By MICHAEL KLINE
Tottenham kicks off today’s titanic soccer action when the North London club hosts the defending English Premier League champions Manchester City.
Andre Villas-Boas’ squad enjoyed a 10-day break which has seen Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Defoe all recover from injury. The three playmakers have combined for over 40 goals for the club this season – production the Spurs have missed in recent weeks. Manchester City, on the other hand, will likely be without the services of David Silva, who has missed the club’s last two matches, and Sergio Aguero, who was subbed off at halftime of last weekend’s match against Wigan Athletic with a hamstring problem.
Chelsea follow the early match when they go on the road to Anfield to face Liverpool later in the morning.
Rafa Benitez and Fernando Torres will clog the headlines ahead of the match, with both individuals returning to their former grounds in the opposition’s colors. It will likely be a bittersweet homecoming for both, since they have failed to repeat the success they happened to find in Red. Regardless, Chelsea sit in a must-win situation, with Champions League qualification the utmost priority.
In the afternoon, Juventus will welcome AC Milan to Turin, where the league leaders will look to come ever closer to hoisting the Scudetto. Milan will be looking for a win of their own, due to Champions League aspirations, but will be missing the energy of Mario Balotelli, who is out of the match due to a suspension. Stephan El Sharaawy is fit, however, but the crafty Italian has managed to only find the net once since his partner-in-crime, Balotelli, arrived in Milan over the winter transfer period.
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
8:30am – Fox Soccer Channel – Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City
9am – beIN Sport – Napoli vs. Cagliari
9:30am – GolTV – Stuttgart vs. Freiburg
11am – Fox Soccer Channel – Liverpool vs. Chelsea
11am – beIN Sport en Español – Deportivo La Coruña vs. Athletic Club
1pm – beIN Sport en Español – Osasuna vs. Real Sociedad
1pm – Univision – Toluca vs. Cruz Azul
2:45pm – beIN Sport – Juventus vs. AC Milan
3pm – beIN Sport en Español – Sevilla vs. Atlético Madrid
5pm – ESPN2 – DC United vs. Philadelphia Union
7pm – Univision Deportes – Atlante vs. Puebla
11pm – UniMás – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers