AC Milan is in first place in Serie A at the moment, but unbeaten Juventus can retake control of the Scudetto race with a win today when the squads clash in Milan in the day's top match-up.
Milan is the home team today, but will face a tough task against a Juve side that has yet to lose a match all year. The absence of suspended striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and injured midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng will make it tougher for Milan to stop Juventus, which will come in confident having already beaten Milan in league play as well as in Coppa Italia earlier this month.
In Mexico, first-place Tigres take on Pachuca in the league's top match of the day. Jose Torres will look to put together another classy performance before playing for the USA against Italy on Wednesday. Surprising side Club Tijuana could catapult up the Primera standings with a win against Toluca tonight.
If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today's TV Schedule is after the jump):
TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV
7:45 a.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv - West Ham vs. Crystal Palace
9:30 a.m. - GOLTV - FC Cologne vs. Bayer Leverkusen
10 a.m. - Fox Soccer Channel - Chelsea vs. Bolton
10 a.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv - Queens Park Rangers vs. Fulham
10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Newcastle vs. Wolverhampton
10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - West Brom vs. Sunderland
10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Wigan Athletic vs. Aston Villa
10 a.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Middlesbrough vs. Reading
12 p.m. - Fox Soccer Plus/ESPN3.com - Genoa vs. Parma
12 p.m. - GOLTV - Real Betis vs. Getafe
12 p.m. - DirecTV - Racing Santander vs. Sporting Gijon
12:30 p.m. - Fox Soccer Channel - Manchester City vs. Blackburn
12:30 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Werder Bremen vs. FC Nurnberg
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Ajaccio vs. Dijon
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Auxerre vs. St. Etienne
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Montpellier vs. Bordeaux
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Nice vs. Caen
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Evian Thonon Gaillard vs. Nancy
1 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Valenciennes vs. Lorient
2 p.m. - DirecTV - Malaga vs. Real Zaragoza
2:45 p.m. - Fox Soccer Channel - AC Milan vs. Juventus
3 p.m. - FoxSoccer.tv - Lyon vs. Paris-St. Germain
3:15 p.m. - ESPN3.com - Academica de Coimbra vs. Benfica
3:30 p.m. - GOLTV - Corinthians vs. Botafogo
4 p.m. - ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes - Espanyol vs. Levante
6 p.m. - MLSSoccer.com stream - Orlando City vs. Toronto FC
6 p.m. - Azteca America/ESPN Deportes - Jaguares vs. Estudiantes Tecos
6 p.m. - Galavision - Monterrey vs. Puebla
8 p.m. - MLSSoccer.com stream - BC Hacken vs. FC Dallas
8 p.m. - MLSSoccer.com stream - Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake
8 p.m. - Telefutura/ESPN Deportes - Pachuca vs. Tigres UANL
10 p.m. - MLSSoccer.com stream - New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls
10 p.m. - Galavision - San Luis vs. Atlas
10 p.m. - Telefutura - Atlante vs. America
10 p.m. - Azteca America - Tijuana vs. Toluca
is it fair to say Ream just might be able to cut it at the PL level?
we need Gonzalez healthy ASAP and in Europe and Cameron doing his thing and we just might have some centerback depth ready for 2014.
it burns bright for a few games and then melts down completely
Tim Ream looks a lot more like a player Arsenal would’ve been scouting today.
whatever happened to Bendtner?
blah. Well, game over, Bolton are done. Certainly can’t blame Ream. Only so much you can do when you’re a central defender playing for a high school team going up against Barca.
Well Chelsea was bound to put it in the back of the net. And for those not watching, wasn’t Ream’s man or anything.
Bolton are suddenly starting to turn it around a bit…including getting a corner that was started with a great poach from Ream.
david luiz scored for chelsea, but it wasn’t on ream’s part.
David Luiz showing the world why every team should have a Brazilian. He is next week’s weather, a box of chocolates, the box with Schroedinger’s cat. You just don’t know.
nice!
I think it’s an interesting question, really. He is actualy good in the air, can be play a *bit* of a target role, and does like to be abrasive and pushy. That, combined with his obvious nose for goal, make him a decent candidate as a USMNT striker. I’m not adamant about it by any means but given the Nats woes at striker, it’s at least worth considering.
Not me! Loving Ream and Miyachi’s performances! Nice play through the middle at the end by Miyachi, and solid for ream. Are they watching his pass and making weater the greeter to discourage his passing?
You must have one candle
Dempsey has played one or two games this season as a striker. The guy is a midfielder, and I can’t understand why some Americans are so adamant that he be played out of position for the national team. (Not saying you’re one of them, Mig, just making a general point.) /minirant
And its a good thing, too. Fulham is much more dangerous with Ruiz and Dempsey on the flanks, especially since Dempsey likes to cut in from the left. Nw with pog and AJ healthy, we shouldn’t see much more of Dempsey as a forward…. At least for fulham
I think we’ve discovered the chink in that headline writer’s armor.
I wonder how many USNT “fans” are crushed because Ream is doing so well.
Wasted chances, squandered opportunities, shocking efforts on goal, terrible touches. Often these guys are defenders and they can’t stomach anything but perfection from attacking players!
Ream has snuffed out threat after threat today. That being said, a clean sheet would be nothing short of a miracle for Bolton given that their recent track record.
To be fair, international competitions have been sucking the fun out of the game for them for years.
i know dude, ever since the Beatles broke up, they’ve slowly been worse and worse each year.
Whitbread should be ahead of Gonzalez, Cameron, and John at this point. You could make an argument for Cameron who possesses superior athleticism and skills,, but the other two can’t logically rate Zak. Zak is starting in the EPL while John languishes on the bench of a Championship club. Zak is sitting out with a hamstring problem while Omar has torn his ACL. Omar and John have also always had questions re their technical and athletic ability. Our top under 30 CBs would have to be considered Whitbread, Ream, and Cameron at this point.
He sure is playing well. Last week was a joke compared to what he’s going up against right now and he doesn’t look the least bit spooked. Come on, Timmy…makin’ us proud!
This Brit doing color for Chelsea-Bolton is so typical of English announcers: all criticism, not much good to say. As a nation, they truly have a talent for sucking the joy out of the game.
I noticed that Dempsey is playing midfield today. In the most recent Fulham games, he has been listed and has played as a striker. But with Pogrebnyak, Ruiz, and AJ all healthy, Deuce is again a middie.
ream is keeping his cool under intense pressure from chelsea’s attack
Ream is really getting an examination since Bolton can’t hold onto the ball. Even if they concede in the 1st half, Ream has played very well under intense pressure.
Any time a US player looks good at LB, I light a candle.
Both Americans are playing pretty well in the Hoffenheim against Wolfsburg game. Johnson is playing left back, Williams at central midfield.
Johnson looks quite strong.
Which is good for him, cuz Klinsi is at the game.
I can see your point, sure. I guess it depends on how you view the SPL. 🙂
In any case, Boca will clearly be the main man during qualifying this year.
still early but Ream really composed…..
Better than dong double.
Well, it’s only 7 minutes in and I’ve seen Ream intercept two passes, get hit with one, and make two good distributions. Positioning has been a bit odd on the last two plays but he’s certainly been busy.
Mig, no, I don’t think the 35 thing holds as much water here. What’s interesting is that right after 2010 World Cup, I was thinking they should kick him to the curb, because 4 years out I had a hard time picturing how he could be our starting centerback. 2.25 years out, it’s much easier to see that as he’s maintained a high level of European play and heck, if anything he’s gotten better on the USMNT team (I certainly didn’t think he stood out positively at the World Cup).
JLM – I guess that’s semantics about my use of odds on favorite. You’re probably right, if I could take the field vs. Boca, I would probably take the field (though maybe that’s a 52/48 sort of deal). But if you were individually ranking everyone’s odds, he’d have the highest.
Soccernet has a headline that reads “Gook Double Earns Victory.” This is really nasty. The South Korean’s name is Lee Dong-Gook. If you were to refer to him with a single name, it would be Lee (as is present in the story). Some headline writer needs to sacked.
I don’t know Jay. I would say that Boca is performing at a level that at least one other guy has a good chance of surpassing over the course of the next two years. Consider that Boca’s form could be on the decline due to age (that is not a given by any means as some on here believe — lots of center backs perform at their peak level into their mid 30s) and the fact that a few younger guys are just starting to get their shot.
I would say that Boca is not the favorite to start in 2014. I don’t think there is a single player that has better odds, but Boca vs. the field has to go to the field.
always injured, but deserves to be added for DEPTH
Fox Soccer Plus free today – at least on FIOS in DC area – so get to see Fulham!
Well, jay, I really think it’s fair to consider that when 2014 comes around, Bocanegra may be too old at 35. It’s not a certainty but the fact that he is clearly the best US CB now (and he is), doesn’t mean much two years down the road. It’s really a close call agewise don’t you think?
Onyewu’s injuries are starting to become a concern as he is not longer a kid.
So, to start to consider a WC without those two as starters may be a very good idea.
Just some thoughts, Cheers.
Is this a reflection of current talent level or the idea that Gooch/Bocanegra are too old. Because I can’t imagine how you “can’t see” Bocanegra and Onyewu starting at the World Cup.
As a USMNT fan and a fan of minor league baseball, I realize there’s a tendency to want to promote both the future and cohesiveness such that there’s a calculus made: we can’t win the World Cup in 2012, so we might as well start a youth movement, but soccer doesn’t work that way and you should know that by now. Bocanegra is clearly our best centerback. Clearly. The only one in the conversation as of now is Onyewu and he’s hurt. Boca is the odds on favorite to start at the World Cup and that’s okay. If someone steps up and takes the job, cool, but he’s performing on a level the other guys can only hope to attain one day.
Don’t forget Whitbread.
Nice
Ream is starting per BWFC’s twitter feed.
not to be rude, but that john question everyone has wondered about… so im pretty sure if that decision would be made, it would have already been a featured article if not a few.
our current centerback options are
Bocanegra, Goodson, Gooch, Ream, Gonzalez, Cameron, John
and of those I can only see Ream/Gonzalez or Cameron starting for us at the next WC. Has John decided on representing the USA or Greece?
come on DEMPSEY.
Don’t know yet but it sort of dawned on me….there is a very young US player that is potentially a starting CB in the f’n EPL. Ream has his share of doubters (I don’t really have an opinion of his MLS play) but damn, he is 24 and right on the edge of being a Prem starter.
Non. Trivial.
Probably find out in a half hour, but I’d think he’d be in the starting 11 after last week. Gonna be a heck of a test today that’s for sure.
Man, I’m a Chelsea fan but as poorly as their playing, I’m having trouble seeing the logic of this being the main game on Fox Soccer. Then again, there aren’t a whole lot of better choices at 10AM.
Sigh.
any word on Ream today?
Daniel Potts is on the Bench for West Ham, but no George John.
Looks like he might be back in a Dallas shirt for at least another year.