With the Community Shield of England between Liverpool and Crystal Palace, which takes place together with the first games of the Coppa Italia, the new domestic season in Europe's largest football countries this weekend requires some predictions.
Who will turn out to be the best company? Who will pop in the goals? Who is looking for a job in Christmas? And who will lift the silverware if everything is said and done?
The editors of Flashscore.com have tried to predict how things will come out about the most important competitions of the continent in the coming campaign.
Best Signing
Finley Crebolder: I'm going to sign Roma's sign from Evan Ferguson for a first loan agreement. There is clearly a great talent there, and Gian Piero Gasperini had a real gift to get the best out of his strikers in Atalanta.
Danny Clark: Brighton's conquest of left back Maxim de Cuyper for a reported £ 17.5 million seems to be an inspired piece of company for the seagulls.
After he played for Club Brugge last season during their run to the Champions League round of 16, the Belgian International should become a pillar in the side of Fabian Hurzeler after the summer room of Pergis Estupinan.
Harry Dunnett: All the talk this summer in the Premier League has been on the Spitsmarkt with the Big Six who wants to strengthen in that department; My premonition, however, is that it will be three midfielders who will play a greater role in determining the fate of the title race. Those are Florian Wirtz to Liverpool, Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City and Martin Zubimendi to Arsenal.
With Destroyer Rodri back, I believe that Reijnders will be the choice of the couple with his defense-splitting steps and important target threat from midfield. The perfect replacement of Kevin De Bruyne? Maybe.
Pat Dempsey: I go bang for Buck: Arsenal who gets Christian Norgaard from Brentford for less than 12 million euros is a bargain, and I expect that he will play a surprisingly important role this season, albeit less glamorously.
Josh Donaldson: Napoli were the stars of the show in the Serie A last season and they may be further strengthened with the addition of De Bruyne. He has been playing extremely well in light blue for years and the recipe of Naples with the Belgian just feels so irresistible. He is perhaps 34 now, but it feels like this can be the start of a beautiful partnership – he just has to ensure that he does not come into the way Scott McTominay comes.
Surprise package
Finley: Wolfsburg. They have spent a lot of money and have an exciting new manager in Paul Simonis, who did really impressive work at the Dutch club, go your gang Eagles, so I will support them from the end of 11th last season to fighting for a top-four finish.
Danny: Valencia. After a strong second half of the 2024/25 campaign under Carlos Corberan, I support Los Che to significantly improve their 12th placed finish in Laliga and a challenge for a Champions League place this time.
Harry: Como 1907. I may be a bit obsessed with this side, but this pick is based on a strong belief that CESC Fabregas (who rejects Inter Milan in June) is building something really exciting in the como of Lake, no presence. After an impressive first season in the Serie A last season, the richest club in Italy will hope to reach new heights in 2025/26 and the security of a European finish does not exceed.
Pat: Paris Fc. Ligue 1 has been good for surprise packages in the last few seasons; The last term it was Strasbourg, and one before the Brest's incredible run was to third place. This time I think that newly promoted Paris FC might be a bit of a splash. The center of the Ligue 1 table can be very tight, and I think the disruptors affiliated with Red Bull may just creep in the upper half.
Josh: Sunderland. A surprise promotional package in the Premier League is currently a side that can just stay. From the trio of last season's championship, the Black Cats are the ones who have strengthened the best, young and experience to improve their team. They will survive on the last day, but that is enough for them to keep their status and to shock the world.
First major looting
Finley: Igor Tudor in Juventus. They seemed fairly reluctant to give him the track in the first place, which is not a great sign.
Danny: Ruben Amorim in Manchester United. The Portuguese coach has passed a miserable first campaign that was in charge of the Red Devils and lost 16 of his 42 games in all competitions.
The level of performance and consistency of United still has to improve under Amorim, and with serious doubts about his goalkeeper, defense and midfield on the way to the new season, there is every chance that he will be shown the exit door if the results do not come and quickly.
Harry: Daniel Farke at Leeds. It was difficult to decide between Farke and Burnley manager Scott Parker, two great coaches in the championship who have proven in the past not to meet the demands of the Premier League. Farke could be by October.
Pat: Vincent Kompany. The surgical word here is 'major' – I don't think this will be the first loot of the season, but perhaps the first really big one. Of course Bayern ran somewhat with the competition last season, but we all know how ruthless they can be. If they do not dominate the Bundesliga and are challenging for the Champions League, the 'Kompany experiment' ends this season.
Elsewhere I expect Sevilla to dismiss the new boss Matias Almeyda at Christmas if things are not improving enormously; That club is sleeping to a first relegation in more than 25 years.
Josh: Erik ten Hag in Bayer Leverkusen. It is sometimes the worst position in which a manager can be and takes over from a historically successful manager, but Ten Hag has decided to follow Xabi Alonso in the hot chair of Leverkusen, and I predict a disaster. He will not win any of his first five league matches with an exhausted side, will be dumped from the DFB Pokal without mercy and will be out before the leaves of the trees fall next to the Rhine.
Top scorers in the top five competitions
Finley: Erling Haaland, Rafael Leao, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Mika Biereth.
Danny: Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku, Julian Alvarez, Harry Kane and Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Harry: Alexander Isak, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Serhou Guirassy and Ousmane Dembele.
Pat: Viktor Gyokees, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Mason Greenwood.
Josh: Mohamed Salah, Lautaro Martinez, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembele.
Champions of the top five competitions
Finley: Manchester City, AC Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG.
Rayan Ait Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki are top sets for Man City, and the return of Rodri will be enormous. I am also not convinced of the balance of Liverpool if they try to squeeze Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the same side.
Series A is hard to call, since most major clubs have new managers, but I go for Max Allegri's Milan. Juventus and Inter have unproven coaches, and I see things that go wrong between Antonio Conte and Napoli in the classical conte -fashion given the tension between him and the club president. With a strong team and a lot of experience in winning titles, Allegri seems to be well placed to take advantage. Oh, and Luka Modric is still pretty good.
Danny: Liverpool, Inter, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG.
Harry: Liverpool, Inter, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG.
I feel that we say this every year in August, but on paper the Premier League title fight looks fascinating this season, with possibly Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the race. It is very difficult to call between three of those four sides, but I think Liverpool, based on last season and their ambition in the transfer window, are a level above the rest. That is based on all the new parts that click.
As Finn says, Serie A is also difficult to call, but for various reasons than in England. The tensions between Conte and the president of Napoli are a great concern for the title holders and Inter has lost the brilliant Simone Inzaghi. I just think that Inter still has the best team in the Serie A, and outside the unstable Napoli, I don't see that another side is competitive enough to challenge.
Pat: Liverpool, Roma, Atletico Madrid, Bayern and PSG.
Let's forget the last two – most seasons, it's over before it starts (even if I think Kompany is being fired). Starting with England, Liverpool has the best team, but it will have improved closer to Stad, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Serie A is impossible to call, therefore it will be the best competition of the five (again) for the neutral – I Kantel Gasterini to continue the title -winning form of Roma from the end of last season. Why not?
And here is my big, daring (probably insane) tip: Simeone will lead Atletico to the Liga title. They have had a large rebuilding and I think the depth he has added, will see last season's two-horse race turn into a very tight race with three horse athletico will concentrate on the competition and just sneak.
Josh: Arsenal, Napoli, Real Madrid, Bayern and PSG.
No spoilers here, but this will be the season that Mikel Arteta and Arsenal win the Premier League. They have strengthened their weakest areas in the summer and will benefit from Liverpool who have set their focus on the Champions League to sneak the title in May. The rest of my choices require less imagination.
Winners of the continental competitions
Finley: Barcelona, Roma and Fiorentina.
Danny: PSG, Aston Villa and Fiorentina.
Harry: PSG, Roma and Strasbourg.
Pat: Barcelona, Aston Villa (the Emery effect) and Mainz.
Josh: Liverpool, Roma and Nottingham Forest.
Wildcard prediction
Finley: Eddie Howe to leave Newcastle and to take over as manager of England after they have a disappointing world cup under Thomas Tuchel.
Danny: After a summer of change in Liverpool's attack, Cody Gakpo will lift his game to the next level and Mohamed Salah and beat the rest of the Reds during the season.
Harry: Brentford will struggle without Thomas Frank and be relegated, while Sunderland will remain.
Pat: All the good mentioned … I'm going to introduce something very wild. Guardiola is starting to bench this season in the competition. This is the thing: he brought in a few attackers who make Haaland less essential for the start XI (Marmoush, Cherki, Savinho, etc.), and if things do not fully plan for Pep's side, he tends to respond exaggerated instead of racking below. He never wanted him and he is about to prove his point!
Josh: After years of inconsistency, Sevilla is unable to stop a new slide off the table and are banned from Laliga, while she loses both Stadsderbies to Betis.