Knowing it needs to make up ground in a hurry, Manchester City finally resembled the team it is expected to be in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea, with the latter’s goal coming as a mere consolation prize in the contest.
After having to recently postpone a match with Everton and even pausing training briefly last week, the win is even more impressive.
That should serve the team well, because they have their first high-stakes matchup of the new year on Wednesday, because a spot in the EFL league Cup Final is on the line and what’s more, is that they’ll be looking to go through bitter rival Manchester United.
The Red Devils come in on a tear of their own, unbeaten in each of their last seven competitions since their infamous Champions League exit at the hands of RB Leipzig last month. As of this writing, they’re tied with the defending champions of the Premier League Liverpool in the current title race, which is exceeding the expectations of many across the globe.
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Here is a look at This Week’s Top 5 Matches to Watch, along with a full rundown of the soccer viewing options available this weekend:
Top 5 Matches to Watch
- Manchester United vs Manchester City – Manchester United boss needs Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to win something. Anything. His team is flying is high as it has under him, but City is still City, and the meeting will be a true test of each other’s mettle.
- AC Milan vs Juventus – The teams have seemingly swapped roles ahead of this one. Milan, leaders of the Serie A table, and Juve, currently sitting in fifth. The latter opened up the new year with a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo, and look to be ready to get back to taking care of business in the campaign.
- Southampton vs Liverpool – The hosts remain in the top half of the Premier League table 18 weeks in. However unlikely, they could create some serious drama with an upset.
- Boca Juniors vs Santos – Leg 1 of the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, what’s not to love? Carlos Tevez will be looking to lead Boca to another piece of hardware in the twilight of his career.
- River Plate vs Palmeiras – The other side of the Copa Libertadores semifinal bracket. River Plate was unable to cash in on some late momentum in league play against Boca on Saturday and will be looking to make this one a squash match to set itself up for some retribution.
This Week’s Soccer on TV and Online
Monday
Premier League
3 p.m. -NBCSN, fuboTV – Southampton vs Liverpool
La Liga
3 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Valencia vs Cádiz
Primeira Liga
2 p.m. –fuboTV – Gil Vicente vs Belenenses
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Chennaiyin vs Hyderabad
Super Lig
11 a.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Kasımpaşa vs Fenerbahçe
Tuesday
EFL League Cup
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford
Copa del Rey
11 a.m. –ESPN+– Ibiza vs Celta de Vigo
11 a.m. –ESPN+– Córdoba vs Getafe
1 p.m. –ESPN+– Linares Deportivo vs Sevilla
1 p.m. –ESPN+– Zamora vs Villarreal
Copa Libertadores
7:30 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – River Plate vs Palmeiras
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Bengaluru vs Mumbai City
Super Lig
11 a.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Konyaspor vs Galatasaray
Wednesday
EFL League Cup
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Manchester United vs Manchester City
La Liga
3 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Athletic Club vs Barcelona
Serie A
6:30 a.m. –ESPN+– Cagliari vs Benevento
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Atalanta vs Parma
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Bologna vs Udinese
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Crotone vs Roma
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Lazio vs Fiorentina
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Sampdoria vs Inter
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Sassuolo vs Genoa
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Torino vs Hellas Verona
12 p.m. –ESPN+– Napoli vs Spezia
2:45 p.m. -ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV– AC Milan vs Juventus
Ligue 1
1 p.m. –fuboTV – Lorient vs Monaco
1 p.m. –fuboTV – Nantes vs Rennes
3 p.m. –fuboTV – Lille vs Angers SCO
3 p.m. –fuboTV – Olympique Lyonnais vs Lens
3 p.m. –fuboTV – Reims vs Dijon
3 p.m. –fuboTV – Saint-Étienne vs PSG
Copa del Rey
6 a.m. –ESPN+– Portugalete vs Levante
6 a.m. –ESPN+– La Nucía vs Elche
11 a.m. –ESPN+– Mutilvera vs Real Betis
11 a.m. –ESPN+– Cultural Leonesa vs Granada
12 p.m. –ESPN+– Cornellà vs Atlético Madrid
1 p.m. –ESPN+– Deportivo La Coruña vs Deportivo Alavés
Copa Libertadores
5:15 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Boca Juniors vs Santos
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– East Bengal vs Goa
Copa Sudamericana
7:30 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Vélez Sarsfield vs Lanús
Super Lig
8 a.m. –fuboTV – Trabzonspor vs Göztepe
Thursday
Primeira Liga
1:30 p.m. –fuboTV – Nacional vs Sporting CP
3:15 p.m. –fuboTV – Benfica vs Tondela
Copa del Rey
1 p.m. –ESPN+– Yeclano vs Valencia
1 p.m. –ESPN+– Pontevedra vs Cádiz
3 p.m. –ESPN+– Alcoyano vs Huesca
3 p.m. –ESPN+– Las Rozas vs Eibar
Australian W-League
3:05 a.m. –ESPN+– Brisbane Roar vs Canberra United
12:35 a.m. –ESPN+– Newcastle Jets vs Sydney FC
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Kerala Blasters vs Odisha
Copa Sudamericana
7:30 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Coquimbo Unido vs Defensa y Justicia
Super Lig
11 a.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Fenerbahçe vs Alanyaspor