Manchester Derby in the Spotlight.. and Saint-Germain to Get Back on Track

In addition to the champion and last season's runners-up, newly promoted Hull have made a great start but will face a real test when they take on Chelsea, who possess great attacking power under their new coach, Spaniard Xabi Alonso.

At the bottom of the table, Fulham's tally under the other Spaniard, Álvaro Arbeloa, remains at zero points after three consecutive defeats, ahead of their difficult trip to face sixth-placed Liverpool.

Agence France-Presse highlights three main headlines for this weekend's competitions:

Haaland hungry for more

After four matches in various competitions, Maresca has made a perfect start since taking on the difficult task of succeeding Guardiola in leading City.

Although City has collected 9 full points in the Premier League, in addition to winning their Champions League opener against Portugal's Porto 2-0, this hides some performances that did not live up to expectations.

At their Etihad stadium last week, City held on for a difficult 1-0 victory against Coventry, who missed a series of chances that could have given them their first goal and first point in the top flight in 25 years.

Maresca's team also needed two goals in the final minutes to overcome Bournemouth 2-1 in the opening round of the new season.

The changes were not limited to the team's technical management during the summer transfer window, as City spent a record $623 million on new deals, including an entirely new midfield featuring the latest record signing, Argentine Enzo Fernández, Elliot Anderson, and Moroccan Ayoub Bouaddi.

While this trio might start together for the first time at Old Trafford, Norwegian striker Erling Haaland has remained a constant in City's ranks thanks to his ability to find the net.

The 26-year-old has scored five goals in four matches in various competitions, becoming the third-highest scorer in the history of the "Citizens," with 167 goals.

Haaland said, "I am very proud of these numbers, but I am still twenty-six years old, and I am still hungry for more."

In contrast, United's start did not meet expectations after achieving only one win against a draw and a loss.

Coach Michael Carrick's team has collected only four points from their first three matches, losing to Hull 0-2 and drawing with Everton 2-2, noting that they had previously beaten Ipswich Town 5-2.

Arbeloa's fate at stake

Arbeloa's (43 years old) tenure at the helm of Fulham may be short, unless the Spanish coach can lead his team to a strong reaction upon his return to Anfield.

Arbeloa has become the favorite among betting companies to be the first Premier League coach to be dismissed from his position, after three consecutive defeats.

The Spanish coach has been criticized for what was described as tactical naivety, given Fulham's reliance on an open attacking style that left their defense exposed on many occasions.

Fulham visits Liverpool, where Arbeloa previously played in the "Reds" shirt for two and a half seasons (2007-2009), before returning to host Manchester United, all before the three-week international break, which may allow the club to reconsider its decision to hire the former Real Madrid coach.

Arbeloa said, "It's not about my position, but I am very confident, and I talk to my players and I see that they are working the way I want them to."

Hull facing a test

Hull was the favorite for relegation before the start of the season, but they have become the only team in the Premier League that has not conceded a goal yet, in a perfect start to their return to the top flight.

The "Tigers'" defensive solidity will be put to a real test when they face Chelsea's strong attacking line, after Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer led a stunning second-half comeback, ending in a 6-3 win for the "Blues" over Leeds in the League Cup.

Palmer participated at the start of the second half, after Chelsea was trailing in the score, to score two goals, while Rogers provided four assists, bringing Chelsea's tally to 16 goals in five matches under Alonso's leadership.

Bosnian Sergiy Jakirović, Hull's coach, joked about his plan to stop Chelsea's attack, which also includes the brilliant Brazilian João Pedro, his compatriot Estêvão, and Portuguese Pedro Neto, "We have to kick them."

He added, "If you try to man-mark them, you won't have any chance."

French League

Defending champions and European champions Paris Saint-Germain, having started their French league season against expectations but having risen in the Champions League, hope to get back on track domestically when they visit Brest on Sunday.

Marseille, who are under pressure after occupying tenth place with 3 points from one win and two losses, visit Rennes on Friday in the opening of the fourth round matches.

The southern club, which suffered a harsh 2-3 defeat at their Vélodrome stadium against Paris FC in the last round, is going through a difficult period after having lost away from home to Monaco 1-2.

Marseille's 4-0 opening win over Strasbourg hid a dark reality, as the optimism that accompanied their first win quickly dissipated. With two losses in three matches, Marseille faces great pressure to get back on track.

Coach Bruno Génésio's men realize the difficulty of what awaits them during the coming confrontations, especially for a team that has shown some fragility.

Marseille visits fifth-placed Rennes, who have kept their record free of defeats since the start of the new season (two wins and a draw), noting that they had squandered a two-goal lead against Saint-Germain to come out with a disappointing 2-2 draw in the opener.

There are serious questions about Marseille's ability to handle the pressure this season.

In contrast, Saint-Germain also needs a strong push to regain their balance, as the European champions of the past two years find themselves in a critical situation, occupying 13th place with only two points from two draws against Rennes and Lille with the same result 2-2, and a loss to Monaco 1-2.

Monaco to maintain their perfect record

Nevertheless, it is difficult to talk about pressure on the Parisians with their huge budget and star-studded squad, as the defending champions return to Ligue 1 buoyed by their crushing victory in their first Champions League match on Wednesday against Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava (6-1), including a hat-trick by the new arrival from Spain's Barcelona, Ferran Torres.

The capital club's trip to Brest on Sunday evening provides an opportunity to return to the path of victories and correct the course.

Leaders Monaco seek to maintain their perfect record after achieving three consecutive victories, including wins over Saint-Germain and Marseille.

The Principality team has performed remarkably at the start of the season, and their match against sixth-placed Strasbourg at the Stade de la Meinau will be a real test of their ability to maintain this level.

For his part, the Alsace team regained their balance after stumbling against Marseille with a 4-0 defeat in the opening round, achieving two consecutive wins over Lens 2-1 and Troyes 6-2.

Third-placed Lyon, with 7 points, who achieved a convincing 3-1 win over Auxerre in the last round, faces an important test on Saturday at the Jean Bouin stadium against second-placed Paris FC, who have the same number of points.

The Parisian team, which has not yet been defeated (two wins and a draw), surprised everyone at the start of the season thanks to the brilliance of their Malian striker Lassine Sinayoko, who scored a hat-trick in the win at the Vélodrome stadium in the previous match.

Fourth-placed Lille, who stumbled in the Champions League on Tuesday by losing to Spain's Real Betis 2-3, hosts ninth-placed Troyes on Sunday, seeking to continue their good performance in the league.

Lille had beaten Angers 2-0 in the opener and Toulouse 1-0 in the last round, interspersed with a 2-2 draw with Saint-Germain.

As for the other matches, they feature a confrontation between bottom-placed Auxerre and Nice, Le Havre with Angers, while Lorient plays Toulouse on Saturday, and Le Mans with Lens on Sunday.

Italian League

Capital giants, leaders Roma and third-placed Lazio, aim to continue their strong performances at the start of the season, while defending champions and second-placed Inter seek to maintain their perfect record when they host Udinese on Monday in the third round of the Italian Football League.

League leaders Roma, with 9 points and ahead of Inter and Lazio on goal difference, will be guests of Torino on Monday under the guidance of coach Gian Piero Gasperini, while their fierce rivals host fifth-placed Milan today, Saturday.

Roma began their ambitious campaign this season with three victories, all by the same 4-0 scoreline against Fiorentina and Lecce, before defeating Atalanta 2-1, which earned them the top spot in the standings with a perfect record.

Despite their domestic success, Roma fell into the trap of a 1-1 draw against Turkey's Fenerbahçe in the first round of the unified league phase.

Malen's goals and Dybala's assists

The "Wolves" have been performing consistently since the start of the season under Gasperini, and a fourth consecutive victory could be within reach against Torino, who have won only once in three matches and sit in thirteenth place.

Roma is relying on the strong performance of Dutch striker Donyell Malen, who has scored five goals in three matches, in addition to the effective presence of former Argentine international Paulo Dybala, who has provided four assists.

As for the other capital club, Lazio, they hope to remain unbeaten as they have also achieved three victories, but they face a clash against visitors Milan, who have also not tasted defeat.

The "Biancocelesti" have won their first three Serie A matches for only the third time in their history, and the first since 2012.

Their new coach and former Italy international Gennaro Gattuso had found himself under great pressure since the beginning of last month, after Lazio was eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the first round following a 0-2 loss to Serie B side Mantova.

The "Rossoneri" occupy fifth place with two wins and a draw against Juventus in the previous round.

The numbers do not favor Milan, who lost to Lazio twice at the Stadio Olimpico last season by the same scoreline in both the league and the cup (0-1), but this visit comes after a summer that saw significant changes within the Lombard club.

Portuguese manager Rúben Amorim took the helm, succeeding Massimiliano Allegri, and his team almost matched Lazio's tally of nine points from their first three matches, had they not dropped two points in stoppage time last week against the "Old Lady."

Amorim, the former Manchester United manager, is aware of the pressure on his shoulders after Milan, under Allegri, failed to qualify for the Champions League this season, despite having won the premier continental title 7 times.

Inter to shake off continental defeat

While Inter started their season with three consecutive victories and a perfect record, they suffered a defeat in their continental opener in the Champions League against Spain's Real Madrid, 1-2.

Following a resounding victory over Napoli last week and a grueling European trip in midweek, the "Nerazzurri" are looking to secure another home win to continue their strong start and achieve their fourth consecutive victory.

The team coached by Romanian Cristian Chivu enters the match with high morale after their dramatic victory over Napoli at the San Siro in the third round.

After finding themselves trailing by two goals early in the second half, their captain, Argentine international striker Lautaro Martínez, sparked the comeback in the 56th minute, before Frenchman Marcus Thuram equalized in the 82nd minute.

Martínez completed the "remontada" by scoring the winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time, securing the three points for his team.

Udinese will be guests in Milan following a late 1-2 loss to Lazio, and they are well aware of the difficulty of their task to respond and regain balance, as well as testing their defensive resilience against one of the strongest attacking lines in the Italian league.