Derby Day, and a Weekend of Homecomings

Carrick meets Guardiola as the Manchester derby returns to Old Trafford

• Michael Carrick's United host Pep Guardiola's City at Old Trafford. Carrick played in plenty of these fixtures himself; now he takes his place in the derby dugout as a manager. Kick-off is late on Sunday evening in England, closing out the round.
• Three enormous centre-forwards are involved: Benjamin Šeško, signed from RB Leipzig, Matheus Cunha, who arrived from Wolves, and Erling Haaland. Šeško and Haaland both stand 195cm and both hit the ball cleanly off either side, while Cunha offers the extra wrinkle of dropping in to link play before finishing himself.
• In midfield, Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte have to decide where to meet the carrying of Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden. City's back line features Marc Guéhi, who joined from Crystal Palace, with Gianluigi Donnarumma behind him after his move from PSG.

Three Japan internationals at Selhurst Park as Maeda visits Kamada and Tomiyasu

• Oliver Glasner has Daichi Kamada and Takehiro Tomiyasu at Palace; Ipswich have Daizen Maeda. Kamada arrived via Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt, Tomiyasu via Bologna and Arsenal, and Maeda crossed from Celtic. Just having the three of them on one team sheet is reason enough to tune in.
• Maeda came up through Mito Hollyhock, Matsumoto Yamaga and Yokohama F. Marinos, winning the J1 golden boot along the way. His pace is close to absurd and he never stops pressing, which sets up a genuine problem for the flanks Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell like to attack.
• Palace lead with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah, with Adam Wharton dictating from deeper. Ipswich have Julio Enciso and Chuba Akpom to hurt them, but everything hinges on where they can get at Wharton and Jefferson Lerma.

Le Normand and Sørloth return to Anoeta, where Kubo is waiting

• Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sørloth both left Real Sociedad for Atlético, so this is a double homecoming. One is a EURO 2024-winning centre-back born in France, the other a 196cm Norway striker who lives off hold-up play and aerial duels. The reception they get at Anoeta is part of the story.
• Takefusa Kubo is the axis of the Sociedad attack. He draws defenders in with that low centre of gravity and his left foot, then hurts you with a through ball or a shot off the cut inside — and unpicking a Diego Simeone block is exactly the kind of puzzle he was built for. Keita Kita, a graduate of FC Tokyo's academy, is also in the squad.
• Atlético can pick from Julián Álvarez, Ademola Lookman, Lee Kang-in and Canada's Jonathan David up front. The question is how much of the ball Imanol Alguacil's side, led by Mikel Oyarzabal, can keep for themselves.

Rennes vs Marseille, a fixture stacked with ex-players on both sides

• Rennes field Brice Samba, Quentin Merlin and Valentin Rongier, all with Marseille on their CVs. Marseille answer with Nayef Aguerd and Amine Gouiri, both former Rennes players. Whichever way you look at it, someone is facing an old employer.
• Franck Haise's Rennes accelerate the moment Ludovic Blas or Sebastian Szymański can turn. Habib Beye's Marseille hold the base with Quinten Timber and Geoffrey Kondogbia, leaving Igor Paixão and Neal Maupay to attack the space behind.
• It is a late Friday night kick-off in France. Rennes have two Poland internationals down the right in Szymański and Przemysław Frankowski, while Timothy Weah covers enormous ground on the Marseille right — that duel should set the tone early.

Ueda and Giroud give Lille two very different No.9s against promoted Troyes

• Lille can call on Japan's Ayase Ueda and Olivier Giroud, France's all-time leading scorer. Ueda is all movement in the box and runs in behind after his goal-heavy spells at Cercle Brugge and Feyenoord; Giroud, at 193cm, changes games with his back to goal and in the air. How Bruno Génésio uses them — separately or together — is the first thing to watch.
• Ethan Mbappé anchors the creative side of midfield. Unlike his brother he operates centrally, a left-footer who sets the rhythm through technique and ball retention. His connection with Hákon Arnar Haraldsson and Dylan Bakwa decides what kind of service reaches the strikers.
• Stéphane Dumont's Troyes are built on well-travelled professionals such as Ismaël Ben Boura, formerly of Le Havre and Lens, and Togo's Delmann Karim, who has played for Lorient and Feyenoord. Their evening depends on shutting down the Lille flanks that Tiago Santos and Romain Perraud push high.

Sano and Mito line up on opposite sides at the Philips Stadion

• Kodai Sano of PSV and Shunsuke Mito of Sparta could end up on the same pitch. Sano reached Eindhoven via Fagiano Okayama and NEC Nijmegen and contributes at both ends; Mito is a 164cm left winger who came over from Albirex Niigata. Two very different profiles, which is exactly why the matchup appeals.
• PSV goalkeeper Nick Olij and midfielder Sven Mijnans both spent time at Sparta Rotterdam, so the Philips Stadion hosts a reunion for two men who know the visitors well.
• PSV have Ivan Perišić, Paul Wanner and Ricardo Pepi to lean on. Sparta will likely spend long spells defending around Bruno Martins Indi, hoping Mito's cut-inside runs or Casper Terho's drive on the right can produce something on the break.

Itakura's Ajax travel to Sittard, where Ihattaren faces his old club

• Ko Itakura, the first Japanese player in Ajax history, marshals the back line. At 188cm he wins his duels and reads danger early, habits built over three seasons as a Bundesliga regular at Borussia Mönchengladbach. He can also drop into midfield, which gives Ajax options depending on how Fortuna set up.
• Fortuna's Mohamed Ihattaren was the prodigy of PSV's academy, a left-footed playmaker whose career took him to Juventus and Ajax before this attempt at a restart. Facing Ajax again, the question is how much of that left foot he can put on show.
• Fortuna's defence includes Indonesia international Justin Hubner, who has a spell at Cerezo Osaka behind him. Ajax simply have more individual quality — Marc-André ter Stegen, Julian Brandt, Kasper Dolberg — so the game becomes a test of how long Sittard can hold their shape.

Kobe vs Kashima on Friday night, with Osako facing the club that made him

• Yuya Osako made his name at Kashima Antlers, so this is a homecoming for the Kobe number ten. His hold-up play, sharpened over years at Werder Bremen and 1. FC Köln, runs straight into Naomichi Ueda, a centre-back who combines real pace with power. That duel will decide where the game is played.
• Left-back Katsuya Nagato is another ex-Kashima man, and his left-footed delivery and long throw give Kobe an extra route to goal. Kashima counter with Rikuto Hirose, who used to play for Kobe — both sides therefore have a full-back facing a former club.
• Kashima build around Gaku Shibasaki, who spent seven seasons in Spain, and the combative finishing of Yuma Suzuki. Kobe answer with Yoshinori Muto and Gotoku Sakai, and the whole thing kicks off on Friday evening in Japan to open the round.

Mito host Kawasaki, and goalkeeper Rui Yamaguchi returns to an old club

• Kawasaki goalkeeper Rui Yamaguchi spent time at Mito Hollyhock, so he returns to a former club. He is a reflex-based keeper with an unusually long throw that turns defence into attack in one motion, and with Japanese-French roots and four languages he is also the side's communicator.
• Mito's Kishin Gokita came through Kawasaki Frontale's U-18 side and now faces the club that raised him. At 184cm he shields the ball well and shoots hard off a sharp turn, and he already knows this stadium from a designated-player spell with Mito during his university days.
• Kawasaki carry two club institutions in Akihiro Ienaga, the 2018 J.League MVP, and long-serving forward Yu Kobayashi, with Yasuto Wakizaka and Kento Tachibanada running the middle. Mito lean on Yasuki Kimoto, who knows J1 from Cerezo Osaka and Nagoya Grampus, and on Kashima academy graduate Tasuku Funabashi to launch attacks with his passing range.

Miyazawa's United take on a Chelsea side with Hamano and Matsukubo

• Marc Skinner's Manchester United have Hinata Miyazawa, the 2023 Women's World Cup Golden Boot winner. Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea have Maika Hamano and Mami Matsukubo. Three Japan regulars on one team sheet makes this the most Japanese fixture of the WSL round.
• Miyazawa and Matsukubo both left Japan from Mynavi Sendai Ladies. Matsukubo arrived at Chelsea after being named NWSL Midfielder of the Year in the United States, an attacking midfielder defined by relentless pressing and smart positioning — a neat contrast with Miyazawa, small but quick enough to cut a defence open.
• Hamano built her WSL minutes on loan at Tottenham and scored the goal that won Japan the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup final. Against a compact United block, the question is which flank Bompastor asks Chelsea to attack.