By JUSTIN FERGUSON
While many around the world are anxiously awaiting Sunday’s Champions League qualification drama in the Barclays Premier League and Serie A, the Bundesliga will have a playoff of sorts on its final matchday to determine its final entry into the world’s premier club tournament.
Although the match will not be televised in the United States, USMNT fans will want to keep tabs on the UCL fate of Jermaine Jones and fourth-place Schalke 04. Schalke have a one-point lead over fifth-place Freiburg heading into Saturday’s showdown at 9:30 a.m. ET. Schalke need a road result to secure their spot in the tournament after last week’s shock loss to Stuttgart. Freiburg, who have won four straight home matches, defeated Schalke 2-0 in their first meeting this season.
Meanwhile, European hopefuls Real Sociedad and Valencia will continue their battle for the final UCL spot from La Liga. The two sides are tied in points heading into the final three matches of the Spanish season, and both will be looking for road victories over midtable sides.
The day’s action wraps up in Mexico, where Club America hosts Monterrey in the second leg of their Clausura semifinal. Monterrey, who knocked off top-ranked Tigres UANL in the opening round, drew with America in the first leg on Wednesday. America bagged two crucial road goals during their trip to face the CONCACAF Champions League winners, so the second-seeded club will have an upper hand in the return leg this evening.
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):
9:30am – GolTV – Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayern Munich
12pm – beIN Sport en Español – Getafe vs. Valencia
2pm – beIN Sport en Español – Granada vs. Osasuna
3pm – beIN Sport – Paris Saint-Germain vs. Brest
4pm – beIN Sport en Español – Sevilla vs. Real Sociedad
5pm – MLS Direct Kick – Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew
6pm – Univision – América vs. Monterrey
7pm – MLS Direct Kick – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers
7:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire
8:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution
10:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – Seattle Sounders vs. Dallas FC
10:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids