A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Friday:
ENGLAND
Chelsea is set to hand a first start to Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo for a home match against Luton that kicks off the third round of games in the Premier League. Caicedo joined from Brighton for $146 million — a record for a transfer in Britain — and gave away a penalty after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 loss at West Ham on Sunday. Chelsea has only one point from its first two games under Mauricio Pochettino. Luton lost 4-1 at Brighton in the opening round and didn't host Burnley last weekend because of issues with its stadium.
SPAIN
Real Madrid goes for its third straight win to start the Spanish league when it visits Celta Vigo, with Kepa Arrizabalaga set to start in goal. Kepa arrived to help make up for the absence of injured regular starter Thibaut Courtois. Andriy Lunin will go back to the bench after starting in the first two league matches. Madrid is one of three teams to win their first two matches, along with Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. Madrid is playing its first three games on the road because of renovation work at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Celta, with former Madrid coach Rafa Benítez at the helm this season, will be looking for its first win after opening with a 2-0 home loss against Osasuna and a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad thanks to Óscar Mingueza’s stoppage-time equalizer. Sociedad visits promoted Las Palmas in a match between teams yet to win in the league this season.
GERMANY
Leipzig is seeking some stability as it plays Stuttgart in the Bundesliga following two contrasting games to start the season. Marco Rose's Leipzig team stunned Bayern Munich 3-0 to win the German Super Cup but lost its first league game of the season 3-2 to Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen. Stuttgart is enjoying the novelty of being top of the table — even if it's only after one game — following a 5-0 demolition of Bochum last week despite having sold captain Wataru Endo to Liverpool.
FRANCE
Monaco has been enjoying a perfect start under new coach Adi Hütter. The Principality side won its first two games ahead of a trip to Nantes, which has lost twice. Led by striker Wissam Ben Yedder and midfielder Takumi Minamino, Monaco scored seven goals in its opening games to move to the top of the standings. Hütter replaced Belgian coach Philippe Clement, who was fired after the club finished a disappointing sixth last season He can become only the second Monaco coach to win his first three Ligue 1 matches since Arsene Wenger.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
