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This weekend’s soccer on TV

Mario_balotelli_2_ap

The weekend so many of you have been waiting for is finally here.

This is the weekend when Serie A and La Liga kick off, meaning all of Europe’s top leagues will be underway, meaning the list of games you can watch will grow that much more.

With so many options to choose from, you can count on SBI to bring you a weekly schedule of your viewing options, including the best matches to watch and the storylines you will want to follow.

Here are the Top Five matches on TV this week (keep in mind this ranking is based on storylines as much as on potential quality of play):

This Weekend’s Top 5 Matches

1. Tottenham at Chelsea. This all-London clash should be an intense battle as Spurs look to avoid starting the season wih three losses. It doesn’t look like Robinho will be making his Chelsea debut, but seeing Deco vs. Luka Modric should be a nice treat.

2. Inter Milan at Sampdoria. Jose Mourinho makes his Serie A debut against an underrated Sampdoria side. Young Italian star Mario Balotelli (pictured above) will be one to watch, having just celebrated his 18th birthday, paving the way for him to play for Italy.

3. Juventus at Fiorentina. This could arguably be the best match of the weekend as these Champions League squads look to kick off with a win. New Juventus striker Amauri makes his Juve debut.

4. New York Red Bulls at D.C. United. Bitter rivals clash in a match with major MLS playoff implications. Can the Red Bulls overcome the RFK curse?

T5. Maryland at UCLA. No, college soccer isn’t always quality, but this match should feature several future MLS standouts. Red Bulls fans will be tuning in to see Red Bulls academy product Matt Kassel make his college debut.

T5. Liverpool at Aston Villa. The lengthy and very public courtship of Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry by Liverpool will make this one a very testy encounter. Seeing how Barry plays in this match makes it must-see TV.

If you’re wondering where the Man U- Zenit Super Cup tilt is, I would have put it in the Top 5 if it weren’t showing this afternoon, a bit early for most readers to catch it. Also, the Old Firm (Rangers at Celtic) is on pay-per-view so it doesn’t make this list.

Here is this week’s schedule of matches on TV:

FRIDAY

  • 2:30pm- FSC- Manchester United vs. Zenit St. Petersburg (UEFA Super Cup)
  • 8pm- FSC- Puerto Rico Islanders vs. Charleston Battery.
  • 10pm- FSC- Maryland vs. UCLA

SATURDAY

  • 7:30am- Setanta USA- Blackpool at Southampton
  • 9:30am- GolTV- Werder Bremen at Borussia Moechengladbach
  • 9:45am- Setanta USA- Portsmouth at Everton
  • 10am- FSC- Blackburn at West Ham
  • 11:30am- GolTV- VfL Bochum at Schalke 04
  • 12:30pm- FSC- Newcastle at Arsenal
  • 2pm- GolTV- Valladolid at Espanyol
  • 2:15pm- Setanta USA- West Bromwich Albion at Bolton
  • 2:30pm- FSC- Inter Milan at Sampdoria
  • 4pm- GolTV- Mallorca at Valencia
  • 4pm- Setanta USA- Stoke City at Birmingham
  • 4:30pm- FSC- Palermo at Udinese
  • 7:30pm- FSC- New York Red Bulls at D.C. United
  • 7:30pm- HDNet- Los Angeles Galaxy at New England Revolution
  • 3am- FSC- Central Coast Mariners at Queensland Roar

SUNDAY

  • 7:30am- Setanta Pay-Per-View- Rangers at Celtic
  • 8:30am- Setanta USA- Tottenham at Chelsea
  • 9am- FSC- Bologna at AC Milan
  • 10:30am- Ipswich Town at Watford
  • 11am- FSC- Liverpool at Aston Villa
  • 11am- GolTV- Hertha Berlin at Bayern Munich
  • 1pm- GolTV- Barcelona at Numancia
  • 2:30pm- FSC- Juventus at Fiorentina
  • 3pm- GolTV- Real Madrid at Deportivo La Coruna
  • 4:30pm- FSC- Manchester City at Sunderland
  • 11pm- FSC- San Lorenzo at River Plate

What do you think of this weekend’s viewing options? Which match or matches are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. As an Akron fan, I am looking forward to the Akron-Indiana game showing on Big Ten Network at 2 PM ET on Sunday. The Zips just knocked off #3 Notre Dame on Friday (3-0).

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  2. Just a heads up, if any of you have RAI International, Empoli-Brescia will be their main 10 a.m. game and Szetela will probably be starting in the midfield….

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  3. Nick, Roma-Napoli wasn’t on any TV schedule I saw so that’s why that’s not on the list. I should also point out that among SBI readers there are far more Inter Milan and AC Milan fans than Roma fans, in case you were wondering why I would list those Italian games and not Roma-Napoli, which I agree will be a great game to watch.

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  4. How is Roma-Napoli not top five matchups this weekend? There is more fan interest there than potentially any other non-derby matchup in Italy! And how is a Roma squad that beat Inter in the Italian Cup last year, Real in the Champions League, and has added Baptista, Riise and Menez while losing only the unpredictable Mancini ranked behind three other Serie A teams in the European top 25 rankings? Milan was abysmal last year, Flamini will make a difference but Kaka is hurt, and Sheva, Ronaldinho and Zambrotta are Fifa 05 All-Stars – there is no way they should be in the top 10.

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  5. FSC usually gets what RAI has that day right? Well, RAI is showing Roma-Napoli so I don’t know if FSC thinks they “have” to show Ronaldinho to promote Serie A… Speaking of promotion, how about Bologna back in A after 3 seasons? Isn’t that why FSC is showing this game?? O, i guess not…

    Why skip on a game that finished 6-4 on agg last year?? show a REAL game live, and talk about all the “excitement” in milan during super sunday PLUS!

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  6. Can you imagine the day when Mario Balotelli (by birth Ghanian) and G. Rossi (the American) are the starting forwards for Italy?

    I think it would be cool. I wonder if the Italians will think that?

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  7. Hey Henry,

    I believe that DirectTV carries all those channels. I am in the same boat as I am pissed off that DISH Network dropped GolTV. DISH used to be the best for watching soccer as they had the foreign channels that DirectTV doesn’t carry. But now that they dropped GolTV and World Sport HD, DISH is behind DirectTV for best provider for soccer fans in the USA.

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  8. Mike D, you’re absolutely right. I included Villa-Liverpool, though I couldn’t take out any of the five that were already in.

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  9. I hate Dish Network they pulled GOLTV Right when i was going to Start following Villareal in LA Liga.

    I need A carrier that carries the following channels:

    Setanta

    FSC

    ESPN Deportes

    Fox Sports Espanol

    GOL TV

    ESPN 2

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  10. So has FSC turned into the Milan channel or what?

    Why get my hopes up by having Roma v Napoli listed all week only to switch the match to Milan v Bolonga. The 12 people I have coming over now have to watch the match even more pixelated then FCS’s crappy feed.

    Thank goodness for the internet (P2P) so I can still watch the match but my opinion of FSC has been tarnished.

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  11. Wow, Villa-Liverpool doesn’t make your top 5? It’s Barry vs. Liverpool after a summer of him trying to move there. Barry vs. Alonso, the player they were trying to sell all summer so they could bring in Barry. Both with have a point to prove. There is a lot of animosity between the 2 clubs now so it should be very interesting. The only damper on it is Gerrard is out.

    Reply
  12. Juventus v. Fiorentina looks like the best matchup. Valencia v. Mallorca will be entertaining.

    For the canadians out there,

    Everton-Portsmouth(Sportsnet)

    Caen-PSG(SAT-1pm/TV5)

    Montreal-Carolina(SAT-7:30pm/CBC Radio-Canada)

    Toronto-Chivas(SAT-10:30pm/Sportsnet)

    Sampdoria-Inter(SUN-9am tape delay/TLN)

    Aston Villa-Liverpool(The Score)

    Fiorentina-Juventus(TLN)

    Reply
  13. I never liked that FSC picked up Series A games, takes away from EPL and the the SPL games they used to show..I could be watching the Bhoys beat those other guys, instead we get Italian Opera.

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  14. Does anyone know why FSC switched the 9am Serie A match on Sunday from Roma/Napoli to Milan/Bologna?? Why would they want to show a bunch of old guys running around the pitch against a promoted team rather than the Derby del Sole? The Roma/Napoli match pits 2 teams that should finish inside the top 6 this season…

    Reply
  15. this news made my weekend, i think i can let out a big sigh of relief now. one more weekend, and I would’ve shot myself… literally. ok, maybe not literally, but still… u know what i mean.

    FORZA MILAN !!!!

    Reply
  16. Yes, Pete, I looked it up. The Gers supporters meet at the Blue Room on 2nd and 60th Street. The website Big Apple Bears (the Gers NYC supporters website) says there is a $20 cover charge for this match (not surprisingly).

    Reply

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