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This weekend’s soccer on TV

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If you are a fan of the Spanish First Division, this is a great weekend for you.

Three quality La Liga match-ups headline this weekend’s soccer action on TV. Barcelona-Villarreal, Real Madrid-Espanyol and Atletico Madrid-Real Zaragoza should all be entertaining encounters.

If the EPL is more your speed, there is a mix of league and FA Cup matches on tap. Fulham’s relegation march takes the Cottagers to Blackburn, where goals are tougher to find than an American accent. Then you have giant killers Barnsley trying to add a Chelsea pelt.

Here are the top five matches to see this weekend:

  1. Villarreal at Barcelona
  2. Espanyol at Real Madrid
  3. Chelsea at Barnsley
  4. Juventus at Genoa
  5. Udinese at Palermo

Here is the rest of this weekend’s soccer on TV:

SATURDAY

9:30am- GolTV- Karlsruhe at Bayern Munich. The surprise of the Bundesliga this season, Karlsruhe will look to avenge a 4-1 drubbing in September.

9:45am- Setanta USA- Newcastle United at Liverpool. The Newcastle freefall should continue at Anfield, where the Reds are on good form. The only hope for Kevin Keegan will be that Liverpool is looking ahead to its Champions League match against Inter, making this the perfect match for Rafa Benitez to rest players.

10am- FSC- Fulham at Blackburn. Can Fulham stop the bleeding? A tie isn’t impossibe, but winning at Ewood Park just isn’t in the cards.

11:30am- GolTV- Werder Bremen at Stuttgart. Bremen, still without the suspended Diego, can’t afford to drop points if it is to catch Bayern. Stuttgart has won two straight and will also look to avenge a 4-1 loss to Bremen in September.

12:30pm- FSC- Chelsea at Barnsley (FA Cup). Can the little club knock off another Premier League giant? Don’t bet on it. Chelsea is rolling right now.

2pm- GolTV- Espanyol at Real Madrid. Will Real regroup from its Champions League exit, or will Espanyol sneak in and win two straight for the first time in two months?

2:30pm- Setanta USA- Manchester City at Reading. Man City struggles on the road and Marcus Hahnemann is on top form. A Reading upset is well within grasp and a win here helps the Royals see the light at the end of the relegation tunnel.

2:30pm- FSC- Udinese at Palermo. Want to see what a $40 million striker looks like? Watch Palermo’s Amauri go to work in this match, which should be a fun one to watch.

4pm- GolTV- Atletico Madrid at Real Zaragoza. Take a look at Zaragoza’s roster and you can’t help but be completely perplexed how this team can be in the relegation race. Look for Madrid to cruise on the road.

4:30pm- FSC- Manchester City at Reading. See above.

6:15pm- GolTV- Deportivo Cali at America. Yes, I’ll admit it, I need to brush up on my Colombia soccer.

8pm- FSC- Reggina at Inter Milan. Inter will field a second unit here, meaning you might catch a glimpse of wonderkid Mario Balotelli.

SUNDAY

3am- FSC- Los Angeles Galaxy at Hong Kong Union. If you are up on the East Coast watching this then chances are you A) just came back from a bar/club or B) have David Beckham posters all over your house.

10am- FSC- Lazio at Livorno. Is this one worth waking up early on a Sunday for (and yes, 10am is early on a Sunday)? Only if you’re a big Diego Tristan/Goran Pandev fan or if you’re Honduran and want to catch a glimpse of Edgar Alvarez coming of the Livorno bench.

11am- Setanta USA- West Ham United at Tottenham. You have to love the London derbies. Based on current form it is tough to believe that West Ham is actually eight points clear of the Spurs in the standings.

Noon- FSC- Arsenal at Wigan. Could there be a Champions League hangover for the Gunners? Don’t bet on it.

Noon- GolTV- Hamburg at Nuremberg. Skip this mismatch.

2pm- GolTV- Deportivo La Coruna at Valencia. Deportivo has posted two straight clutch wins (against Espanyol and Sevilla) to escape the relegation zone. Can they keep it going? I say yes.

3;30pm- FSC- Juventus at Genoa. Juve is surely seething after its loss to Fiorentina. Better not sleep on Genoa, which is 4-1 in its past five at home.

4pm- GolTV- Villarreal at Barcelona. Expect attacking soccer and at least four goals in this barnburner.

4pm- Setanta USA- Bordeaux vs. Lyon. An attractive Ligue 1 match but not worth skipping Barca-Villarreal for.

5:30pm- FSC- West Bromwich Albion at Bristol Rovers (FA Cup). I think I’ll catch the highlights on the Fox Soccer Report.

6:30pm- GolTV- Envigado at Chico. Zzzzzzzz

Midnight- FSC- Independiente at Boca Juniors. Worth a TIVO look.

Which matches are you looking forward to seeing? Which will you skip? Share your thoughts on this weekend’s TV games below.

Comments

  1. I’m looking forward to Arsenal playing some attractive football on a field that looks more like painted dirt than a proper soccer field.

    Let’s go Barnsley, it’d be so sweet to see them knock off Chelsea.

    Reply
  2. I’m looking forward to Arsenal playing some attractive football on a field that looks more like painted dirt than a proper soccer field.

    Let’s go Barnsley, it’d be so sweet to see them knock off Chelsea.

    Reply
  3. Derby del Sud!!!

    Its not on tv, but that doesn’t change the fact that it should be in IG’s Top 5 of the weekend. Roma v Napoli hasn’t taken in place in the roiling cauldron known as San Paulo since 2001. Gli Azzurri are young and hongry with an average age under 25. Lavezzi and Hamsik are no joke, as leaders Inter can attest after they got ambushed by the dynamic duo last sunday. The Stadio Olympico half of the affair back in October was a 4-4 slot car race. It should be well worth wrangling the torrent game file off the MaXxed Football website sunday night. It is almost always one of the best fought rivalries in europe.

    Reply
  4. >Yet again, ManU is not on any American channel.

    Yes it is. It’s on that wonderful American channel called PPV. There’s nothing more American than being fleeced of your hard earned dollar.

    Reply
  5. I applaud FSC for playing the Fulham games because there are so many Americans involved, but I think I am quickly going from being thankful to feeling like dirt is being rubbed in my eyes on a weekly basis. Come on, save me from televising the Fulham nightmare.

    Reply
  6. Nice touch on the line “can’t find an American accent” at Blackburn. Good, little shot at Friedel. Funny stuff.

    Reply
  7. It has been a while since I’ve seen so many good La Liga matchups. That Lyon-Bordeaux match is one to watch, though.

    I think Rossi should be back for this weekend?

    Reply
  8. 3AM Sunday morning.

    Third possibility:

    C) You are up at 3AM Sunday morning because you just moved the clocks ahead.

    In any case Ives, you should tell your readers that Daylight SAVING Time starts on this Sunday so that they don’t miss the first half.

    Reply
  9. I don’t know if the intro was a comment on Friedel talking with an English accent or not, but if it was…BURN!!!! I bet Brad can feel that all the way from England!

    Reply

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