Europe

Chelsea's returning striker Romelu Lukaku is in line to make his second debut for the club in Sunday's London derby against Arsenal, manager Thomas Tuchel said.

Lukaku was not involved in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday as he was observing coronavirus protocols after travelling from Italy to re-join the club from Inter Milan.

The 28-year-old returned to Chelsea in a reported 97.5 million pounds ($135 million) move seven years on from his departure after helping the Serie A side to their first league title in 11 years last season.

The Women’s International Champions Cup returns on Wednesday, giving us a rare glimpse of how the best club sides in Europe match-up with the NWSL elite. This year’s tournament boasts the defending UEFA Women’s Champions League winner, Barcelona, and the most recent NWSL champ, the Portland Thorns. 

There’s not long now until our new overlords are all assembled. 

Paris Saint-Germain got its second straight victory to open the season on Saturday afternoon at the Parc des Princes, but the side was still without new signings Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and the recovering Neymar and Ángel Di María. 

But they were all in the building, and Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Donnarumma, Ramos and Messi were presented to the home support before the match. It was an unbelievable scene, and the reception for Messi . . . well, just watch.  

There’s life without Lionel Messi in Barcelona, but if it continues in the same vein as Sunday’s 4-2 win over Real Sociedad, it’s going to be a batshit crazy existence. 

VIGO, Spain - Atlético Madrid began their LaLiga title defense with a 2-1 win away to Celta Vigo on Sunday thanks to two strikes from Argentine forward Ángel Correa although the game ended with a mass brawl and a player from each side was sent off.

Luis Suárez began the game on the bench and Correa took full responsibility for the team's attacking duties, firing Atlético ahead midway through the first half after a marauding run from Thomas Lemar.

Germany great Gerd Müller, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest goal scorers and nicknamed "Der Bomber”, has died at the age of 75, his former club Bayern Munich said on Sunday.

Müller scored 68 goals in 62 international games for West Germany, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, and is third in the all-time list of most goals in the competition with 14 goals behind Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16).

He also won the European championship in 1972 with them.

PARIS — Lionel Messi watched on from the stands as Paris Saint-Germain made hard work of beating Strasbourg 4-2 in Ligue 1 on Saturday to continue their winning start to the new season.

Not yet fully fit, Messi, along with Neymar and fellow new recruits Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos, did not make the match squad, but saw his new club take an early lead through Mauro Icardi at Parc des Princes.

Lionel Messi is presented to the PSG fans

Borussia Dortmund is thanking its lucky stars that Erling Haaland didn’t leave the club this summer as the Norwegian God did unspeakable things to Frankfurt during a 5-2 victory on Saturday.

Haaland was involved in all five of Dortmund’s goals bagging a brace and having a hat trick of assists.

The 21-year-old set up Marco Reus for the first goal after dribbling the ball down nearly half of and slipping it through to the Dortmund veteran.