With the World Cup Draw dominating the attention of soccer fans throughout the world, it is easy to forget that there are soccer matches to be played this weekend.
The upcoming weekend won't have the number of high-profile matches we saw last week, but there are still top matches on the schedule. Whether it's EPL powers, South American rivalries, or Mexican playoffs, there is something for everybody.
Pro soccer isn't the only option for fans of the beautiful game. The NCAA Women's College Cup is also on TV, as are the Nike Friendlies, which features the U.S. Under-17 national team.
Here is a rundown of SBI's Top Ten Matches to Watch, as well as this weekend's schedule of matches on TV:
SBI's Top Ten Matches to Watch
1. Juventus vs. Inter Milan. Can Juventus close ground on Inter, or will Jose Mourinho's men put a stranglehold on another Scudetto before Christmas? (Yes, this match was dropped off the initial list, but is clearly the top match of the weekend).
2. Manchester City vs. Chelsea. The Citizens have been struggling to record anything but ties, but a win vs. the red-hot Blues would help Man City considerably.
3. Aston Villa vs. Hull City. The past and future of the U.S. national team are set to collide as Jozy Altidore faces Brad Friedel.
4. Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona. A mid-week win vs. Xerez provided a chance to regroup after 'El Clasico', but now comes the biggest surprise in Spain in fifth-place Deportivo.
5. AC Milan vs. Sampdoria. The second and fourth-place teams in Serie A face off as Antonio Cassano looks to outdo Brazilian star Alexandre Pato.
6. Roma vs. Lazio. The Rome Derby is one of the most intense rivalries in world soccer, and it would be higher on this list if not for the fact that the two strugglers didn't have fewer combined points than Inter.
7. Notre Dame vs. North Carolina (Women's College Cup). Women's soccer doesn't usually crack this list, but there should be some good soccer on display between these two powerhouse squads.
8. U.S. Under-17 vs. Brazil Under-17. Since American fans are always searching for the next future star to overhype, what better place to find some new prospects than this match-up?
9. Nacional vs. Penarol. You may not watch much Uruguayan soccer, but this rivalry is one of the fiercest and most underrated in the world. Well worth a viewing.
T10. Toluca vs. Monterrey. The Mexican playoffs are in full swing and while you may hate all things Mexican, this match should be one worth watching.
T10. Fulham vs. Sunderland. The way Clint Dempsey is playing these days American soccer fans will start watching every Fulham match they can catch (though many were already doing that).
This Weekend's Soccer on TV
FRIDAY
5:30pm- ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN360.com- UCLA vs. Stanford (NCAA Women's College Cup semifinal)
8pm- ESPNU- Notre Dame vs. North Carolina (NCAA Women's College Cup semifinal)
9pm- FSC- USA Under-17 vs. Portugal Under-17 (Nike Friendlies)
9pm- ESPN Deportes- Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach (Delayed)
SATURDAY
7:30am- ESPN2- Portsmouth vs. Burnley
10am- Setanta USA- West Ham vs. Manchester United
10am- FSC- Arsenal vs. Stoke City
10:15am- RAI- Brescia vs. Empoli
Noon- ESPN Deportes- Xerez vs. Atletico Madrid
Noon- GolTV- Sevilla vs. Real Valladolid
Noon- RAI- AC Milan vs. Sampdoria
12:30pm- FSC- Manchester City vs. Chelsea
1pm- Setanta USA- Valenciennes vs. Monaco
2pm- GolTV- Real Madrid vs. Almeria
2:45pm- FSC/RAI- Juventus vs. Inter Milan
3pm- Setanta USA- Bordeaux vs. Paris St. Germain
4pm- ESPN Deportes- Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona
5pm- FSC- AC Milan vs. Sampdoria (Delayed)
6pm- Azteca America- CD Cruz Azul vs. Morelia
6:30pm- GolTV- Santa Fe vs. Nacional
7pm- FSC- Aston Villa vs. Hull City (Delayed)
8:15pm- GolTV- Atletico Huila vs. Tolima
9pm- FSC- USA Under-17 vs. Brazil Under-17 (Nike Friendlies)
4am- FSC- Perth Glory vs. Brisbane Roar
SUNDAY
6:30am- ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com- Utrecht vs. Ajax
8:30am- ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com- RKC Waalwijk vs. PSV Eindhoven
9am- FSC/RAI- Genoa vs. Parma
9:30am- ESPN2- Notre Dame vs. North Carolina (Women's College Cup, REPLAY)
10am- Setanta USA- Fulham vs. Sunderland
11am- DirecTV- Espanyol vs. Racing Santander
11am- DirecTV- Mallorca vs. Real Zaragoza
11am- DirecTV- Malaga vs. Osasuna
11am- FSC- Everton vs. Tottenham
11:30am- ESPN Deportes- Schalke 04 vs. Hertha Berlin
1pm- GolTV- Villarreal vs. Getafe
1pm- Telemundo- Toluca vs. Monterrey
2pm- GolTV- Flamengo vs. Gremio
2:45pm- FSC/RAI- AS Roma vs. Lazio
3pm- ESPN Deportes- Athletic Bilbao vs. Valencia
3pm- Setanta USA- Lille vs. Lyon
5pm- FSC- Velez Sarsfield vs. River Plate (Delayed)
5pm- GolTV- Nacional vs. Penarol (Delayed)
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i dont understand all the bitching about the fact that bradley rocks US gear on the touchline. so many managers, especially national team managers, do the exact same thing.
sacchi, carlos alberton parreira, big phil scolari, aime jacquet, mario zagallo, marcello lippi, luis aragones, none of those dudes wear/wore suits when managing their national teams
I noticed the same thing. It’s a good look. Let’s hope he dresses well for the World Cup.
Yeah, I’d rather he wait ’til next week.
So when a listing says DirecTV, what channel or channels is that on?
(SBI-Not sure what channels DirecTV is showing the matches on, but I’m sure if you do some filtered searches for those times you’ll be able to find them.)
what? what’s that i hear? a record 8th straight tie for man city? music to man utd fans ears.
just curious but why don’t you seem to ever include the Bundesliga matches on Goltv in your tv listings? maybe it’s been covered before but i haven’t seen it.
Guillermo Franco, Jonathan Spector and West Ham versue Man U don’t deserve a spot? I’d say about 5000 ppl will be watching “Notre Dame vs. North Carolina (Women’s College Cup)” on ESPNU.
off topic I know but………..
you know what was weird about today?.No,it wasnt that the USA got a modest group instead of a awful one like usual,or even that Mexico got a pretty difficult group.
It was the bizarre site of Bob Bradley, wearing of all things….a suit and tie!!!!
I fully expected him to sit next to Capello and Del Bosque with his usual tracksuit and sneakers hobo look.
Bizarre,just bizarre.
Flamengo, arguably the most popular football team in the world (certainly on this side of the planet, is playing for the Brasileiro title. I’d think that merits Top 10 consideration.
UCLA gooooooooooooooal!
At this point, “Out-the-door” is not very good
Ouch!
Don’t worry, Juve won’t be embarrassed. Juve has two big games this week: Saturday vs Inter & Tuesday vs Bayern Munich. I think we will come away with two victories. Mark it down!
I know. I’m just busting your balls. I would have just done it on IM if you were online, but I chose to do it publicly. That’s what good friends are for!
(SBI-Actually, I left it off so nobody would watch your Juve be further embarrassed, but okay, now everyone will watch.)
I don’t get it either…
Or Arsenal finally scores another goal!
No Roma vs Lazio?
(SBI-Got dropped off the initial list along with Juve-Inter. Both are back in, although this year the Rome Derby isn’t what it usually is.)
um…so Juventus vs Inter doesn’t even make the Top 10 matches of the week?
interesting….
(SBI-Come on Joe, it was inadvertently dropped from the list as I was putting it together. In case you hadn’t noticed, there was some other soccer thing going on today that had my attention.)
Let this be the weekend Jozy finally notches his first EPL golazo.