By ADAM TROXTELL
The Spanish Primera Division returns with a Sunday clash between teams near the top.
Club World Cup champions Real Madrid return to domestic action with a trip to fourth-placed Valencia. It’ll be Real’s first La Liga match since Dec. 12 when they defeated Almeria, 4-1, while Valencia are currently on a streak of five games unbeaten in all competitions.
Later that day, Barcelona is back in action with a road trip to David Moyes’ Real Sociedad. The Scottish manager will want to start 2015 better than the way last year ended, as Real Sociedad has not won a La Liga match since Nov. 9.
Upsets could be around the corner for some of England’s top teams as the FA Cup third round begins Saturday. Due to the holiday fixture congestion, however, most of the Premier League teams don’t play until Sunday. West Brom’s home match against Gateshead FC and Swansea’s trip to Tranmere are the only exceptions.
Sunday begins with Dover Athletic out to topple Crystal Palace, while Manchester City hosts Sheffield Wednesday, Manchester United has a tricky trip to League 1 team Yeovil Town, and Arsenal face Hull in a rematch of last season’s FA Cup Final.
Here’s this weekend’s soccer on TV:
SATURDAY
7:45 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Hearts vs. Hibernian
10 a.m. – Fox Sports 1 – Tranmere Rovers vs. Swansea
10 a.m. – Fox Sports 2 – West Brom vs. Gateshead FC
10 a.m. – beIN Sports USA – Atletico Madrid vs. Levante
Noon – beIN Sports USA – Sevilla vs. Celta de Vigo
2 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – Elche vs. Villareal
4 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – Deportivo La Coruna vs. Athletic Bilbao
4 p.m. – beIN Sports en Espanol – Malaga vs. Almerica
SUNDAY
8 a.m. – Fox Sports 1 – Dover Athletic vs. Crystal Palace
10 a.m. – Fox Sports 2 – Manchester City vs. Sheffield Wednesday
10:30 a.m. – Fox Sports 1 – Yeovil Town vs. Manchester United
11 a.m. – beIN Sports USA – Valencia vs. Real Madrid
12:30 p.m. – Fox Sports 1 – Arsenal vs. Hull City
1 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – Espanyol vs. Eibar
3 p.m. – beIN Sports USA – Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona