Photo by Matt West/ISIPhotos.com
By JUSTIN FERGUSON
Before the planet’s top players depart for an important international break, soccer fans can enjoy a jam-packed Sunday filled with crucial league matches from all over the world.
Many eyes will be on Old Trafford, where eighth-place Manchester United look to continue their solid run of form in the English Premier League with a result against red-hot league leaders Arsenal. Although Man United have had a lot of success in recent years against the Gunners, this season’s Arsenal squad head into Manchester on a nine-match unbeaten run in league play and a five-point cushion at the top of the table. The stingy Arsenal defense will aim to lock down former teammate Robin van Persie, who has scored in three straight EPL matches for the Red Devils.
In Spain, second-place Atletico Madrid return to their fortress at the Vicente Calderon to face Villarreal, who have rocketed up to fourth place in their return to La Liga. The Yellow Submarine will have to find a way past the Atletico defense without the talents of top scorer Giovani Dos Santos. On the opposite side, league-leading goalscorer Diego Costa aims for more offensive success ahead of his first international window as a member of the Spanish national team.
Second-place Napoli and third-place Juventus are both on three-match winning streaks in Serie A, and the two Italian giants face off later in the day at Juventus Stadium. Napoli are on the hunt for their first league win against Juve since January 2011, while Juventus will try to close the gap between themselves and league-leading AS Roma in their quest for a third consecutive Scudetto.
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):
7am – Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle United – NBC Sports Network
8am – Bordeaux vs. Nantes – beIN Sport Play
8:30am – NAC Breda vs. PSV Eindhoven – GolTV USA
9am – Chievo vs. AC Milan – beIN Sport en Español
9am – AS Roma vs. Sassuolo – beIN Sport USA
9:05am – Sunderland vs. Manchester City – NBC Sports Network
11am – Olympique Marseille vs. Sochaux – beIN Sport USA
11am – Valencia vs. Real Valladolid – beIN Sport en Español
11:10am – Manchester United vs. Arsenal – NBC Sports Network
11:10am – Swansea City vs. Stoke City – NBC Sports Live Extra
11:30am – SC Freiburg vs. Stuttgart – GolTV USA
1pm – Villarreal vs. Atletico Madrid – beIN Sport en Español
1pm – Pumas UNAM vs. Cruz Azul – Univision
2pm – Cruzeiro vs. Gremio – GolTV USA
2:45pm – Juventus vs. Napoli – beIN Sport USA
3pm – Real Betis vs. Barcelona – beIN Sport en Español
7:15pm – Velez Sarsfield vs. River Plate – GolTV USA
9pm – Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers – ESPN