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FC Barcelona returned to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium for Matchday 7 of La Liga against Real Sociedad, but one name was notably absent from the lineup. The omission of star forward Raphinha immediately drew attention from fans and media alike.

Union Berlin have won twice and lost twice across their opening four matches in the Bundesliga, and welcome Hamburg to Stadion an der Alten Försterei for the final clash of matchweek five. 

In a Baden-Duell in Breisgau, Freiburg and Hoffenheim were aiming to pick up their third win of the season, with both sides carrying an identical record of two wins and two losses in the Bundesliga.

With pressure mounting on Stefan Leitl’s future, Hertha delivered another composed away performance - just as they did in Hannover a fortnight ago - claiming a convincing win in Nürnberg that will ease the strain on their head coach for now.

Czech international Schick was forced off late in the win against St. Pauli, clutching the back of his leg, sparking initial fears of a long-term absence.

Newly-promoted Köln have had an excellent start to the season, and welcome Stuttgart to RheinEnergieStadion with the hopes of further cementing their place in the top half of the Bundesliga. 

Luis Díaz could hardly have asked for a stronger start at Bayern Munich. 

Freiburg are looking to carry their positive form of recent weeks into today's clash against fellow Badeners Hoffenheim.

Despite yet another spirited performance, St. Pauli came up just short at home against A Bayer Leverkusen side who ran out 2-1 winners at the Millerntor-Stadion.

Borussia Dortmund have struggled against Mainz at the Mewa Arena in recent seasons, but Saturday's 2-0 win was utterly dominant. 

RB Leipzig ground out an important 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Head coach Ole Werner was more than content with his side's efforts and praised Johan Bakayoko.

For years, Cristiano Ronaldo was the Premier League’s biggest star—so much so that Real Madrid paid a record fee to sign him from Manchester United in 2009. Over 15 years later, Ronaldo’s playing style has changed dramatically. His former teammate Rio Ferdinand discussed that transformation, drawing a comparison to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

Lionel Messi remains one of the biggest stars in soccer, even at age 38. Behind him, a new generation of talent led by players like Erling Haaland continues to rise and challenge for that throne. What they share is a breakout performance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup early in their careers.

Elversberg, Paderborn and Karslruhe maintained their top five places with home wins before Fortuna Düsseldorf won the Topspiel in Bochum.

Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run under new head coach Kasper Hjulmand to four games with a 2–1 win at St. Pauli on Saturday.