When Thomas Tuchel was hired to replace Frank Lampard, he was done so with the hope of helping the Blues salvage a top four spot in the Premier League and make a run in the Champions League.
The Blues are unbeaten since Tuchel took over, and while their recent draw against Southampton has slowed their momentum, Tuchel’s men still head into this week’s Champions League showdown against Atletico Madrid undefeated under their German manager.
Atletico Madrid will pose a difficult challenge for Chelsea, but the current La Liga leaders have their own issues heading into this week’s Round of 16 opener.
Diego Simeone, whose safety is the polar opposite of Tuchel’s, had Atlético looking unstoppable for the first half of the La Liga season, but the success has been unsustainable as the team’s runaway act has dissipated into a thin three-point lead over crosstown rival Real Madrid. The Rojiblancos have dropped points in three of their past four league matches, suddenly re-opening the La Liga race and raising fresh questions heading into this week’s meeting with Chelsea.
Atletico-Madrid Chelsea headlines a quartet of UEFA Champions League offerings this weekend that includes defending champion Bayern Munich’s visit to Lazio and Real Madrid’s trip to Bergamo to take on high-flying Atalanta.
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Here is a look at This Weekend’s Top 5 Matches to Watch, along with a full rundown of the soccer viewing options available this week:
Top 5 Matches to Watch
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- Atlético Madrid vs Chelsea – Chelsea is a mess. But this one isn’t about the top 4 in England, and maybe a trip to Spain is what the team needs to sage the room.
- Lazio vs Bayern München – Bayern, defending the UCL crown, should pass the test but Lazio has some impressive wins which see their hopes still alive, and rose to the occasion to embarrass Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana final in December.
- Atalanta vs Real Madrid – Can Atalanta go on another wonder run? This is not the Real Madrid of old, but they have weapons which have helped them surge back into the La Liga title picture as of late.
- Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Manchester City – Knowing that Moenchengladbach can make Bayern look human, they’ll make some real noise if they can do the same to the Cityzens.
- Arsenal vs. Benfica. After playing to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, this high-profile Europa League Round of 32 clash returns to London, where the Gunners will look to Bukayo Saka to deliver some magic.
This Week’s Soccer on TV
Premier League
3 p.m. -NBCSN, fuboTV – Brighton vs Crystal Palace
La Liga
3 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Osasuna vs Sevilla
Serie A
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Juventus vs Crotone
Primeira Liga
2 p.m. –fuboTV – Marítimo vs Porto
Liga MX
10 p.m. -ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Pachuca vs Guadalajara
Primera División
5:15 p.m. –fuboTV – Atlético Tucumán vs Central Córdoba SdE
7:30 p.m. –fuboTV – Colón vs San Lorenzo
First Division A
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Club Brugge vs OH Leuven
Bundesliga 2
2:30 p.m. –ESPN+– Greuther Fürth vs Holstein Kiel
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Hyderabad vs Mohun Bagan
Africa U-20 Cup of Nations
2 p.m. –fuboTV– Ghana vs Gambia
LigaPro
11 a.m. –fuboTV – Benfica II vs Mafra
Tuesday
UEFA Champions League
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Galavision – Lazio vs Bayern München
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN – Atlético Madrid vs Chelsea
Premier League
1 p.m. -NBCSN, fuboTV– Leeds United vs Southampton
Copa Libertadores
7:30 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV– Liverpool vs Universidad Católica
Copa Argentina
7:10 p.m. –fuboTV – Lanús vs Real Pilar
Australian A-League
3:05 a.m. –ESPN+– Melbourne City vs Sydney FC
Primera A
8 p.m. –fuboTV – Junior vs Millonarios
EFL Championship
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Rotherham United vs Nottingham Forest
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– East Bengal vs NorthEast United
CAF Champions League
2 p.m. –fuboTV – MC Alger vs ES Tunis
Women’s International Friendly
3:10 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV– France vs Switzerland
Wednesday
UEFA Champions League
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN – Atalanta vs Real Madrid
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Galavision – Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Manchester City
UEFA Europa League
2 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN – Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolfsberg
La Liga
1 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV– Barcelona vs Elche
Ligue 1
1 p.m. –fuboTV– Nîmes vs Lorient
Copa Libertadores
5:15 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV– César Vallejo vs Caracas
7:30 p.m. -beIN SPORTS, fuboTV– Royal Pari vs Guaraní
SheBelieves Cup
7 p.m. -Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, TUDN USA – USWNT vs Argentina
Australian A-League
3:05 a.m. –ESPN+– Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix
EFL Championship
2:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Preston North End vs Queens Park Rangers
Liga Nacional
6:15 p.m. –fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Vida vs Marathón
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Odisha vs Mumbai City
Liga de Expansión MX
10:05 p.m. –fuboTV, TUDN USA- Leones Negros UdeG vs Atlante
Eredivisie
12:45 p.m. –ESPN+– Groningen vs Feyenoord
Thursday
UEFA Europa League
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Univision – Napoli vs Granada
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN – Arsenal vs Benfica
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com – Ajax vs Lille
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Rangers vs Antwerp
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Hoffenheim vs Molde
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Galavision – Villarreal vs Salzburg
12:55 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Shakhtar Donetsk vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN- Milan vs Crvena Zvezda
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Roma vs Sporting Braga
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Galavision – PSV vs Olympiakos Piraeus
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Dinamo Zagreb vs Krasnodar
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Bayer Leverkusen vs Young Boys
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, TUDN.com- Leicester City vs Slavia Praha
3 p.m. -CBS All Access, fuboTV, Univision – Manchester United vs Real Sociedad
Copa Argentina
3:10 p.m. –fuboTV– Huracán vs Estudiantes de San Luis
Australian W-League
3:05 a.m. –ESPN+– Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
5:35 a.m. –ESPN+– Perth Glory vs Sydney FC
2:05 a.m. –ESPN+– Newcastle Jets vs Adelaide United
Primera A
8:10 p.m. –fuboTV– Medellín vs Deportivo Cali
Indian Super League
9 a.m. –ESPN+– Jamshedpur vs Bengaluru