Khephren Thuram and Kenan Yildiz are among those expected to miss several months, leaving Juventus with only three central midfielders available despite a strong start of back-to-back Serie A wins. Jakub Piotrowski will also undergo heart surgery to correct a benign arrhythmia.

Napoli head into their Champions League meeting with Arsenal under pressure after consecutive Serie A defeats and with midfield numbers badly stretched. Massimiliano Allegri said Napoli are down to four midfielders after also losing Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa. Giovanni Di Lorenzo insisted Arsenal come at the right time for Napoli. Arsenal’s usual pre-match press conference was canceled because the team had not yet arrived in Italy.

Roma, though, received a lift before facing Fenerbahce, with Devyne Rensch returning from injury and named in the squad. In England, Newcastle tied Lewis Hall to a new multi-year deal after interest from Manchester United, while Liverpool completed what was described as the biggest shirt sponsorship agreement in the club’s history.