The final two spots in the African Cup of Nations semifinals are up for grabs on Sunday, with the highly-anticipated showdown between mighty Ivory Coast and Nigeria serving as the headliner.
Didier Drogba and the Ivorians will look to vanquish a Nigerian side that will enter the match as considerable underdogs. The other semifinal features two underdogs in Burkina Faso and Togo in a match that should have plenty of goals.
In England, plenty of eyes will be on the Manchester City-Liverpool clash, with the Citizens desperately needing to win in order to stay within touching distance of Manchester United.
In Germany, the Borussia Dortmund-Bayer Leverkusen mee righ behind Bundelia leads.
If you will be watching today’s autopl pleaase free to sharll uorbuy cusomt everything.
Enjoy the action (Today’s TV a schedule is after the jump:
TODAY’S SOCCER ON TV
6am – BeIN Sport en Español – Malaga vs. Real Zaragoza
6:30am – RAI – Chievo Verona vs. Juventus
8:30am – FoxSoccer Channel/Fox Deportes – West Bromwich Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur
9am – Setanta Sports Ireland – Fiorentina vs. Parma
9am – BeIN Sport – Genoa vs. Lazio
9am – Sky Galcio 4 – Palermo vs. Atalanta
9am – BeIN Sport en Español – Siena vs. Internazionale
9am – Sky Galcio 5 – US Pescara vs. Bologna
9:30am – GolTV – Nurnberg vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
10am – ESPN3.com – Ivory Coast vs. Nigeria
11am – Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Deportes – Manchester City vs. Liverpool
11am – BeIN Sport en Español – Sevilla FC vs. Rayo Vallecano
11:30am – GolTV – Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Dortmund
1pm – BeIN Sport/BeIN Sport en Español – Valencia vs. Barcelona
1pm – ESPN Deportes – Puebla vs. Morelia
1pm – Univision/Univision Deportes – Pumas UNAM vs. Santos Laguna
1:30pm – ESPN3.com – Burkina Faso vs. Togo
2:45pm – RAI – AC Milan vs. Udinese
3pm – BeIN Sport/BeIN Sport en Español – Atletico Madrid vs. Real Betis
3pm – Canal+ Liga / HD – Real Sociedad vs. Mallorca
6pm – Telemundo – Guadalajara vs. San Luis
7pm – Univision Deportes – Atlante vs. Monterrey
7:55pm- beIN Sport- Colombia vs. Paraguay (South American Under-20s)
Anyone watching Leverkusen-Dortmond? Funnest game I’ve seen all year. Tere were three goals and a saved penalty in a 10 minute span and lots of good attacking throughout.
I actually like that the comments are moderated now. Sure it makes live chat less fun, but it keeps spammers and the like at bay.
how many spammer problems has SBI ever had?? I’ve been coming on here for quite a while now and I can’t remember any problems to be honest… maybe I missed something tho
The reason you never saw it is because we had a system in place that did a good job of combatting it. With the site re-design we have inherited a different system to handle site moderation, a system that works differently and presents some different issues.
Herc comes off for Spanish cmid Marc Crosas.Prob try to slow down Pumas a bit.Herc very unlucky to not score today.I end my lonely liga mx posting.
thanks for this, by the way. nice to be able to follow along when i can’t watch the game.
Pumas ramping it up with more possession and a couple chances.A swivel turn and shot that went a yard wide.The other a bullet header of a corner cleared of the line.Cant believe it’s still scoreless.
Herc with a beautiful chip from just inside the box.Hits the post for a second time in the game.Bad luck for him in this game.
Pen for Pumas against the run of play in the 45th.Osvaldo save to the right from Martinez.It looked like a peno to me.0-0 half time with Santos having the better of it.Three chances spurned by Quintero,Gomez and Peralta.Gomez with the clearest.Diving header off the post.Pumas better lift their game in the second 45 if they want the points at home.
Herc beats the offside trap on cross from the left wing.Diving header hits the post.Best chance of the game so far.Right after the ball hits the post it’s served back in from the right.Peralta scuffs a Chilean from 4 yes out.Things are heating up.
Gomez beats the Pumas lb Fuentes for pace down the wing.Draws a foul on the edge of the right side of the 18.
Quintero misses a chance from a layoff by Peralta about 8 yards out.Santos surprisiny dominating the first 20 away to Pumas.
Santos playing 4-2-3-1 with Herc playing on the right wing of the 3.Could def see Klinsi playing him there next week in a 4-3-3 with Demps on the left and Jozy in the middle.Bradley and Jones behind them.With anyone of Williams/Beckerman/Edu anchoring behind.
Most will prob watch Barca-Valencia.Me beings nat abroad fan I will go with Puebla-Monarcas.Beasley starting lw and Orozco rb, per usual.
Nevermind im watching Santos-Pumas in hd.Rather watch the fwd who plays for the Usmnt.
It’s great that AO is getting a big promotion from Fox Soccer today.
Well deserved and about time.
Unite and Strengthen!
Side note- If Villa are relegated I could def see Guzan signing for Liverpool or Man utd.With De Gea and Reina both being rumored for some reason going to Barca in the summer, Victor Valdés reportedly not wanting to renew his contract.
That would be a great move for Guzan.
Rumors in France saying Liverpool is going after Mexican GK Memo Ochoa in the summer with a 6 million euro bid from Liverpool rejected by Ajaccio a few weeks ago. If Ochoa continues to impress, like today vs Lyon, he might just end up in Liverpool.
Still, you would figure Liverpool would want a tried and tested EPL GK over someone who may need time to adjust to PL. If they go that route, I can’t think of a better young GK than the Guzano.
Yeah Ochoa def can’t hold a candle to Guzan.
Well given the fact that Guzan just became a regular starter for Villa this season after being with the team for almost five years, it seems like a rather hyperbolic statement to make.
Ochoa has been lights out for his club in France and will surely move to a better team this summer.
Not sure the same can be said for Guzan.
That’s not to say I don’t think Guzan is a better GK but Ochoa is no slouch either.
Tbh I haven’t seen Ochoa in europe at all.He must have gotten a whole lot better.In Mexico he was pure average.I wonder why he doesn’t start for el tri over Corona who’s pretty good himself.It might be political though with el chepo.
Ochoa was a starter for Club America since he was 18 and I think at one point his development sort of hit a wall. Complacency, if you will.
In France, he’s been forced to work on his aerial game as well as his reaction timing.
I’m not sure he’s ready for the EPL but he’s also been rumoured to go to La Liga, as a replacement for Cortouis at Atletico de Madrid, who, for my money, is twice the GK deGea is.
Belgium is STACKED at the moment. A lot of talk about Mexico and their young players but Belgium and Chile are right up there with them right now as far as producing young players.
I’d say the swiss and maybe korea too.
I’ll take the Japanese over Korea.Both have players abroad and in Germany.It seems that there’s one Japanese on every Bundesliga squad though.
Aguero will a great goal from a tight angle on the right side of the penalty area. Reina shouldn’t have tried to come for that ball, but it still took a some effort for the finish.
Aguero equalizes for citeh.An impossible shot from an extreme angle.On the edge of the right side of the box.Reina partly to blame.For the second week in a row Liverpool are in a cracker of a game.
not looking to pile on Ives, we all love your site, but maybe there’s something that can be done with the moderation feature please?
You all should stop complaining about the moderation and watch this absolute stunner of a match!
this is a great game!
The goals were pure class. Nice to see Gerrard hit his stride again.
Vintage Gerrard strike from distance to put the red up 2-1 vs citeh in the 74th min.
that was awesome, as good as it gets
ohhhhhhh, what a goal from Aguero next…some will blame Reina but he had to show. then that beauty! wow
in watching it again, Reina made a mistake
Glad no one is calling that Sturridge goal controversial for playing on while Dzeko sat on the turf complaining. The strangest part is Dzeko didn’t look like he was faking hurt, he was just straight up talking to the ref. So dumb.
Wow. Absolute bullet from Sturridge, and Red Dragons level it. Looking so far to be a nice signing for Liverpool.
John Anthony Brooks has been playing for over half a season now for Hertha, and ESPN still calls him Johnathon Brooksbank. Come on ESPN, we are trying to get this kid to stay with the USMNT, and you can’t even get his name right. Not helping.
For what it’s worth, the Chivas-San Luis game is at 1 pm EST. Apparently they didn’t want to compete for viewers with the Super Bowl.
Nurnberg, has three players in their starting lineup with the variation Timothy for a first name: Timothy, Timmy and Timm. No analysis here. Just thought y’all should know.
I was hoping the Danish team that came to the US last week to play Canada & Mexico would put all 3 Caspers on the field at once.
Just throwing this out there, but would Jozy fit in with TH? Considering their lack of forwards, you know they will be looking this summer, and seems to be on the radar of lots of teams in need of a forward.
Back to the game….
Deuce has been MEH” today. Circumstances didn’t help today (Defoe injury) but regardless. He seems slightly … lost? Glad Spurs found a goal though. And a nice one too
Agree, Dempsey definitely seems unsure of when to make his runs from the line striker position. Generally I think his decisions with the ball at his feet have been fine. Again though, the quality of service from the flanks has been very poor.
Dempsey, scoreeeeeeeee dude
The quality of the crosses from Tottenham has been unusually poor today.
Over the past 6years Messi has played along the likes of Eto’o, Henry, Ibrahimovic and Villa. 4 of the best strikers of the past decade
Bale is a beast… At some point he will move on to a bigger club
yeah, you can only play at one place for so long. excellent player – whole package.
Kyle Walker reminds me of Timmy Chandler.Good at getting forward.Relies too much on speed/athleticism when tracking back and defending.
Holtby may not be a stk but his movement in the final third vs West Brom is excellent.Hes a CAM I believe.
Dude has a hell of a motor, always chasing
Agree that Holtby looks good. Especially given how little time he’s had with the team.
his first touch was too often heavy though, 5 yards in front of him, and then he had to catch up to it. His wheels got him there most of the time, but his angle/opp for a pass was then limited..
Some say Dempsey should have stayed at Fulham. I ask why? Did Columbus stay in Italy? Did Will Smith stay as a rapper or a tv star? Did Clinton stay as a housewife?
LOL
The Albion player spat on the ground to show his irritation. He didn’t really spit at Walker imo. Still, can’t do that. Stoopid.
I really believe Jozy could become top scorer in the Dutch league with 25 goals and earn a €10million move to a upper midtable club in Italy or Germany. And on his way to being the best US striker ever. hes only 23. Over a decade to top the goals of Wynalda and McBride
wow, a red for spitting – did anyone actually see it?
Spurs with advantage now.
The announcer called it and the ref gave the red immediately…
on the replay it was quite hard to see, there was a little something that flew out of his mouth, and it looked sort of intentional, but its not like he hawked a big one in the players face.
Popov spits at Walker.Gets sent off.This is going to get interesting.
Or very ugly. If West Brom bunker the rest of the game it will not make for pretty viewing. Hopefully spurs can find a breakthrough soon and force WBA out.
Defoe injured so Dempsey has several more games as a starter. He just has to score no matter what
well, having no true striker to play off of will hurt his chances. It’s a crap situation for him – not what he’s really suited for. Wouldn’t mind seeing him and Adebayor together, though.
This is crazy. Why on earth did AVB sign another midfielder instead of an out-and-out striker? Defoe is off and now Dempsey is supposed to be the lone striker? It just makes no sense from a tactical perspective.
Holtby is more of a long term guy. He’s also pretty versatile.
if you get a chance to sign holtby, you sign him. doesn’t have to fit perfectly; as tomg says, he’s pretty versatile. and he’s top class.
Watch Messi once again top Ronaldo this week. Today he’ll score an own goal hat trick.
Morning. Gooch on the bench for Malaga. mayve he is being reserved for the upcoming CL matches
Nice one LoL.
Btw any news with Terrence Boyd or Agudelo? they making their moves this summer or next winter?
Neither went anywhere, how would anyone know other than speculation when they may or may not change clubs, 6 months to 1 year from now.
Ha! We could hardly be farther from the summer window
Dempsey to score today and have a Fantastic match to shut up the critics
Oh yeah, he’s fantastic. His passing sucks. He had chances with a header and a shot and both were lacking in power AND accuracy. Watching him play is like playing a game of “Where’s Waldo?” with him being Waldo. He doesn’t defend, and just as soon as the ball moves into the area where he is, he quickly vacates that area. I don’t even think he wants to play.
He hasn’t done too badly in Cup play, but in league games he has been awful. As soon as Adebayor comes back look for Tottenham to play Adebayor and Defoe up front and put Dempsey on the bench where he belongs. Maybe he can make more of a contribution as a substitute. Dempsey is not good enough to start for a top 5 Premier League team. He should have stayed with Fulham or gone to another mid table team. If he accomplishes his goal of playing in the Champions League it will be as a bench player. Even scoring a goal does not usually change much for Dempsey. He misses too many chances and contributes too little. I think Dempsey is the only person on Tottenham today who isn’t defending.
Don’t even bother “analyzing” my post any further. I won’t be posting anymore. You’re going to “moderate” this site out of existence.
sometimes my “awaiting moderation” comments don’t appear until many hours later (or not at all…). I just don’t understand how comments are chosen for or not for moderation.
[Watch this comment not appear for quite a while]
Here’s what I don’t understand about moderation:
A moderated comment is clearly not posted until one of the site’s moderators (Ives, Franco, etc) deem the comment acceptable for public viewing. If that’s the system, then why have it all???
Before SBI moderation, if someone posted an offensive or “against the rule” comment, Ives or someone would just delete the comment. Furthermore, I feel this website has done an extraordinary job policing itself of all the weirdos and maintained a relatively high sense of integrity amongst commentators.
I just don’t understand why the NEED for moderation came into play in the first place. And I don’t see how it is much different than the old system, besides annoying your readers because we have to wait sometimes hours for our comments to be posted. In other words, the new format only affects the site negatively, and not positively in any way. It’s like the old system but way more frustrating.
Just my $.02
i’ve been wondering about this too. in some comment sections, where they are coming fast, I can see responses come in in a matter of minutes, while mine take hours through moderation. Am I flagged or something? i always behave…what gives? this takes away from the interactive experience of the site.
Listen guys, the process for moderation is different because of the site re-design. The comments that get flagged are either comments posted by first-time commenters or comments with banned language. I’m working on trying to figure out who some regular commenters are still having perfectly good comments stopped for moderation.
Completely turning off moderation isn’t an option because, sad as it is to say, there are still a lot of sick and/generally bad people who post offensive crap.
Truth be told I hadn’t gotten a sense that the new moderation process was this much of an issue until recently, but it is something I am working on to improve.
100% agree. Moderation flags just frustrate me and I stop using it, and they really kill the “Your Running Commentary” threads. The site has never needed it, turn that crap off, Ives!
You nailed it, ec. The moderation is annoying enough in other threads, but these threads are specifically designed so that we can discuss the games in real time. That’s pretty difficult to do when comments are randomly selected to be “moderated.”
Agree 100%. I don’t really post nearly as much anymore
+1, well said.
re: memrook’s 2 cents
Dumpsey dropped another dookie.
Great contribution