By DAN KARELL
For the first time since donning the Chelsea blue, Cesc Fabregas will be taking on his former club Arsenal.
First-place Chelsea welcome fourth-place Arsenal to Stamford Bridge for another massive battle between title contenders, ending a busy week for Chelsea that included a victory at Aston Villa last Saturday and a win at Sporting Lisbon in mid-week UEFA Champions League action.
Arsenal meanwhile are coming off a morale-boosting 4-1 victory against Galatasaray on Wednesday, with a hat-trick from new signing Danny Welbeck, but are missing a number of starters including Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta to muscle injuries.
Sunday is a soccer fan’s dream, with Manchester United vs. Everton kicking off the morning, and includes two London derbies, Italian giants Juventus taking on fellow challenger AS Roma, Paris Saint-Germain facing fellow Champions League participant AS Monaco, and Real Madrid hosting Athletic Bilbao.
In addition, the MLS playoff race continues to heat up as teams fight for the final few places in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Columbus Crew travel to face the New England Revolution, the New York Red Bulls host the Houston Dynamo, and the LA Galaxy take on struggling Toronto FC.
Here’s a closer look at This Weekend’s Soccer on TV, complete with TV listings:
THIS WEEKEND’S SOCCER ON TV
FRIDAY
2:30pm – GolTV USA – Hertha Berlin vs. Stuttgart
2:45pm – Fox Soccer Plus – Kilmarnock vs. Dundee United
3pm – beIN Sports en Español – Getafe vs. Cordoba
8 p.m. – NBC Sports Network – D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City
8:30 p.m. – ESPN Deportes/Azteca America – Queretaro vs. Club Leon
SATURDAY
7:15 a.m. – beIN Sports USA – Leeds United vs. Sheffield Wednesday
9:30 a.m. – GolTV USA – Bayern Munich vs. Hannover
10 a.m. – NBC Sports Network – Liverpool vs. West Bromwich Albion
10 a.m. – beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports en Español – Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid
10 a.m. – Premier League Extra Time – Sunderland vs. Stoke City
10 a.m. – Premier League Extra Time – Leicester City vs. Burnley
10 a.m. – Premier League Extra Time – Swansea City vs. Newcastle
10 a.m. – Premier League Extra Time – Hull City vs. Crystal Palace
11 a.m. – beIN Sports USA – Caen vs. Olympique Marseille
12 p.m. – beIN Sports USA/beIN Sports en Español – Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona
12:30 p.m. – NBC – Aston Villa vs. Manchester City
12:30 p.m. – GolTV USA – Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Köln
2 p.m. – beIN Sports en Español – Eibar vs. Levante
2:45 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – AC Milan vs. Chievo
3 p.m. – GolTV USA – Danubio vs. Peñarol
3:15 p.m. – Univision Deportes – Penafiel vs. Sporting CP
3:20 p.m. – ESPN3 – Gremio vs. Sao Paulo
4 p.m. – beIN Sports en Español – Malaga vs. Granada
5:30 p.m. – GolTV USA – Cruzeiro vs. Internacional
6 p.m. – NBC Sports Network – New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo
6 p.m. – Univision – Cruz Azul vs. Club America
6 p.m. – Univision Deportes – Veracruz vs. Tigres UANL
7 p.m. – MLS Direct Kick – Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas
7:30 p.m. – MLS Direct Kick – New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew
8 p.m. – UniMas – Monterrey vs. Club Tijuana
8 p.m. – One World Sports – NY Cosmos vs. Indy Eleven
9 p.m. – Azteca America – Santos Laguna vs. Morelia
9 p.m. – Telemundo – Pachuca vs. Chiapas
10 p.m. – Univision Deportes – Universidad de Guadalajara vs. Pumas UNAM
10:30 p.m. – MLS Direct Kick – LA Galaxy vs. Toronto FC
11 p.m. – NBC Sports Network – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers
11:30 p.m. – One World Sports – Kashima Antlers vs. Gamba Osaka
SUNDAY
7 a.m. – NBC Sports Network – Manchester United vs. Everton
7:45 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Inverness CT vs. Ross County
9 a.m. – NBC Sports Network – Chelsea vs. Arsenal
9 a.m. – Premier League Extra Time – Tottenham vs. Southampton
9 a.m. – beIN Sports en Español – Udinese vs. Cesena
9:30 a.m. – GolTV USA – Wolfsburg vs. Augsburg
11 a.m. – beIN Sports en Español – Celta de Vigo vs. Villarreal
11:15 a.m. – NBC Sports Network – West Ham United vs. Queens Park Rangers
11:30 a.m. – GolTV USA – Borussia Mönchengladback vs. Mainz 05
12 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – Juventus vs. AS Roma
1 p.m. – Univision Deportes – Toluca vs. Puebla
1 p.m. – beIN Sports en Español – Espanyol vs. Real Sociedad
2 p.m. – GolTV USA – Racing vs. Defensor Sporting
2:45 p.m. – beIN Sports Connect – Fiorentina vs. Inter Milan
3 p.m. – beIN Sports USA/en Español – Real Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao
3 p.m. – beIN Sports Connect – Paris Saint-Germain vs. AS Monaco
3 p.m. – UniMas – Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders
5 p.m.. – MLS Direct Kick – Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact
5 p.m. – GolTV USA – Rampla Juniors vs. Nacional
6 p.m. – UniMas – Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Atlas
7 p.m. – MLS Direct Kick – Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake
DCU v. Sporting KC is a proper way to start the weekend. Vamos United!
surprise, surprise…Hertha Berlin still not playing well even without Brooks. the coach has to go.
Absolutely LOVE the Friday night MLS games.
+10000
Agreed.
And I don’t even mind staying up later on a Friday or Saturday night to catch those late West Coast games but it’s nearly impossible for me to watch those during the week. Yesterdays kick-off around 8pm was perfect…