It is a week to put the lackluster performances behind and gain momentum for European teams as the leagues are back for weekend action.

Bayer Leverkusen's worst ever start to a season, with four defeats in four games across all competitions, should not force them to change their plans, and players must get their emotions under control, said coach Gerardo Seoane. The Swiss, who led Leverkusen to a third-place finish last season and a spot in the Champions League group stage, has seen his team lose all three of their Bundesliga matches so far, as well as crash out of the German Cup first round to third-tier club Elversberg. Leverkusen, now in 17th place above bottom club VfL Bochum on goal difference, travel to in-form

Mainz 05, who are on seven points, two off leaders Bayern Munich. For Seoane, the key will be how his players handle their emotions when they fall behind in a game. That has been the case in all four defeats this season. "At the moment, the emotional situation on the pitch is a deciding factor," Seoane told reporters. "A key point is how we handle the situation if we are a goal down, and we need to improve that. "We have to have higher frustration tolerance so that if we get in those situations, we do not drop our energy level."

It all started badly in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen only days after their shock German Cup exit. A 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund was made even worse by the dismissal with a red card of keeper Lukas Hradecky at the end. That was followed by two consecutive home losses - to Augsburg and Hoffenheim - with Leverkusen having scored just once so far in the league. Czech striker Patrik Schick has yet to find the target this season and Moussa Diaby looks far from last season's sensational form while talented teenager Florian Wirtz and forward Karim Bellarabi are still out with long-term injuries.

The departure of Argentine forward Lucas Alario to Eintracht Frankfurt has further limited their attacking options. But for Seoane it is important to convince his players that the path the team has followed is the correct one. "In such situations the team needs the coach even more," Seoane said. "So my task is to project that absolute conviction of our path. "We have not succeeded in finding this emotional balance. But I am convinced that the team will show a completely different face on the weekend, with a lot more energy and power."

Premier League

Liverpool's slow start has been the most surprising theme of the new Premier League season and while there is no sense of panic at Anfield the alarm bells will start to ring if they fail to beat Bournemouth at home on Saturday. Three games in, Liverpool has managed only two points from fixtures against Fulham, Crystal Palace and supposed "crisis club" Manchester United.

Monday's defeat at Old Trafford means Liverpool have suffered their worst start to a season under Juergen Klopp and have failed to win any of their opening three games for the first time since 2012-13. There are mitigating factors, namely a long injury list, but the sight of Manchester United out-running and out-pressing Klopp's unusually listless side will be a concern. Midfielder James Milner's public dressing down of Virgil van Dijk after United's opening goal also hinted at some tension in the usually tight-knit Liverpool ranks. Liverpool has yet to lead a game this season as they have struggled to rediscover their trademark intensity, a situation left-back Andy Robertson said must change soon. "We gave every team a goal start and that's the base of the game," the Scot said after the Old Trafford defeat. "You can't keep giving yourself an uphill battle. We've conceded an early goal again, and started slow again; that's what needs to change. We need to pull our fingers out quickly."

Liverpool will again be without new signing Darwin Nunez against Bournemouth as he continues his suspension following a red card for a headbutt against Palace. They will also be without midfielder Thiago Alcantara, striker Diogo Jota, defender Ibrahima Konate against Bournemouth while midfielder Naby Keita is doubtful. But even with so many absentees, Liverpool will be expected to get their season up and running against promoted Bournemouth who lost 4-0 to Manchester City and 3-0 to Arsenal in their previous two league games.

While Liverpool seeks a first win, early leaders Arsenal will aim to maintain the only remaining 100% record as they host Fulham on Saturday. It is Arsenal's best start to a Premier League season for 17 years and a mood of optimism is sweeping the club, although manager Mikel Arteta remains cautious. "It is just three games, it doesn't mean anything," the Spaniard said.

The weekend program kicks off with Manchester United at Southampton, hoping to prove that their impressive defeat of Liverpool was no flash in the pan. Manager Erik ten Hag has challenged his players to repeat the work ethic they displayed against Liverpool every week. "What I demand is that players bring the top spirit every day. Every day, they have to bring it to the club," he said. "It has to be a way of life and I hope they understand."

Champions Manchester City, who dropped their first points in a 3-3 draw at Newcastle United, host Crystal Palace while surprise package Leeds United, who are third, aim to back up their win against Chelsea with an away trip to Brighton, who is also unbeaten. Fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur is away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Serie A

Paulo Dybala will return to his former club, Juventus, as his new side, AS Roma, one of three teams yet to drop a point in Serie A this season, face their biggest test of the new campaign. Dybala made the switch to Roma from Juve in the close season and will return on Saturday to his old stomping ground, the Allianz Stadium, where he is the record scorer with 68 goals, as he looks to open his account for Jose Mourinho's side. He will be all too aware, however, of his new club's poor record against Juve.

Juventus have beaten Roma on the last three occasions and against no other team have they won more top-flight matches. They will be looking to win four in a row against the capital club for the first time in 13 years. Midfielder Paul Pogba remains sidelined for Juve while Angel Di Maria could return, but defender Leonardo Bonucci and first-choice keeper Wojciech Szczesny are set to make their comebacks for the clash.

Dybala's former strike partner Dusan Vlahovic started the season with two goals in their opening 3-0 win over Sassuolo but he barely got a look-in in Monday's 0-0 draw with Sampdoria.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri will hope to see him back on the scoresheet against a Roma side who did not concede in their opening two 1-0 wins over Salernitana and Cremonese. "Unfortunately, there is one thing in football that you should not do which is to run backward," Allegri said after the draw with Sampdoria. "In the first half, we did not do well, Sampdoria ran a lot. In the second half, Dusan also played better. He has to be a little more relaxed when the ball arrives."

Stefano Pioli's AC Milan will be hoping to get back to winning ways following a disappointing 1-1 draw at Atalanta last weekend, when they host Bologna, who has beaten them only once in their last 25 Serie A meetings. Pioli's side is on the longest unbeaten run (18 games) in the top five European leagues.

Inter travel to Lazio on Friday as Inter coach Simone Inzaghi returns to his former club, who are unbeaten in their last three home games against Inter in Serie A, after they had lost the previous three. Table toppers Napoli travel to Fiorentina on Sunday, where they have taken the three points on each of their last three league visits.

La Liga

Barcelona's financial struggles and their inability to register newly-signed French defender Jules Kounde as a player have overshadowed the buildup to Sunday's game against Real Valladolid and eclipsed last week's 4-1 win at Real Sociedad. Not even Robert Lewandowski's first two goals for the club and a great display from Ansu Fati were enough to divert attention away from Barca's battle against the clock to comply with LaLiga's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules before the end of the summer transfer window.

If Barca is unable to register Kounde by next Wednesday, the 23-year-old France defender would become a free agent due to a release-clause included in his contract, signed last month when Barca paid 50 million euros ($49.84 million) to Sevilla to make him one of their marquee signings of the new season.

Spanish media have reported that Barca is still some 20 million euros over the cap, even after agreeing to loan defender Samuel Umtiti to Lecce on Thursday. The club is taking several other steps to increase its revenue in order to offset losses and reduce debt to meet the FFP rules and is hopeful that the potential sales of midfielder Frenkie de Jong and strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay could make this possible.

After picking up four points from their opening two games, Barca are two points behind champions and rivals Real Madrid, who will also play in Barcelona on Sunday, but some 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of the Camp Nou, at Cornella-El Prat against Espanyol. It will be their second match without Brazilian Casemiro, who said farewell to the club last weekend after agreeing to sign for Manchester United. Their first outing without their stalwart midfielder was positive as Madrid breezed past Celta Vigo with a 4-1 win in which youngsters Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga alternated in the Brazilian's defensive midfield role. They also added an extra gear going forward to Carlo Ancelotti's team that they seemed to lack with the Brazilian, turning any uncertainty among fans into a sense of optimism about the future.

Atletico Madrid will look to rebound from a tough 2-0 home defeat against Villarreal as they travel to Valencia on Monday to face Gennaro Gattuso's side.

Like Barca, Valencia is trying to sell a player to meet LaLiga's FFP rules so they can officially announce the signing of former Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani. Villarreal, Real Madrid, Betis and Osasuna share the top spot in the table as the only teams to have won both of their opening games.