But the 60-year-old will be on the bench for the first time on Saturday as Juventus look to make it three wins this season before their Champions League opener at Atletico Madrid midweek.

Ronaldo’s four goals in Portugal’s European qualifying win over Lithuania during the week were enough to send shivers down the spines of Fiorentina fans.

The 34-year-old overtook Ireland’s Robbie Keane as the all-time top scorer in Euro qualifiers, with 25 goals, and will be looking to impress further with the winner of the Best FIFA Football Awards to be named in Milan on September 23.

Ronaldo will lead the Juventus attack along with Douglas Costa and Gonzalo Higuain, the Argentine also in-form on his return to Turin after a loan spell at Chelsea.

“I’m back on the same team as Cris (Ronaldo) after a few years and he’s even stronger, more complete and ambitious, I’m happy to play with him again,” said Higuain, who played alongside Ronaldo on Real Madrid, said on Thursday.

Fiorentina have also changed owners and coach with former AC Milan and Sevilla manager Vincenzo Montella overseeing two defeats in as many games on his return to the club.

“Great stories are born of impossible challenges,” said Montella, whose side last beat their fierce rivals in January 2017.

The rivalry has been fuelled further after Juventus wrapped up their eighth consecutive title with a 2-1 win at the expense of the Tuscans last April.

“I’d like to start a new chapter in Fiorentina’s history by doing something special against Sarri’s team,” Montella told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

And Montella believes that new French signing Franck Ribery can make the difference for the team.

“Franck played the friendly against Perugia as if he was playing the Champions League final,” he said.

“He’s different, as Ronaldo is different. We talk of stars who excel through sacrifice. They are wonderful examples for everyone.”

“It will be hard, very hard, but we’re convinced that we will see a new great Fiorentina,” said new Italian-American owner Rocco Commisso hoping to build a team who can add to their Serie A titles in 1956 and 1969.

Ancelotti ‘outrage’

Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli, who are midtable, need to pick themselves up after Kalidou Koulibaly’s own goal handed Juventus a 4-3 win in Turin last weekend.

But they play their first match at home this season against Sampdoria with doubts over whether their San Paolo stadium will be ready in time.

The Serie A outfit played their opening two league games away from home, at Fiorentina and Juventus, due to the reconstruction of the stadium.

Ancelotti said he was “outraged” after seeing the state of the changing rooms midweek with their Champions League opener against Liverpool next Tuesday.

The contractors have however insisted the work will be completed by Friday.

Inter Milan welcome Udinese to the San Siro also looking to extend their maximum points with Antonio Conte’s side ahead of both Juventus and Torino on goal difference.

Inter’s new star signing Romelu Lukaku will be looking to score for a third consecutive game a week after monkey chants against the Belgian tarnished their 2-1 triumph at Cagliari.

Inter are also in Champions League duty against Slavia Prague at the San Siro on Tuesday and need to avoid a slip-up against Udinese who shocked AC Milan 1-0 in their season opener.

Torino host new boys Lecce, having also won their first two matches, as Atalanta head for Genoa before travelling to Dinamo Zagreb for their first ever Champions League game next week.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have seized the early initiative in the Premier League with four successive wins to open up a two-point lead over second placed Manchester City.

The European champions’ relentless tempo has overwhelmed Norwich, Southampton, Arsenal and Burnley, sending a message that they are determined to make amends for narrowly failing to pip City to the trophy last season.

Arsenal’s Dani Ceballos is new to English football after joining on loan from Real Madrid and the Spain midfielder admitted to being gob-smacked at the intensity Liverpool displayed in their 3-1 victory against the Gunners in August.

“I had never seen anything like it. I’ve not seen up until now a team that plays better, that presses better. That game had quite an impact on me,” Ceballos told the Daily Mail.

“They suck the air out of you. You spend so much time defending and when you want to catch your breath and get on the ball for a bit, they’ve taken it from you again.

“I think Jurgen Klopp now has the team he first had in mind when he started four years ago.”

That glowing testimony underlines the size of the task facing City as they try to stop Liverpool winning their first English crown since 1990.

City may have won the last two Premier League titles in scintillating fashion, but Liverpool look better than ever this term and Newcastle are unlikely to halt their progress at Anfield this weekend.

With City playing Norwich in Saturday’s late game, the champions could be five points behind Liverpool by the time they kick off at Carrow Road.

Pep Guardiola’s team are unbeaten and have already thrashed West Ham and Brighton, but their lone slip — a draw against Tottenham — allowed Liverpool to seize pole position and they can’t afford another against second bottom Norwich.

Across Manchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can only dream of gate-crashing the title race after a disappointing start showed how far they have fallen off the pace.

Maguire in spotlight

United have won only once in their first four games, adding to the incentive for their England defender Harry Maguire to inspire a victory against his former club Leicester.

Maguire is the world’s most expensive defender after his £80 million close-season move from Leicester, but he is yet to play like it, as his creaky showing in England’s midweek Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo emphasised.

Leicester will arrive at Old Trafford above Maguire’s men in the table after an impressive unbeaten start.

But, whatever his shortcomings in some areas, Maguire’s personality has made an impression on his new team-mates, who expect him to come good soon.

“It’s been seamless,” said United reserve keeper Lee Grant. “Harry has definitely slotted straight in, in terms of the social side and in terms of his mentality and attitude, which has been first class.

“The most important thing, though, is his quality and he was able to show that against Chelsea. We could all see he is quite at home in front of the Old Trafford crowd and quite at home as a Manchester United player.”

Mauricio Pochettino must hope the closure of the European transfer window lifts the mood at Tottenham, who host fourth placed Crystal Palace looking to secure only their second win.

Pochettino was concerned that speculation over the futures of several Tottenham players, including Christian Eriksen, had unsettled his squad.

But Eriksen remains with Tottenham in the final year of his contract and Pochettino said: “He was always happy. He never said he wasn’t happy here.

“Everyone of course has aims, goals, challenges. His qualities are there and important for the team.”

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham will become only the third player aged 21 or younger to score two or more goals in three consecutive Premier League games, matching the achievement of Cristiano Ronaldo and Dele Alli, if he bags another brace at Wolves.

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Brighton v Burnley, Liverpool v Newcastle (1130 GMT), Manchester Utd v Leicester, Norwich v Manchester City (1630 GMT), Sheffield Utd v Southampton, Tottenham v Crystal Palace, Wolves v Chelsea

Sunday

Bournemouth v Everton (1300 GMT), Watford v Arsenal (1530 GMT)

Monday

Aston Villa v West Ham (1900 GMT)

Davido proposed to Chioma in London, the United Kingdom on Thursday night, September 12, 2019.

The proposal is coming exactly 10 days after the couple’s families had an introduction in Lagos, Nigeria.

The music star took his girlfriend out on a dinner date in an expensive restaurant in London, where he proposed to her.

According to Davido, Chioma accepted his proposal to be the Afropop star’s wife.

Responding to Davido’s proposal, Chioma said, “I love you @davidoofficial (You didn’t even let me wax yet 😭🤣)”

Davido already has two daughters – Imade and Hailey – from two baby mamas and there are speculations that Chioma is carrying Davido’s third child. 

In 2018, Davido revealed his relationship with Chioma to the world when he decided to spoil her with a Porsche car valued at N23 Million on her 23rd birthday. 

The pair have since become an item on the entertainment scene with Davido putting her on a track in his forthcoming album titled ‘A Good Time’.