It was about this time last year when Atlético Madrid was looking like a runaway artist in La Liga, but as you know, things ended up coming down to the wire in the last week before they were crowned champions.
This year, crosstown rival Real Madrid is off to a similar start and heads into Sunday’s must-see grudge match with a commanding eight-point lead of the field in Spain. Atlético figures to be one of the only teams with a chance of slowing Los Blancos down, especially with Barcelona being well out of the picture at this point.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, now in charge of Aston Villa, heads to his old stomping grounds on Saturday. For the first time ever, he’ll be looking to send those in attendance at Anfield home with a bitter feeling. Villa heads in as a winner of three of its last four Premier League games, with the loss being a respectable 2-1 to Manchester City.
Elsewhere in England, a pair of Americans are at a crossroads in the Norwich – Manchester United meeting. Chris Armas is set to debut as an assistant in Manchester United’s new regime under Ralf Rangnick. On the other side, Josh Sargent is looking for his first goal in what would be his 15th Premier League appearance with last-place Norwich.
North America’s newest champions will also be crowned this weekend, with the MLS Cup final taking place on Saturday and Sunday’s Liga MX Final.
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Here are the 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
1. Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid – Real Madrid is running away, but Atlético has seen this before and were there themselves last year. Can they puncture their rivals’ tire?
2. Liverpool vs Aston Villa – It will be a special moment when Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield.
3. Norwich City vs. Manchester United – Manchester United looks to settle what’s been a rollercoaster season in what could be Chris Armas’ first match on the bench as an assistant, and Josh Sargent is one of those looking to keep the amusement going.
4. RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Monchengladbach – Tyler Adams and Joe Scally also square off this weekend, and it is “go-time” for their respective sides who are expected to finish much better than their current status.
5. Atlas vs Club Leon – Leg 2 of the Liga MX Final goes down on Sunday, surely there will not be a shortage of drama.
This Weekend’s Soccer on TV
Friday
English Premier League
3 p.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Brentford vs Watford
German Bundesliga
2:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Köln vs Augsburg
Spanish La Liga
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Mallorca vs Celta de Vigo
Italian Serie A
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Genoa vs Sampdoria
French Ligue 1
3 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Nantes vs Lens
Arab Cup
10 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV – Tunisia vs Oman
2 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV – Qatar vs United Arab Emirates
Scottish Championship
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Ayr United vs Hamilton Academical
NCAA Men’s Soccer
6 p.m. – ESPNU, fuboTV – Notre Dame vs Clemson
8:30 p.m. – ESPNU, fuboTV – Washington vs Georgetown
Saturday
English Premier League
7 30 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
10 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Arsenal vs Southampton
10 a.m. – Peacock – Chelsea vs Leeds United
10 a.m. – USA, fuboTV – Liverpool vs Aston Villa
12:30 p.m. – NBC, fuboTV – Norwich City vs Manchester United
German Bundesliga
9 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Freiburg vs Hoffenheim
9 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Bayern München vs Mainz 05
9 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund
9 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Hertha BSC vs Arminia Bielefeld
9 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – RB Leipzig vs Borussia Monchengladbach
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart
Spanish La Liga
8 a.m. – ESPN+ – Espanyol vs Levante
10 15 a.m. – ESPN+ – Deportivo Alavés vs Getafe
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Valencia vs Elche
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Athletic Club vs Sevilla
Serie A
9 a.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Fiorentina vs Salernitana
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Venezia vs Juventus
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Udinese vs AC Milan
French Ligue 1
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Brest vs Montpellier
3 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Reims vs Saint-Étienne
Major League Soccer
3 p.m. – ABC, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Portland Timbers vs New York City FC
Men’s International Friendly
10 p.m. – fuboTV, FOX Deportes – El Salvador vs Chile
Argentine Primera División
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Banfield vs Arsenal
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Estudiantes vs Aldosivi
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Racing Club vs Godoy Cruz
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Unión Santa Fe vs Colón
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Rosario Central vs Huracán
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Defensa y Justicia vs Lanús
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Platense vs Vélez Sarsfield
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Patronato vs Gimnasia La Plata
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Argentinos Juniors vs Sarmiento
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – San Lorenzo vs Newell’s Old Boys
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Atlético Tucumán vs River Plate
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Talleres Córdoba vs Independiente
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Boca Juniors vs Central Córdoba SdE
Australian A-League
3 45 a.m. – ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory
English Championship
7 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Huddersfield Town vs Coventry City
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – West Bromwich Albion vs Reading
Honduran Liga Nacional
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Vida vs Olimpia
Arab Cup
10 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV – Egypt vs Jordan
2 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV – Morocco vs Algeria
Italian Serie B
8 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Monza vs Frosinone
Liga de Expansión MX
10 p.m. – TUDN USA, fuboTV – Dorados vs Tampico Madero
Sunday
English Premier League
9 a.m. – Peacock – Burnley vs West Ham United
9 a.m. – Peacock – Leicester City vs Newcastle United
9 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Brighton & Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur
11 30 a.m. – NBCSN, fuboTV – Crystal Palace vs Everton
German Bundesliga
9:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Greuther Fürth vs Union Berlin
11:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen
Spanish La Liga
8 a.m. – ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes+ – Villarreal vs Rayo Vallecano
10 15 a.m. – ESPN+ – Osasuna vs Barcelona
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Real Betis vs Real Sociedad
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
Italian Serie A
6:30 a.m. – Paramount+ – Torino vs Bologna
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Hellas Verona vs Atalanta
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Napoli vs Empoli
12 p.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Sassuolo vs Lazio
2:45 p.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Inter Milan vs Cagliari
French Ligue 1
7 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Lille vs Olympique Lyonnais
9 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Rennes vs Nice
9 a.m. – fuboTV – Metz vs Lorient
9 a.m. – fuboTV – Angers SCO vs Clermont
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Strasbourg vs Olympique Marseille
2:45 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Paris Saint-Germain vs Monaco
Liga MX
9:15 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision – Atlas vs León
Belgian First Division A
7 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Antwerp vs Standard Liège
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Gent vs Genk
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Club Brugge vs Zulte-Waregem
Copa do Brasil
3:30 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Atlético Mineiro vs Athletico-PR
Liga de Expansión MX
1 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Atlante vs Celaya
Dutch Eredivisie
8 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Vitesse vs Heracles
8 30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Groningen vs Feyenoord
10 45 a.m. – ESPN+ – Ajax vs AZ
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – NEC vs PSV