After two weeks Arsenal are yet to record a win or even score a goal in Premier League play this season, but they will look to change that today as they face Liverpool.
A re-tooled Liverpool side loaned away striker Adam Carroll before the transfer deadline, while picking up Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin. Now, the Reds take on an Arsenal team that is desperate to earn all three points after drawing its first two games.
Elsewhere in Europe, a big slate of games in La Liga is headlined by a matchup between Barcelona and Valencia. In Italy, Inter Milan hosts Roma in an important early-season meeting.
Later tonight, the MLS playoff race continues as the Chicago Fire host the Houston Dynamo in a nationally televised matchup. Other games include the Seattle Sounders' trip to face FC Dallas and the game between the San Jose Earthquakes and Chivas USA.
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
8am- Univision Deportes/beIN Sport– Bordeaux vs. Nice
8:30am- FOX Soccer Channel– Liverpool vs. Arsenal
8:30am- ESPN3– PSV Eindhoven vs. AZ Alkmaar
9:30am- GolTV– Wolfsburg vs. Hannover 96
10am- beIN Sport– Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Valladolid
10:30am- ESPN3– Heerenveen vs. Ajax
11am- FOX Soccer Channel– Southampton vs. Manchester United
11am- FOX Soccer Plus– Newcastle vs. Aston Villa
11am- Univision Deportes– Marseille vs. Rennes
11:30am- GolTV– Bayern Munich vs. Stuttgart
NOON- beIN Sport– Udinese vs. Juventus
1pm- Univision– Toluca vs. Club America
1:50pm- beIN Sport– Real Madrid vs. Granada
2:45pm- RAI– Inter Milan vs. AS Roma
3pm- Univision Deportes– Lille vs. Paris St. Germain
3pm- GolTV– Internacional vs. Flamengo
6pm- Telemundo– Chivas Guadalajara vs. Puebla
3:30pm- beIN Sport– Barcelona vs. Valencia
5:30pm- beIN Sport– Napoli vs. Fiorentina (tape delay)
7pm- Galavision– Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo
7pm- MLS Direct Kick– FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders
7:30pm- beIN Sport– Lille vs. Paris St. Germain
9pm- NBC Sports Network– San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chivas USA
Dean was sort of a disaster out there. Let a lot of pushes in the back go all day. Don’t know if it made any significant difference in the outcome.
But they did it again. Hate hate hate.
Indeed. They are evolving
LOL. Yeah, I’m a hater (sports type hate). But you gotta hand it to that old drunk Scot, he does figure out a way to win these things.
What a save from Guzan. If this is how he’s been playing in practice it’s shocking that Given started over him.
He and Lichaj definitely earned starts next week.
Lichaj did not look good defending in those final minutes. If memory serves, he’s not a natural left back? Either way, the kid has speed and he needs to use that, but he can’t rely on it to recover after making careless stabs at the ball. At this level, he’ll get toasted.
Dude, pretty clear penalty as Ferdinand just shoves a play over in the box that would have given Southampton the tie, but OF COURSE United has the officials down on their knees and it isn’t given.
Guzan with a superb diving stop on a Cabaye spot kick.
After this match, he has to have earned the starting spot for next week at least.
Lichaj shutting down the left side of the pitch now.
Outplayed once again and scrape out 3 pts…
Helped by a very lenient referee who, admittedly, let a few things go for Southampton, too. Clear foul in the box on Ferdinand in the dying seconds.
Recipe for losing a 2-1 lead. Pull your three best performers at 70 minutes and try to ride it out. Brilliant.
Same.
HATER!!! Don’t worry, RVP is bound to get injured sooner rather than latter and there goes United”s attack
God I hate United.
SO how much stoppage time coming? 8 minutes or so?
Lichaj has really adjusted well after his rough start. He’s in the game for sure.
very nice.
If you missed it, so did he.
RVP!! RVP!!
Wow, Ben Arfa. Not a goalie in the world could have stopped that one. Guzan furious though that his defenders didn’t close him down quicker..
…and Adam Carolla
Wonder Strike from Hatem! Guzan couldn’t do anything about it, and it happened on the opposite side of Lichaj.
Also, very similar to a goal he scored a couple years ago against Tim Howard.
That’s an amazing strike by Ben Arfa. No way any keeper would have stopped that.
When abusing ManUtd, it is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, to be childish.
wow, Guzan really had no chance on that one. 1-1
Hah haaahhaaah (queue Nelson) Man Poo.
Childish, I know
Southampton is going to be fun this year. They gave ManCity a good run, now they’re up on ManU…gotta love it.
It’s actually a little surreal that striker is actually becoming on the strenght of the USMNT. For years, we had likeable, willing guys that were frankly mediocre. Now…choices.
I half agree on the Lichaj statement. While his passing has been spotty at best, he has shown well in shutting down Newcastles right flank.
Completely agree that Guzan is having a peach of a game so far.
It’s good to know we have a striker besides Altidore that can score (okay besides Gome as well)
I would imagine he would call in johnson, dolo, and lichaj as outside backs, but even with Cameron who can play it, that’s kind of shallow, so I would expect a guy like Beitashour to get a call too.
Definitely hope he’s called in, though he has only been just ok in the first half (as has everyone else on Villa).
Links? Think that’s 4 league goals so far and psyched for his great start to the Austrian Bundesliga campaign.
With Castillo out you would think Lichaj will have to get called in.
Boyd is a man amongst boys in the Austrian Bundesliga. Won’t be there long if he keeps scoring at this rate.
Boyd just scored his second of the day.
So far: Villa’s Defense: not bad
Villa going forward: not so good-though they are in the lead-it’s totally against the run of play.
Guzan has made one nice save though.
Not that I disagree, but unfortunately the bad Lichaj has shown up today. Guzan, on the other hand, is making the position his — very good command of the box and one terrific reflex save.
Guzan doing very well so far
And Guzan. Glad to see he gets the (long overdue) EPL start.
a spell of better sequences now
+1 If Chandler does not come for Jamaica, time to forget Timmy for the WC 2104 cycle and bring in guys who truly want to play for the shirt–and that means giving Lichaj a chance to show what he can do against Jamaica, and if it works out start grooming him.
Villains look pretty bad so far. Midfield clumping together and everyone giving it away easily.
They must be ecstatic fans: The Cherundolo-captained Hannover is looking awesome at the beginning of the season in both Bundesliga play and Europa League–humiliating Wolfsburg today in Wolfsburg (4-0 as I type). This is a team that can beat just about anybody on a given day and could be the year that Hannover cements its position as a top-tier Bundesliga position by ending in the Top Four and bound for the Champions League. Mirko Slomka is a great coach and personality, and you just feel the team spirit of Hannover.
+1 trillion.
It’s telling when the only attacking option Liverpool had off the bench was Stewart Downing, the guy who hasn’t scored a Premier league goal in 2 years. Dempsey has more finishing skill than anyone ‘Pool put on the field today.
Suarez needs to stop the theatrics and work on actually hitting the target. Shelvey, Allen, and Sterling are obviously the future.
Commentator just said the most wrong thing I’ve heard today: Carrick did sterling service replacing Ferdinand in the center of the defense.
Really?
I agree that the panic button should not be hit and the squad is playimg fluid soccer. However, Liverpool’s current squad lacks IMO a true compliment to Suarez who can hold up and draw attention from defenders. Whether that player is a Carroll-type center forward, a Poldolski or Giroud (like) combo forward or a withdrawn striker who floats, Suarez needs support.
It’s early times so am hopeful results will start to come.
Dear Klinsmann,
Lichaj is starting, please take notice and call him up.
Sincerely,
Everyone
The Hannover Hungarian named Huszti (say that a few times fast) has 4 assists today. #10Shirt
I am NOT in the habit of defending Liverpool but I think their roster is fine. I think they have had a tough schedule for their first three games and that they shouldn’t panic, they don’t look terrible out there.
Yeah, Friedel would surely be in the discussion. I’m definitely one, even though I mentioned Howard, to separate field players and keepers. But maybe we leave the keepers to a separate discussion.
That said:
Keller, Friedel, Howard have all had pretty spicy careers. . In that case, Friedel definitely tops the Euro-history list for me. I may slightly prefer Keller and Howard as keepers but Friedel’s club history tops them.
All that noise about Dempsey and all of the painful underbidding and flip flopping and it looks like they needed him more than anybody.
Liverpool have 1 point from 3 games with only 2 goals scored. Fail.