The path to English Premier League glory seems to be surprisingly open at the moment, and you get the sense that Arsenal will not be able to outrun the heavy hitters forever.
England’s current state of the union should leave several teams, including Manchester United and Tottenham, encouraged to get in the mix while Champions League spots and possibly more are still realistically within its grasp for the (seemingly) inevitable Arsenal slip.
That makes Wednesday’s head-to-head matchup an early six-pointer. The hosts head into this week’s headliner in fifth place but unbeaten in their last four competitions, while Tottenham comes in at third place and still lacking a marquee victory this season.
SBI will have you covered throughout this week’s MLS playoff slate, but you should note quarterfinals resolve Monday night and semifinals begin Thursday, making for a jam-packed weekday schedule.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage kicks off this week. Olympique Lyonnais, defending champions, head in with a lengthy injury list that includes American phenom Catarina Macario and opens up with a stiff test in an unbeaten Arsenal squad.
Outside of competitions, the 2022 Ballon d’Or will be awarded on Monday. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema looks to be the odds-on favorite but the voting panel is no stranger to shocking the world in recent years. Ask Robert Lewandowski about that.
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 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
1. Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur – You could argue this is a must-win for both parties.
2. Los Angeles FC vs LA Galaxy – A bitter rivalry at the semifinal stage.
3. Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati – Absolute trap game for the Union, no way around it.
4. Flamengo vs Corinthians – Leg 2 of the currently scoreless Brazilian Cup should be a dogfight.
5. Lyon vs Arsenal – The most interesting UWCL group stage opener.
This Week’s Soccer on TV and Online
Monday
Spanish La Liga
3 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Villarreal vs Osasuna
Italian Serie A
12:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Sampdoria vs Roma
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Lecce vs Fiorentina
Major League Soccer
7 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – New York City FC vs Inter Miami
9:30 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – FC Dallas vs Minnesota United
Argentine Primera División
1 p.m. – Paramount+ – Arsenal vs Barracas Central
2 p.m. – Paramount+ – Gimnasia La Plata vs Argentinos Juniors
3:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Vélez Sarsfield vs Estudiantes
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Atlético Tucumán vs Unión Santa Fe
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Sarmiento vs San Lorenzo
Brasileirão
7 p.m. – Paramount+ – RB Bragantino vs Santos
English League One
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Charlton Athletic vs Portsmouth
French Ligue 2
2:45 p.m. – fuboTV – Bastia vs Bordeaux
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
6:45 a.m. – fuboTV – Nigeris vs Chile
6:45 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, Telemundo – New Zealand vs Germany
6:45 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus – Nigeria vs Chile
10:15 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV, Telemundo – Brazil vs India
10:15 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, Telemundo – USA vs Morocco
Copa Libertadores Femenina
4 p.m. – fuboTV – Deportivo Lara vs América de Cali
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Dragonas IDV vs Palmeiras
Spanish Segunda Division
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Sporting Gijón vs Eibar
Turkish Super Lig
1 p.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Ankaragücü vs Fenerbahçe
NCAA Women’s Soccer
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Dartmouth vs Colby-Sawyer
Uruguayan Primera Division
7:30 p.m. – fuboTV – Cerrito vs Nacional
Ballon d’Or 2022
2 p.m. – Paramount+ – Ballon d’Or 2022
Tuesday
English Premier League
2:30 p.m. – USA Network, fuboTV, UNIVERSO – Brighton & Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest
3:15 p.m. – Peacock – Crystal Palace vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Spanish La Liga
1 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Sevilla vs Valencia
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – Getafe vs Athletic Club
3 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Atlético Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano
German DFB Pokal
12 p.m. – ESPN+ – Stuttgarter Kickers vs Eintracht Frankfurt
12 p.m. – ESPN+ – RB Leipzig vs Hamburger SV
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Eintracht Braunschweig vs Wolfsburg
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Hoffenheim vs Schalke 04
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Darmstadt 98 vs Borussia M’gladbach
Coppa Italia
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Genoa vs SPAL
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – Torino vs Cittadella
Argentine Primera División
3:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Colón vs Defensa y Justicia
6 p.m. – Paramount+ – Lanús vs Racing Club
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Huracán vs Platense
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Central Córdoba SdE vs Tigre
English Championship
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Blackburn Rovers vs Sunderland
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
6:45 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV, Telemundo – China vs Spain
6:45 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, Telemundo – Colombia vs Mexico
10:15 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV, Telemundo – Tanzania vs Canada
10:15 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, Telemundo – France vs Japan
Portuguese Segunda liga
1 p.m. – fuboTV – Benfica II vs Mafra
Scottish League Cup
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Kilmarnock vs Dundee United
NCAA Men’s Soccer
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – George Mason vs UNCW
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Campbell vs UAB
7 p.m. – fuboTV – Virginia vs Hofstra
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Albany (NY) vs Colgate
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Harvard vs Holy Cross
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – NJIT vs Hartford
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Temple vs Stony Brook
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Cornell vs Binghamton
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Yale vs New Hampshire
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Winthrop vs Col. of Charleston
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Oakland vs Western Mich.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Loyola Maryland vs Saint Joseph’s
7:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – UIC vs Notre Dame
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Memphis vs Lipscomb
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Saint Louis vs IUPUI
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Wisconsin vs Indiana
NCAA Women’s Soccer
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Brown vs Stonehill College
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Princeton vs Lehigh
Wednesday
English Premier League
2:30 p.m. – Peacock – AFC Bournemouth vs Southampton
2:30 p.m. – USA Network, fuboTV, UNIVERSO – Brentford vs Chelsea
2:30 p.m. – Peacock – Newcastle United vs Everton
2:30 p.m. – Peacock – Liverpool vs West Ham United
3:15 p.m. – Peacock – Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Spanish La Liga
1 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Cádiz vs Real Betis
1 p.m. – ESPN+ – Real Valladolid vs Celta de Vigo
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – Real Sociedad vs Mallorca
3 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Elche vs Real Madrid
German DFB Pokal
12 p.m. – ESPN+ – Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund
12 p.m. – ESPN+ – Freiburg vs St. Pauli
12 p.m. – ESPN+ – Paderborn vs Werder Bremen
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Augsburg vs Bayern München
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Stuttgart vs Arminia Bielefeld
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Union Berlin vs Heidenheim
Coppa Italia
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Spezia vs Brescia
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Parma vs Bari 1908
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – Udinese vs Monza
Argentine Primera División
4 p.m. – Paramount+ – Gimnasia La Plata vs Boca Juniors
8:30 p.m. – Paramount+ – Talleres Córdoba vs Unión Santa Fe
Belgian First Division A
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Union Saint-Gilloise vs Gent
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Club Brugge vs Sint-Truiden
Copa do Brasil
8:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Flamengo vs Corinthians
English Championship
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Millwall vs Watford
UEFA Women’s Champions League
12:45 p.m. – YouTube – Zürich vs Juventus
12:45 p.m. – YouTube – Bayern München vs Rosengård
3 p.m. – YouTube – Olympique Lyonnais vs Arsenal
3 p.m. – YouTube – Barcelona vs SL Benfica
Copa Libertadores Femenina
4 p.m. – fuboTV – Ferroviária vs Boca Juniors
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Corinthians vs Olimpia
Scottish League Cup
1:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Motherwell vs Celtic
2:45 p.m. Aberdeen vs Partick Thistle
3:15 p.m. – Paramount+ – Rangers vs Dundee
Swedish Allsvenskan
1 p.m. – ESPN+ – AIK vs Häcken
NCAA Men’s Soccer
1 p.m. – ESPN+ – Iona vs Niagara
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – Saint Peter’s University vs Siena
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – VMI vs Robert Morris
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – Marist vs Canisius
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Gardner-Webb vs USC Upstate
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Manhattan vs Quinnipiac
6:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Bellarmine vs Belmont
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – James Madison vs West Virginia
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Missouri St. vs SIUE
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Loyola Chicago vs Cleveland St.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Georgia St. vs Marshall
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Navy vs UMBC
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Kentucky vs Coastal Carolina
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Old Dominion vs South Carolina
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – VCU vs Rhode Island
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Drake vs Bradley
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – UC San Diego vs CSUN
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – Cal Poly vs Sacramento St.
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – UC Irvine vs CSU Bakersfield
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – UC Riverside vs Cal St. Fullerton
NCAA Women’s Soccer
2:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Quinnipiac vs Manhattan
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Niagara vs Iona
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – Canisius vs Marist
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Winthrop vs High Point
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Mount St. Mary’s vs Rider
Thursday
UEFA Europa League
1 p.m. – Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN USA – Arsenal vs PSV
English Premier League
2:30 p.m. – fuboTV, USA Network, UN – Fulham vs Aston Villa
3:15 p.m. – Peacock – Leicester City vs Leeds United
Spanish La Liga
1 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Almería vs Girona
2 p.m. – ESPN+ – Osasuna vs Espanyol
3 p.m. – ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV – Barcelona vs Villarreal
Coppa Italia
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Cremonese vs Modena
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Sampdoria vs Ascoli
3 p.m. – Paramount+ – Bologna vs Cagliari
Major League Soccer
8 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Philadelphia Union vs FC Cincinnati
10 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Los Angeles FC vs LA Galaxy
Brasileirão
7 p.m. – Paramount+ – São Paulo vs Coritiba
UEFA Women’s Champions League
12:45 p.m. – YouTube – Vllaznia vs Real Madrid
12:45 p.m. – YouTube – Wolfsburg vs St. Pölten
3 p.m. – YouTube – PSG vs Chelsea
3 p.m. – YouTube – Roma vs Slavia Praha
Copa Libertadores Femenina
4 p.m. – fuboTV – América de Cali vs Alianza Lima
6:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Palmeiras vs Universidad de Chile
Peruvian Primera Division
2:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Sporting Cristal vs Atlético Grau
9:15 p.m. – fuboTV – Alianza Lima vs Binacional
NCAA Women’s Soccer
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – UNI vs Murray St.
4 p.m. – ESPN+ – Eastern Ill. vs Lindenwood University
6 p.m. – fuboTV – Pittsburgh vs Syracuse
6 p.m. – ESPN+ – Toledo vs Ohio
7 p.m. – fuboTV – Missouri vs Kentucky
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Coastal Carolina vs Marshall
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Duquesne vs St. Bonaventure
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Albany (NY) vs Hartford
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Evansville vs Illinois St.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – UIC vs Indiana St.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – George Mason vs La Salle
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – South Fla. vs Temple
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Fordham vs Dayton
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – UC Davis vs Cal St. Fullerton
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Old Dominion vs Arkansas St.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Cincinnati vs Houston
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Iowa St. vs Texas
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – James Madison vs Georgia St.
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Saint Joseph’s vs George Washington
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – Davidson vs Richmond
7 p.m. – ESPN+ – ULM vs Ga. Southern
8 p.m. – fuboTV – Florida St. vs North Carolina
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Loyola Chicago vs Massachusetts
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Saint Louis vs VCU
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Louisiana vs Troy
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – SIUE vs UT Martin
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Texas Tech vs Baylor
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Texas St. vs South Alabama
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Drake vs Belmont
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Memphis vs Tulsa
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Oklahoma St. vs West Virginia
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Tennessee Tech vs Morehead St.
8 p.m. – ESPN+ – Oklahoma vs TCU
8:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Valparaiso vs Southern Ill.
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – Cal Poly vs Long Beach St.
10 p.m. – ESPN+ – CSU Bakersfield vs UC San Diego
Congrats to Karim Benzema for winning Ballon D’or🏆⚽.