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The North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham highlights this weekend's batch of soccer action on TV.
Major League Soccer's playoffs will offer plenty of intrigue, but the Arsenal-Tottenham battle has the makings of a truly exciting encounter with several quality head-to-head clashes. Fabregas vs. Palacios, Keane vs. Vermaelen, Woodgate vs. Van Persie. Name the spot on the field and there is likely to be a quality battle there.
If you're an MLS die-hard, then the Chivas USA-LA Galaxy match is must-see TV as the Home Depot Center clubs battle in the first meeting between stadium tenants in an American sports playoff series.
There is plenty of action to choose from, so here are SBI's Top 10 Matches to Watch this weekend as well as this weekend's full schedule of action:
SBI Top 10 Matches to Watch
1. Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy. Home Depot neighbors square off in what should be a heated series.
2. Arsenal vs. Tottenham. This North London derby will be played at a blistering pace and we should expect a number of goals.
3. Juventus vs. Napoli. Juve has regained its stride but now face an entertaining and dangerous Napoli side.
4. Chicago Fire at New England Revolution. Okay, so this match is probably going to be ugly, but this match-up is always a battle worth watching in the playoffs.
5. Everton vs. Aston Villa. Howard vs. Friedel. How can you miss it?
6. USA vs. United Arab Emirates (Under-17 World Cup). Can the Americans finally show some of that ability we were expecting to see?
7. Fulham vs. Liverpool. Clint Dempsey has had success against Liverpool in the past. Can he do it again?
8. St. Etienne vs. Lyon. This bitter rivalry will have the added touch of seeing Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis facing his old squad.
9. Columbus Crew at Real Salt Lake. Could RSL be this year's Red Bulls? Some folks seem to think the Crew are ripe for an upset. We shall see.
T10. Ajax vs. Feyenoord. These Dutch powers should put on a show worth waking up early to see.
T10. Braga vs. Benfica. The top two teams in Portugal square off and you don't want to miss seeing Benfica's potent attack.
This Weekend's Soccer on TV
SATURDAY
7am-Setanta USA- FC Moscow vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
8:30am– ESPN2- Arsenal vs. Tottenham
11am– ESPN360.com- Gambia vs. Colombia (Under-17 World Cup)
11am– ESPN360.com- Netherlands vs. Iran (Under-17 World Cup)
11am– Setanta USA- Fulham vs. Liverpool
11am– FSC/FSE- Bolton vs. Chelsea
12:55pm– ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com- Getafe vs. Real Madrid
1pm– RAI- Juventus vs. Napoli
1:30pm– FSC- Manchester United vs. Blackburn
2pm– ESPN360.com- Burkina Faso vs. Costa Rica (Under-17 World Cup)
2pm– ESPN360.com- New Zealand vs. Turkey (Under-17 World Cup)
2:55pm– ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com- Sevilla vs. Xerez
3:45pm– FSC/FSE- AC Milan vs. Parma
4pm– Setanta USA- St. Etienne vs. Lyon
4pm– ESPN Deportes- PSV Eindhoven vs. Vitesse Arnhem
5:15pm– ESPN360.com- Sporting Braga vs. Benfica
5:30pm– FSE- Juventus vs. Napoli (Delayed)
6pm– Direct Kick- Columbus Crew at Real Salt Lake
6pm– FSC- Sunderland vs. West Ham United (Delayed)
7pm– Azteca America- Cruz Azul vs. Atlante
7pm– Telefutura- San Luis vs. Monterrey
9pm– Telemundo- Tigres vs. Tecos
9pm– Azteca America/ESPn Deportes- Indios vs. Puebla
10pm– Setanta USA- Everton vs. Aston Villa
11pm– Telemundo – Atlas vs. Pachuca
SUNDAY
6:30am– ESPN360.com- Ajax vs. Feyenoord
7am– Setanta USA- Spartak Moscow vs. FK Rostov
9am– RAI- Sampdoria vs. Bari
9am– ESPN360.com- Roma vs. Bologna
9am– FSC/FSE/ESPN360.com- Livorno vs. Inter Milan
9:48am– ESPN360.com- USA vs. United Arab Emirates (Under-17 World Cup)
9:48am– ESPN360.com- Malawi vs. Spain (Under-17 World Cup)
11am– FSC/FSE- Birmingham City vs. Manchester City
1pm– Azteca America- Morelia vs. Chivas de Guadalajara
1pm– Telemundo- Toluca vs. Queretaro
1pm– FSE- Sunderland vs. West Ham United (Delayed)
2pm– FSC/FSE- Chicago Fire at New England Revolution
2pm– ESPN360.com- Korea Republic vs. Algeria (Under-17 World Cup)
2pm– ESPN360.com- Italy vs. Uruguay (Under-17 World Cup)
3:45pm– FSC/RAI- Palermo vs. Genoa
5pm– Univision- Club America vs. Jaguares
5pm– ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com-Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
9pm– Telefutura- Santos Laguna vs. UNAM Pumas
———-
Which matches are you most looking forward to?
Share your thoughts on this week's schedule of matches in the comments section below.
Freddy Adu didn’t get any minutes against FC Porto tonight.
“Dressed but Did Not Play” would make a killer tattoo….
lol Ives you don’t need to tell me things I already know…I’m just messing around with you lol…I know most Americans only follow the EPL and La Liga
(SBI-Hey, I did have it on my list though, give me credit for that (I didn’t realize it was televised originally, otherwise it would have been higher.)
Alright, fair enough lads.
I personally wouldn’t be surprised if it ended 0-0 though.
My Directv schedule has Everton-Villa live on Setanta Xtra
Ives – that’s odd…I’m still seeing the listing on espn360.com. Maybe my carrier gets credit? Regardless, others should check their espn360 to see if BMG is on tomorrow.
I agree with Ives, plenty of hate here.
Hey Ives Braga-Benfica should be number one in your Top 10 Matches to Watch lol…It’s the battle between the two first place teams in Portugal…Both teams are still undeated as well…It should be a good one tomorrow…
Forca Benfica!
(SBI-Sad truth is most American fans don’t care about the Portuguese League (well, aside from the Freddy Adu fans and those with ties to Portugal like yourself).)
“1. Chivas USA at Los Angeles Galaxy. Home Depot neighbors square off in what should be a heated series.”
Really Ives? I could understand if it was the second leg, but because there are no away goals rule in the first round the first legs are always snooze-fests.
(SBI-These teams hate each other. You’ve got Beckham and Donovan in the playoffs, two in-form goalkeepers, Kljestan coming on, it’s going to be a great match. I’d peg NE-Chicago to be a snoozefest before this one.)
Gol TV has some good ones this weekend:
Sat 10:30 Stuttgart v Bayern Munich
Sat 03:00 Osasuna v Barcelona
And DirecTV apparently shows 3 La Liga Matches for free every weekend.
This weekend:
Sunday 10:45 AM Villareal v Tenerife (Ch. 456)
Sunday 10:45 AM Racing v Mallorca (Ch. 457)
Sunday 12:45 PM Malaga v Valencia (Ch. 458)
Those 5:30am kickoffs are brutal out here on the west coast….
Oops – Bradley’s game is at 10:30 tomorrow morning.
Sat, Oct 31 10:25AM German Bundesliga Bundesliga: Hamburg vs. Monchendgladbach (SPA)
(SBI-That game isn’t on the ESPN list of matches I have.)
Defoe and Lennon are both out. King and Woodgate are both fit. Bentley to start.
Arsenal better not pull a last year.
love the feature too, but bummed I can’t watch Fulham or Hull on basic cable this weekend.
I think the feature is great as well.
My top 3 “must watch” are:
1. Villa – Everton (Villa fan)
2. Chivas USA – Galaxy (hope the crowd gets into it anything like last night)
3. Gunners – Spurs (although I think Arse will expose Spurs and reveal that they have no place near the top 4)
Should be a great weekend of soccer viewing either way.
Arsenal v. spurs in HD will be so great.
Love this feature Ives. Thank you!