Caltex Socceroos number one Mat Ryan can expect a busy day when Brighton & Hove Albion face Premier League champions Manchester City at midnight on Sunday AEST.
Ryan and international teammate, Aaron Mooy, venture north to play against Pep Guardiola’s superstars, who lead the Premier League in goals scored after three games with 10.
All times listed are AEST
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The eighth-placed Seagulls were impressive in their only away game in the league so far this campaign, a 3-0 triumph at south coast rivals Southampton on new head coach Graham Potter’s week 1 debut.
But Potter’s outfit will need a replica of that faultless performance to content with a Man City juggernaut that notched up almost triple the amount of points (98-36) than Brighton did last season.
Mooy made his Seagulls debut as a substitute in the week 2 draw against West Ham, and will hope to run out for his new club for the second time at the Etihad Stadium.
At the same time in the Championship, Jackson Irvine’s Hull City will aim to pick up their second win of the season against Millwall at the Den.
Massimo Luongo’s Sheffield Wednesday play host to the Caltex Socceroo midfielder’s former club Queen’s Park Rangers at Hillsborough.
Meanwhile in League One, Mark Milligan is hoping to help Southend United get off the mark for the season after five straight defeats.
Harry Souttar will strive to back up his player of the match performance last week when high-flying Fleetwood Town go on the road to face Lincoln City at Sincil Bank.
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Borrello’s Freiburg seek third straight win
Brandon Borrello and Freiburg SC aim to extend their perfect record when newly-promoted FC Cologne come to Schwarzwald-Stadion.
The 24-year-old one-cap Caltex Socceroo has played a leading role in the two-time Europa League winners’ scorching start to the German Bundesliga, winning 3-0 against Mainz and 3-1 at Paderborn.
The visiting Billy Goats are yet to put a point on the board so Borrello’s team will be determined to put a third mark in the wins column at 11.30pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Matthew Leckie’s Hertha Berlin head to Gelsenkirchen to face Schalke 04 with both teams looking to land their first three-point haul.
Ajdin Hrustic and FC Groningen will seek to force their way into the top half of the Dutch Eredivisie when the Green-White Army welcome Heracles to the Euroborg at 3.45am on Sunday.
Further north in Denmark, Mustafa Amini’s AGF entertain struggling Esbjerg at Ceres Park at 8pm on Sunday as the Whites try to kick-start their season.
Awer Mabil and second-placed FC Midtjylland, who dropped their first points of the season last week following six wins on the trot, welcome third-placed Brondby to the MCH Arena on Monday at 2am in a battle to keep pace with champions FC Copenhagen at the top of the Danish Superliga.
It’s derby day for James Jeggo as his Austria Vienna face Rapid Vienna. The local rivals, and the nation’s two most successful clubs, share 54 Austrian Bundesliga titles and play for city bragging rights at 1am on Monday.
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Apostolos Giannou’s AEK Larnaca open their Cypriot First Division campaign with a trip to Pafos FC at 2am on Saturday.
Aziz Behich and İstanbul Başakşehir hit the road to play Gençlerbirliği at 2.15am on Monday with both sides looking for their first Turkish Super Lig points.
Red Star Belgrade return to league action after their UEFA Champions League heroics in midweek and Milos Degenek’s crew put their 100% record up against Serbian Super Liga leaders Vojvodina on the road.
There could be an Israeli Premier League debut for Trent Sainsbury as Maccabi Haifa match up against city rivals Hapoel Haifa in what will be considered an away game at their shared Sammy Ofer Stadium at 3.30am on Sunday.
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Taggart back on the goal trail in Asia
A pair of Caltex Socceroos are in action on Friday night in Asia, with gloveman Mitch Langerak’s mid-table Nagoya Grampus Eight playing host to J-League toppers FC Tokyo at 8.30pm.
Goal-machine Adam Taggart and his Suwon Bluewings seek to break into the K-League’s top six when lowly Jeju United come to town at 9pm.
New signing Craig Goodwin will be looking to lead Al-Wedha to their first win of the Saudi Pro League season against Abha on Saturday at 3.40am.
Over in the United States, Brad Smith’s Seattle Sounders will try to back up their impressive Cascadia derby win against Portland Timbers last week with another three points against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy on Monday at 8.30am.
