10 Early Games to Look Forward to Across Europe's Top Leagues

After months of staying up until the early hours to watch your team play in some obscure region, we can now finally announce that those days are over for another year because the football season has finally returned!

And it promises to be one of the best yet. Last year's top three Premier League clubs have all changed their managers—most notably Manchester United, who lost Sir Alex Ferguson to retirement, and so it could be a strange season indeed.

Equally, across Europe there are some exciting happenings. French football has been given a glorious makeover by PSG and Monaco, who are competing with the biggest clubs in the world with big-money signings.

And of course, Real Madrid and Barcelona are desperate to get back out there after seeing their dominance of European football snatched away by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

It promises to be a cracker of a season. And I know we always say it, but it really could be the best ever season.

To help you get off to the best possible start, we've scoured the fixture lists of the top five European leagues to hand you some exciting early encounters in the opening weeks of the season.

Premier League: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

Date: Monday, 26 Aug. 2013
Time: 3 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. BST
Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

For the last decade or so, Manchester United and Chelsea have been at the forefront of English football, and the games have been crucial in deciding who could win the Premier League title. 

Aside from Manchester City's shock title win in 2011-12, every title since 2004 has gone to either Chelsea or Manchester United, and the rivalry has increased at the same rate as their trophy cabinets.

In last season's fixture, Chelsea needed a win to put daylight between themselves and London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, who were challenging for a Champions League spot.

With a stalemate looking likely, Juan Mata's 87th-minute goal gave the Blues a vital three points before Rafael's petulant kick aimed at compatriot David Luiz meant the game would finish in controversial circumstances.

It promises to be a tense encounter early on in the season, with new managers Jose Mourinho and David Moyes facing each other for the first time in six years.

The fixture never fails to disappoint, so make sure you're there to witness it.

Premier League: Arsenal vs. Tottenham

Date: Sunday, 1 Sept. 2013
Time: 11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. BST
Location: The Emirates Stadium, London

The North London derby is one of the most anticipated clashes in recent Premier League history, simply because it has everything: attacking football, a shed-load of goals, red cards, controversial incidents and the occasional disagreement between managers. It's got it all.

In the last game between the two, Arsenal ran out 5-2 winners after former Gunners forward Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off for a lunge on Santi Cazorla. 

And the viewers will be hoping for a game of the same magnitude come September when the North London rivals clash once again.

La Liga: Valencia vs. Malaga

Date: Saturday, 17 Aug. 2013
Time: 5 p.m. ET, 10 p.m. BST
Location: Estadio Mestalla, Valencia.

It may not be such a crucial clash at this stage of the season, but Malaga know that Valencia will be their direct rivals for a European spot when the final weeks of the season come in May and June.

The Andalusian outfit are banned from European competition for the 2013-14 campaign after financial irregularities were found by UEFA, and Sevilla took their spot in the Europa League as a consequence.

With several departures from La Rosaleda, including star playmaker Isco to Real Madrid, Malaga face a tough fight under new coach Bernd Schuster to maintain their heroics of last season, where they reached the Champions League quarterfinal.

Valencia are also smarting from the loss of Roberto Soldado to Tottenham, but with the likes of Helder Postiga coming in to the side, his absence will not prove to be too vital.

With over 50,000 fans cheering Los Che on the magnificent Mestalla, it will no doubt be a memorable game.

La Liga: Sevilla vs. Atletico Madrid

Date: Sunday, 18 Aug. 2013
Time: 5 p.m. ET, 10 p.m. BST
Location: Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville.

David Villa is all set to make his bow for Atletico Madrid after a summer move from Barcelona, but his debut will not be an easy ride.

Diego Simeone's men visit Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on the opening day (or night) of the La Liga season with no Radamel Falcao to help find the net. Instead, the ex-Valencia man will be partnered by Brazilian prospect Leo Baptistao, who joined from Rayo Vallecano this summer.

Sevilla have undergone something of an exodus, losing two of their star men—Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo—to Manchester City. They have brought in replacements, with Carlos Bacca already proving to be worth the £7 million outlay. 

It will be a close match, and one that could decide the fate of each side going into the battle for European places come the end of the season.

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach

Date: Friday, 9 Aug. 2013
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET, 7.30 p.m. BST
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich

Pep Guardiola takes charge of his first competitive game as Bayern Munich coach in just two days time and will be hoping to win the fans over after a difficult preseason.

The treble-winning side of last season has been broken up, with Mario Gomez being one of the more high-profile departures. But as always, the German champions have been shrewd in the market, picking up Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara from Dortmund and Barcelona, respectively.

Die Roten should win convincingly against their opponents, who have Dutch international Luuk de Jong as their star man, but should be wary of complacency against a resilient Gladbach side.

Bundesliga: Schalke vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Date: Saturday, 31 Aug. 2013
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. BST
Location: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen

The two Champions League qualifiers go head-to-head at the end of August, with either side looking to steal ahead in the race for third.

With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund established as the runaway leaders in the Bundesliga, Schalke will be keen to dethrone Leverkusen from the third spot after an impressive season.

That said, Bayer will be without star man Andre Schurrle, who joined Chelsea this summer. And that could seriously affect their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. 

If you want a tight game with several chances, make sure you don't miss this.

Serie A: Juventus vs. Lazio

Date: Saturday, 31 Aug. 2013
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. BST
Location: The Juventus Stadium, Turin

Champions of the Serie A for the last two years, Juventus are forming what appears to be a one-horse race for the Scudetto every year.

Antonio Conte's men may have suffered last year due to his ban for match-fixing, but they rallied through and secured yet another title.

The arrivals of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente will unquestionably improve their firepower in attack, and the Old Lady are sure-fire favourites to secure a third successive crown.

In their way stand Lazio, who won the Coppa Italia last season against fierce rivals Roma. And with Vladimir Petkovic at the helm, it will be a tough test for Juventus. 

Serie A: AC Milan vs. Napoli

Date: Sunday, 22 Sept. 2013
Time: TBD
Location: The San Siro, Milan

This could be a crucial clash in deciding which club gains Champions League automatic qualification.

Rafa Benitez inherits a Napoli side that managed to secure second spot in Serie A last year but will be without star man Edinson Cavani, who joined PSG in a £55 million deal this summer.

Milan have been quiet in the market and will need to improve their squad ahead of the new season if they are to compete with Napoli, who have signed Dries Mertens and Gonzalo Higuain to add to their strong squad.

It ended 2-1 last season and promises to be a fascinating spectacle once more.

Ligue 1: Marseille vs. Monaco

Date: Sunday, 1 Sept. 2013
Time: 8 p.m. BST
Location: Stade de Velodrome, Marseille

Marseille coach Elie Baup will be keen to send the most ambitious side in France back over to the French Riviera after this crunch clash in September.

They have signed promising midfielder Gianni Imbula from Guingamp, but other than that, seem to have a weak squad which may see them fail to qualify for the Champions League next season—quite a contrast to Monaco, who could be the team who replaces them, with the likes of Joao Moutinho and Radamel Falcao among its ranks.

An excellent 5-2 win over Tottenham in preseason showed just what they can do, and the French clubs in Ligue 1 will be wary of their strength. 

It promises to be a great match with the two clubs fighting out a close game. 

Ligue 1: PSG vs. Monaco

Date: Sunday, 22 Sept. 2013
Time: 8 p.m. BST
Location: Parc des Princes, Paris

The ultimate clash between two powerhouses in French football finally arrives six weeks into the new season, and it will be a clash neither side will want to lose.

Paris Saint-Germain have endured a summer to forget, losing coach Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid, while unrest within the squad about the arrivals of Edinson Cavani and Marquinhos has prompted speculation over the futures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.

The reigning champions will know that a win against Monaco sends out a strong signal of intent, but the oil-rich side will be hoping to cause an upset.