Not many would have predicted Arsenal as a candidate to get back into England’s Champions League picture after its dreadful start to the Premier League campaign, but they are knocking on the door.
Opening up with three consecutive losses and nine unanswered goals made for a scorching hot chair for manager Mikel Arteta, but the eight-game unbeaten run that followed has the Gunners in fifth place. Now Arsenal will face fourth-place Liverpool on Saturday and can swap positions with a win.
Liverpool had been on a tear in the early Premier League season, but the Reds had their unbeaten run snapped in their last league match. Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his star players come off the international break fresh enough for a tough test.
In Italy, Serie A leader Napoli faces defending champion Inter Milan on Sunday and a win could create a 10-point gap to third place very early in the season. Like Arsenal, Juventus has overcome a slow start to the season to start climbing out of the considerable hole it dug in the standings. The Bianconeri’s march back to the top end of the table resumes with a date with fifth-place Lazio and a win will position them for a realistic chance of breaking back into the top Four.
Round one of the MLS playoffs plays out across the weekend as well, with the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids on bye weeks as they watch the field of 14 trim itself down for next week’s semifinals.
Bye weeks did not prove to be much help in the National Women’s Soccer League playoff bracket. Last weekend’s upset wins set the stage for underdogs Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars, neither of whom have ever won an NWSL title, to battle it out for the championship on Saturday.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for your free trials of fuboTV, ESPN+, and Paramount+ for all your soccer streaming needs. Make sure you use these SBI-specific links to sign up today, and if you sign up for Paramount+ using our link (and use the offer code SBI) you will receive a free one-month trial.
Here is a look at This Week’s Top 5 Matches to Watch, as well as a full rundown of This Weekend’s Soccer on TV and Online:
This Weekend’s Top 5 Matches to Watch
- Liverpool vs Arsenal – Arsenal fans have been dying to see their team reclaim its top-tier status. Are the Gunners ready to re-join England’s elite?
- Inter vs Napoli – Napoli and AC Milan are on the verge of running away from the field. Inter is one of the teams looking to slow them down.
- Lazio vs Juventus – While the top end of Serie A sorts itself out, both of these teams are hoping to be there if the chips fall towards a closer title race.
- NYCFC vs Atlanta United – New York City and golden boot winner Taty Castellanos have been strong all season, Atlanta overcame the firing of Gabriel Heinze and got red-hot towards the end of the season to salvage a playoff spot. Last time they met it ended in a 1-1 draw. A true toss up.
- Washington Spirit vs Chicago Red Stars – The NWSL final will crown a new champion and put a much-needed end to the emotional 2021 season.
This Weekend’s Soccer on TV and Online
Friday
German Bundesliga
2:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Augsburg vs Bayern Munich
Spanish La Liga
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Levante vs Athletic Club
French Ligue 1
3 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Monaco vs Lille
Argentine Primera División
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Estudiantes vs Huracán
5:15 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – San Lorenzo vs Gimnasia La Plata
7:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Argentinos Juniors vs Godoy Cruz
7:30 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Talleres Córdoba vs Vélez Sarsfield
Belgian First Division A
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Mechelen vs Club Brugge
Ecuadorian Primera A
7 p.m. – Fanatiz USA, GOLTV, fuboTV, Go… – Aucas vs Macará
English Championship
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Queens Park Rangers vs Luton Town
CAF Women’s Champions League
11:55 a.m. – fuboTV – HasaacAS vs Mamelodi Sundowns
Liga MX Femenil
6 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Toluca vs Guadalajara
Scottish Championship
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Queen of the South vs Inverness CT
Saturday
English Premier League
7:30 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Leicester City vs Chelsea
10 a.m. – Peacock – Burnley vs Crystal Palace
10 a.m. – Peacock – Norwich City vs Southampton
10 a.m. – Peacock – Watford vs Manchester United
10 a.m. – Peacock – Newcastle United vs Brentford
10 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion
10 a.m. – fuboTV, USA Network – Wolverhampton vs West Ham United
12:30 p.m. – NBC, fuboTV – Liverpool vs Arsenal
Spanish La Liga
8 a.m. – ESPN+ – Celta de Vigo vs Villarreal
10:15 a.m. – ESPN+ – Sevilla vs Deportivo Alavés
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Atlético Madrid vs Osasuna
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Barcelona vs Espanyol
Italian Serie A
9 a.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Atalanta vs Spezia
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Lazio vs Juventus
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Fiorentina vs Milan
German Bundesliga
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Hoffenheim vs RB Leipzig
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Bayer Leverkusen vs Bochum
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Arminia Bielefeld vs Wolfsburg
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Borussia Monchengladbach vs Greuther Fürth
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Union Berlin vs Hertha BSC
French Ligue 1
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – PSG vs Nantes
3 p.m. – fuboTV – Rennes vs Montpellier
Major League Soccer
2:30 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision – Philadelphia Union vs New York Red Bulls
5 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Sporting Kansas City vs Vancouver Whitecaps
Liga MX
8 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Santos Laguna vs Atlético San Luis
10 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision – Puebla vs Guadalajara
National Women’s Soccer League
12 p.m. – CBS, fuboTV – Washington Spirit vs Chicago Red Stars
Argentine Primera División
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Rosario Central vs Atlético Tucumán
5:15 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Boca Juniors vs Sarmiento
7:30 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Central Córdoba SdE vs Independiente
Brasileirão
5 p.m. – Paramount+ – Chapecoense vs Grêmio
5 p.m. – Paramount+ – Fortaleza vs Palmeiras
5 p.m. – Paramount+ – Atlético Mineiro vs Juventude
7 p.m. – Paramount+ – Atlético Goianiense vs Ceará
7:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Internacional vs Flamengo
Canadian Premier League
3 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Cavalry vs Pacific
English Championship
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Sheffield United vs Coventry City
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Swansea City vs Blackpool
German Bundesliga 2
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Darmstadt 98 vs St. Pauli
Copa Sudamericana
3 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Athletico-PR vs RB Bragantino
Dutch Eredivisie
10:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – PSV vs Vitesse
12:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Sparta Rotterdam vs Twente
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – AZ vs NEC
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Heracles vs Fortuna Sittard
Scottish League Cup
12:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Celtic vs St. Johnstone
Spanish Segunda Division
2:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Almería vs Real Valladolid
USL Championship
7:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Louisville City
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – Orange County SC vs San Antonio
USL League One
5 p.m. – ESPN+ – Union Omaha vs Greenville Triumph
Sunday
English Premier League
9 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Manchester City vs Everton
11:30 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United
German Bundesliga
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Freiburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt
11:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Mainz 05 vs Köln
Spanish La Liga
8 a.m. – ESPN+ – Getafe vs Cádiz
10:15 a.m. – ESPN+ – Granada vs Real Madrid
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Elche vs Real Betis
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Real Sociedad vs Valencia
Italian Serie A
6:30 a.m. – Paramount+ – Sassuolo vs Cagliari
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Bologna vs Venezia
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Salernitana vs Sampdoria
12 p.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Inter vs Napoli
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Genoa vs Roma
French Ligue 1
7 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Brest vs Lens
9 a.m. – fuboTV – Metz vs Bordeaux
9 a.m. – fuboTV – Strasbourg vs Reims
9 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Troyes vs Saint-Étienne
2:45 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Olympique Lyonnais vs Olympique Marseille
Major League Soccer
3 p.m. – ABC, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – New York City FC vs Atlanta United
5:30 p.m. – ESPN, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Portland Timbers vs Minnesota United
Liga MX
6 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Toluca vs Pumas UNAM
8:15 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Cruz Azul vs Monterrey
Argentine Primera División
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Arsenal vs Newell’s Old Boys
5:15 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Racing Club vs Colón
7:30 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Platense vs River Plate
Turkish Super Lig
8 a.m. – fuboTV – Altay vs Adana Demirspor
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Galatasaray vs Fenerbahçe
Belgian First Division A
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Anderlecht vs Kortrijk
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Sint-Truiden vs Antwerp
Brasileirão
2 p.m. – Paramount+ – Corinthians vs Santos
2 p.m. – Paramount+ – Fluminense vs América Mineiro
5 p.m. – Paramount+ – Bahia vs Cuiabá
Canadian Premier League
3 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Forge vs York United
Canadian Championship
1 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – CF Montréal vs Toronto FC
English Championship
7 a.m. – ESPN+ – Derby County vs AFC Bournemouth
Liga de Expansión MX
1 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, TUDN.com – Atlante vs Dorados
Dutch Eredivisie
8:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Feyenoord vs PEC Zwolle
10:45 a.m. – ESPN+ – RKC Waalwijk vs Ajax
Scottish League Cup
11 a.m. – Paramount+ – Rangers vs Hibernian
Swedish Allsvenskan
11:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Varberg vs AIK