It is officially gut-check season for Manchester City and Liverpool, which will remain in the spotlight of the soccer world for another week and weekend. The two English giants are nearly inseparable in the Premier League ranks after their 2-2 tie over the weekend, and they swiftly have to shift their focus back to UEFA Champions League quarterfinal play this week, and then prepare to meet again in the FA Cup this weekend.
Manchester City has to travel to Atlético Madrid and is in charge by a 1-0 margin. In the first leg last week, Atlético was more than happy letting the Cityzens run the show and did not even muster up a single shot. Now, Diego Simeone’s men will have to come out of their shells and make the most of home-field advantage in a game it can realistically flip the script on.
Liverpool, on the other hand, has a 3-1 lead over Portuguese side Benfica that it takes back to Anfield for the second leg. It is hard to see The Reds losing control of that one, but anything is possible at this stage in the tournament.
That sentiment has been proven by Villarreal, which knocked out Juventus in the Round of 16 and holds a 1-0 lead over Germain giant Bayern Munich. Nobody expected Unai Emery’s men to beat Juve 3-0 to close out the last series, and the belief should be there that they can rattle off another stunning upset.
Chelsea can come out of the week as the biggest talking point in the sport if it can manage to even things up with Real Madrid on the road, but it obviously will not be expected based on the first game. Los Blancos hold a commanding 3-1 lead thanks to a hat trick from Karim Benzema last week, and the Blues must find a way to contain the Frenchman if they want to live to defend their UCL glory.
Elsewhere, Concacaf Champions League semifinals will set the stage for an MLS-Liga MX battle for the trophy. New York City FC is staring at a 3-1 deficit to the Seattle Sounders, and Pumas leads Cruz Azul 2-1.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for your free trials of 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-week trial.
Here is a closer look at This Week’s Top 5 Matches to Watch, as well as a full rundown of This Week’s Soccer on TV and Online:
This Week’s Top 5 Matches to Watch
- Atlético Madrid vs. Manchester City – The most up-for-grabs semifinal spot runs through this match.
- Bayern Munich vs. Villarreal – How real is Villarreal’s Cinderella story this year?
- Real Madrid vs. Chelsea – The odds are low but not at zero for Chelsea to dig deep and make this one interesting.
- NYCFC vs. Seattle Sounders – NYCFC will also need some heroics as it hosts from its rival’s stadium at Red Bull Arena.
- USWNT vs. Uzbekistan – Tuesday could be the last look at the USWNT before World Cup Qualifying begins.
This Week’s Soccer on TV and Online
Monday
Spanish La Liga
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Rayo Vallecano vs Valencia
Italian Serie A
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Bologna vs Sampdoria
Liga MX
10 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN.com – Pachuca vs Tijuana
Argentine Primera División
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Lanús vs Aldosivi
Argentine Primera B Nacional
4:05 p.m. – fuboTV – Defensores de Belgrano vs Quilmes
Argentine Primera B Metropolitana
2:05 p.m. – fuboTV – Acassuso vs Ituzaingó
Brasileirão
7 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Juventude vs RB Bragantino
Ecuadoran Primera A
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Aucas vs Macará
English Championship
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Huddersfield Town vs Luton Town
French Ligue 2
2:45 p.m. – fuboTV – Paris vs Dijon
AFC Asian Champions League
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Quwa Al Jawiya vs Mumbai City
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Rayyan vs Al Hilal
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Nasaf vs Al Wihdat
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Shabab vs Al Jazira
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Faisaly vs Al Sadd
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Sharjah vs Istiqlol
Italian Serie B
2:30 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Brescia vs Parma
Liga MX Femenil
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Santos Laguna vs América
Spanish Segunda Division
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Almería vs Ponferradina
Tuesday
UEFA Champions League
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Real Madrid vs Chelsea
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, Galavision – Bayern München vs Villarreal
CONCACAF Champions League
10 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Cruz Azul vs Pumas UNAM
Copa Libertadores
6:15 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Boca Juniors vs Always Ready
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Cerro Porteño vs Colón
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Universidad Católica vs Sporting Cristal
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Palmeiras vs Independiente Petrolero
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Peñarol vs Olimpia
8:30 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Flamengo vs Talleres Córdoba
Women’s Friendly
7 p.m. – ESPN2, fuboTV – United States vs Uzbekistan
Copa Sudamericana
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Deportivo La Guaira vs Ceará
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Oriente Petrolero vs Unión Santa Fe
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Defensa y Justicia vs Atlético Goianiense
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – LDU Quito vs Antofagasta
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Independiente vs General Caballero JLM
FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying
1 p.m. – Paramount+ – Norway vs Poland
2:55 p.m. – Paramount+ – Northern Ireland vs England
3:10 p.m. – fuboTV – France vs Slovenia
4 p.m. – Paramount+ – Saint Kitts and Nevis vs U.S. Virgin Island
4:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Barbados vs Belize
4:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Honduras vs Saint Vincent and Grenadine
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Suriname vs Antigua and Barbuda
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Bermuda vs Grenada
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Haiti vs Cuba
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Trinidad and Tobago vs Guyana
7 p.m. – Paramount+ – Jamaica vs Dominican Republic
8 p.m. – Paramount+ – Dominica vs Nicaragua
9 p.m. – Paramount+, TUDN – Mexico vs Puerto Rico
9 p.m. – Paramount+ – Costa Rica vs Guatemala
9 p.m. – Paramount+ – Panama vs El Salvador
Wednesday
UEFA Champions League
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Atlético Madrid vs Manchester City
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, Galavision – Liverpool vs Benfica
CONCACAF Champions League
9 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, TUDN USA – New York City FC vs Seattle Sounders
Copa Libertadores
6 p.m. – fuboTV – Libertad vs Caracas
6 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Colo-Colo vs Alianza Lima
8 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – River Plate vs Fortaleza
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Nacional vs Estudiantes
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Atlético Mineiro vs América Mineiro
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Corinthians vs Deportivo Cali
10 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Independiente del Valle vs Deportes Tolima
Liga MX
9:05 p.m. – fuboTV, Telemundo, UNIVERSO – Guadalajara vs Monterrey
Argentine Copa Argentine
9 p.m. – fuboTV – San Lorenzo vs Racing Córdoba
Honduran Liga Nacional
9 p.m. – fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Olimpia vs Platense
Copa Sudamericana
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Melgar vs River Plate
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Santos vs Universidad Católica
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Racing Club vs Cuiabá
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Wilstermann vs Ayacucho
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Junior vs Fluminense
USL Championship
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Memphis 901 vs FC Tulsa
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – Oakland Roots vs San Diego Loyal
Thursday
UEFA Europa League
12:45 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Atalanta vs RB Leipzig
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Barcelona vs Eintracht Frankfurt
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Olympique Lyonnais vs West Ham United
3 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV – Rangers vs Sporting Braga
UEFA Europa Conference League
12:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – PSV vs Leicester City
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – Slavia Praha vs Feyenoord
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – Roma vs Bodø / Glimt
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – PAOK vs Olympique Marseille
Copa Libertadores
6 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Athletico-PR vs The Strongest
8 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Vélez Sarsfield vs RB Bragantino
10 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Emelec vs Deportivo Táchira
Liga MX
10 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA – Atlas vs Mazatlán
NWSL Challenge Cup
10 p.m. – Paramount+ – OL Reign vs San Diego Wave
Argentine Primera División
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Gimnasia La Plata vs Sarmiento
Copa Sudamericana
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Wanderers vs Metropolitanos
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Unión La Calera vs Banfield
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – São Paulo vs Everton
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Lanús vs Barcelona
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Medellín vs Nueve de Octubre
8:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Internacional vs Guaireña
AFC Asian Champions League
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Jazira vs Mumbai City
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Foolad vs Ahal
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Duhail vs Pakhtakor
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Quwa Al Jawiya vs Al Shabab
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Gharafa vs Al Ahli
4:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Al Taawon vs Sepahan