A pair of derbies in the United Kingdom should command the attention of soccer fans around the world this weekend.
Rangers and Celtic renew pleasantries in the latest edition of the Old Firm derby, with Celtic running away from their rivals in the league table and Rangers wallowing in a financial crisis that has taken its toll on the field as well.
Over in England, Chelsea and Tottenham clash in a London derby with massive table implications. Tottenham's skid combined with Chelsea's improved play has the two battling it out for the Premier League's final berth in next season's UEFA Champions League. Also of note in England is Bolton's return to the field for the first time since Fabrice Muamba collapsed a week ago.
Elsewhere, CONCACAF Olympic qualifying continues with Group B play getting underway Friday night and the United States meeting Canada on Saturday looking to take the next step toward the semifinals. In MLS, the marquee matchup takes place Friday night as Seattle and Houston meet in a nationally televised battle of contenders.
Here is this weekend's soccer on TV:
THIS WEEKEND'S SOCCER ON TV
FRIDAY
3:30 p.m. – GOLTV – Wolfsburg vs. Hamburg SV
4:45 p.m. – ESPN3.com – SC Olhanense vs. Benfica
9 p.m. – Mun2/CONCACAF.com – Honduras vs. Panama
10 p.m. – NBC Sports Network – Seattle Sounders vs. Houston Dynamo
10 p.m. – Fox Deportes – Morelia vs. America
11 p.m. – Telemundo/CONCACAF.com – Trinidad and Tobago vs. Mexico
SATURDAY
4 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Gws Giants vs. Sydney Swans
8:45 a.m. – ESPN2/ESPN3.com – Chelsea vs. Tottenham
10:30 a.m. – ESPN3.com – Bayern Munich vs. Hannover 96
11 a.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – Arsenal vs. Aston Villa
11 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv – Liverpool vs. Wigan Athletic
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Bolton vs. Blackburn
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Norwich City vs. Wolves
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Sunderland vs. Queens Park Rangers
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Swansea City vs. Everton
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Reading vs. Blackpool
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Aberdeen vs. Inverness Caledonian Thistle
1 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – Toronto FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
1 p.m. – GOLTV – Mallorca vs. Barcelona
1 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv/ESPN3.com – AC Milan vs. Roma
1:30 p.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – Stoke City vs. Manchester City
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Ajaccio vs. Lorient
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Brest vs. Nancy
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Evian Thonon Gaillard vs. Lille
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Lyon vs. Sochaux
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Montpellier vs. St. Etienne
2 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Nice vs. Marseille
3 p.m. – GOLTV/ESPN3.com – Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad
3:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Channel/ESPN3.com – Palermo vs. Udinese
4 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – Columbus Crew vs. Montreal Impact
4 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – New England Revolution vs. Portland Timbers
4 p.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Valenciennes vs. Stade Rennes
4:30 p.m. – Telemundo/CONCACAF.com – Cuba vs. El Salvador
5 p.m. – ESPN3.com – Getafe vs. Valencia
7 p.m. – Mun2/CONCACAF.com/Universal Sports Network – USA vs. Canada
7 p.m. – Telefutura – Monterrey vs. Estudiantes Tecos
8:30 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union
9 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA
9 p.m. – Telefutura – Santos Laguna vs. Queretaro
9 p.m. – Telemundo – Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Toluca
10 p.m. – MLS Live/Direct Kick – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. D.C. United
10:30 p.m. – Galavision – San Luis vs. Atlante
SUNDAY
2 a.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – Sydney FC vs. Newcastle Jets
6:30 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Atalanta vs. Bologna
8 a.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – Rangers vs. Celtic
9 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv – Napoli vs. Catania
9:30 a.m. – ESPN3.com – Stuttgart vs. Nurnberg
10 a.m. – DirecTV – Levante vs. Osasuna
10:30 a.m. – ESPN3.com – Ajax vs. PSV Eindhoven
11 a.m. – Fox Soccer Channel – West Brom vs. Newcastle
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Toulouse vs. Auxerre
11 a.m. – FoxSoccer.tv – Dijon vs. Caen
12 p.m. – GOLTV – Athletic Bilbao vs. Sporting Gijon
1:45 p.m. – DirecTV – Rayo Vallecano vs. Villarreal
2 p.m. – Telefutura – Pumas UNAM vs. Tigres UANL
2 p.m. – Azteca America – Puebla vs. Cruz Azul
3 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus/FoxSoccer.tv – PSG vs. Bordeaux
4 p.m. – ESPN – New York Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids
4 p.m. – Telemundo/CONCACAF.com – Panama vs. Trinidad and Tobago
4 p.m. – GOLTV – Corinthians vs. Palmeiras
7 p.m. – Galavision – Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
7 p.m. – Telemundo/CONCACAF.com – Mexico vs. Honduras
Boca to Seattle
Halle – f’n – lujah
Joe’s right.
It is Australian Rules Football… Which is neither Rugby nor Soccer, but totally worth checking out, as the sport is truly unique and amazing.
No one cares george.
on NBC Sports….thanks even more
Friday Night MLS….thank you
“4 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Gws Giants vs. Sydney Swans”
I believe this is rugby…
Can’t wait to see the Sectarianism on display at Rangers v Celtic!
In all seriousness i’m actually pretty happy that FSC is broadcasting this one, and I’m hoping for a good game.
Did Fox Soccer get SPL games just for Rangers Celtic because MLS games are 10 times better than any of the other SPL games. I would rather see the Belgium League.