Photo by Javier Garcia / ISIPhotos.com
By JUSTIN FERGUSON
Before their crucial meeting with league-leading Liverpool next weekend at Anfield, third-place Manchester City will try to maintain pressure on the high-scoring Reds with a home English Premier League victory against eighth-place Southampton.
Manchester City drew 1-1 with Southampton in their first meeting this season, but they will definitely want all three points from their encounter with the Saints at Ethiad Stadium, where they have posted 13 wins and just one loss this EPL campaign. Southampton have been up-and-down in form recently, routing Newcastle United yet losing to Tottenham Hotspur away from home, but they will be looking for their first big upset of the season this Saturday in Manchester.
Elsewhere in the EPL, second-place Chelsea can pull ahead of Liverpool for at least a temporary basis with a victory at Stamford Bridge against Stoke City. The Potters stunned Chelsea in their first meeting this season but have been awful on the road this season. Chelsea have dropped their last two matches to put their dreams of a double in jeopardy, and they will look to keep Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten league run at the Bridge going on Saturday.
In Spain, all three horses in La Liga’s race for the title are in action Saturday. First-place Atletico Madrid, who face second-place Barcelona in a Champions League showdown in a few days, lead off with a home match against Villarreal. Barcelona host last-place Real Betis later in the day, and third-place Real Madrid look to keep their high-scoring ways going in a road match at Real Sociedad.
Tonight, the rivalry clash between league-leading Cruz Azul and Club America highlights a slate of matches from Liga MX. The rematch of the 2013 Clausura final features a role reversal—Cruz Azul are the dominant force in Mexico right now, while Club America are fighting to grab a playoff spot with just a few matches left to play in the season.
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):
7:15am – Wigan Athletic vs. Leeds United – beIN Sports USA
7:45am – Manchester City vs. Southampton – NBC Sports Network
7:45am – Dundee United vs. Celtic – Fox Soccer Plus
9:30am – Augsburg vs. Bayern Munich – GolTV USA
10am – Newcastle United vs. Manchester United – NBC Sports Network
10am – Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal – beIN Sports USA
10am – Aston Villa vs. Fulham – Premier League Extra Time
10am – Cardiff City vs. Crystal Palace – Premier League Extra Time
10am – Norwich City vs. West Bromwich Albion – Premier League Extra Time
10am – Hull City vs. Swansea City – Premier League Extra Time
11am – PSG vs. Reims – beIN Sports Play
12pm – Barcelona vs. Betis – beIN Sports USA
12:30pm – Chelsea vs. Stoke City – NBC Sports Network
12:30pm – Borussia Dortmund vs. Wolfsburg – GolTV USA
12:45pm – Heerenveen vs. PSV Eindhoven – ESPN3
2pm – Toulouse vs. Lille – Univision Deportes
2pm – Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid – beIN Sports USA
2:45pm – Inter Milan vs. Bologna – beIN Sports USA (Tape delay beginning at 4pm)
3pm – Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders – NBC Sports Network
4pm – Montreal Impact vs. New York Red Bulls – MLS Direct Kick
4pm – Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta de Vigo – beIN Sports en Español
5pm – Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union – MLS Direct Kick
6pm – Columbus Crew vs. Toronto FC – MLS Direct Kick
6:30pm – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Colorado Rapids – MLS Direct Kick
7pm – D.C. United vs. New England Revolution – MLS Direct Kick
7pm – Club America vs. Cruz Azul – Univision Deportes/Univision
8pm – Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas – MLS Direct Kick
8:30pm – Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake – MLS Direct Kick
9pm – Pachuca vs. Chivas de Guadalajara – UniMás
9pm – Monterrey vs. Santos Laguna – Univision Deportes
10:05pm – Club Leon vs. Queretaro – Telemundo
11pm – Atlas vs. Puebla – Univision Deportes