Who will embody the magic of the FA Cup this year?
The third round of the English FA Cup will be the hottest topic in the soccer world this weekend, as 30-plus matches will surely provide some drama and upsets involving the English elite.
Manchester City is an obvious favorite but sees Chelsea for the second time in four days. Pep Guardiola’s men defeated the Blues 1-0 on Thursday in English Premier League play and will return to the Etihad Stadium to try and advance in the competition. Chelsea not only fell at home, but also lost Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic through respective injuries.
You also can’t rule out Manchester United due to their recent success. Four consecutive wins have them looking primed to challenge to win something in England this year, and a winnable contest with Everton should see the Red Devils’ good times continue to roll.
There will be no shortage of Wrexham fans hoping to see some punching up in the English ranks. They host Championship side Coventry City on Saturday.
The return of the La Liga campaign in Spain also takes place this weekend. Sunday’s Atlético Madrid – Barcelona matchup serves as the headliner. As usual, Barcelona is neck-and-neck with Real Madrid and only leads on goal differential. Atlético on the other hand resumes its season in fourth and is in real danger of falling out of the Champions League picture.
In Italy, 2022 champion Milan hosts Jose Mourinho’s Roma in a matchup destined to shake up the already tense Scudetto race.
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Here is a look at This Weekend’s Top 5 Matches to Watch, as well as a full rundown of This Week’s Soccer on TV and Online:
This Weekend’s Top 5 Matches to Watch
- Manchester City vs Chelsea – The toughest head-to-head matchup of the weekend’s Cup action will mean heartbreak and an early crash-out for the loser.
- Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona – For all the preseason drama Barcelona endured, being in first place after the break is probably a blessing. They desperately need a win here in order to keep pace with a stronger Real Madrid.
- Manchester United vs Everton – Manchester United fans are probably the happiest they’ve been in years, can their side make some real noise in the cup this year?
- Milan vs Roma – The toughest Serie A matchup of the weekend should be a thriller.
- Coventry City vs Wrexham – Wrexham’s influx of new fans get another (and rare) opportunity to watch the team in action this year.
This Weekend’s Soccer on TV and Online
Friday
English FA Cup
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Manchester United vs Everton
Spanish La Liga
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Elche vs Celta de Vigo
3 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Valencia vs Cádiz
Coupe de France
12 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Strasbourg vs Angers SCO
3 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Châteauroux vs PSG
Liga MX
8 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, TUDN.com – Necaxa vs Atlético San Luis
Portuguese Primeira Liga
2 p.m. – fuboTV – Benfica vs Portimonense
Belgian First Division A
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Standard Liège vs Sint-Truiden
Scottish Championship
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Raith Rovers vs Dundee
Spanish Segunda Division
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Sporting Gijón vs Levante
Major Arena Soccer League
7 p.m. – Twitch – Florida Tropics SC vs Harrisburg Heat
Saturday
English FA Cup
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Preston North End vs Huddersfield Town
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Tottenham Hotspur vs Portsmouth
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Forest Green Rovers vs Birmingham City
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Crystal Palace vs Southampton
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Reading vs Watford
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Gillingham vs Leicester City
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Middlesbrough vs Brighton & Hove Albion
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Chesterfield vs West Bromwich Albion
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Boreham Wood vs Accrington Stanley
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – AFC Bournemouth vs Burnley
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Fleetwood Town vs Queens Park Rangers
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Blackpool vs Nottingham Forest
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Hull City vs Fulham
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Millwall vs Sheffield United
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Shrewsbury Town vs Sunderland
10 a.m. – ESPN+ – Ipswich Town vs Rotherham United
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Brentford vs West Ham United
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Coventry City vs Wrexham
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Luton Town vs Wigan Athletic
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+ – Grimsby Town vs Burton Albion
1 p.m. – ESPN+ – Sheffield Wednesday vs Newcastle United
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Spanish La Liga
10:15 a.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Villarreal vs Real Madrid
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Mallorca vs Real Valladolid
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – Espanyol vs Girona
Italian Serie A
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Fiorentina vs Sassuolo
12 p.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ – Juventus vs Udinese
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Monza vs Inter Milan
French Coupe de France
9:30 a.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV – Olympique Marseille vs Hyères
9:30 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Olympique Lyonnais vs Metz
12 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Vire vs Nantes
2:45 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Bordeaux vs Rennes
Liga MX
6 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision – América vs Querétaro
8:10 p.m. – fuboTV, TUDN USA, Univision – Atlas vs Toluca
10:10 p.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Monterrey vs Guadalajara
Belgian First Division A
2:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – Antwerp vs Gent
Dutch Eredivisie
12:45 p.m. – ESPN+ – AZ vs Vitesse
3 p.m. – ESPN+ – PSV vs Sparta Rotterdam
Turkish Super Lig
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Beşiktaş vs Kasımpaşa
Major Arena Soccer League
6 p.m. – Twitch – Baltimore Blast vs Empire
7 p.m. – Twitch – Kansas City Comets vs Tacoma Stars
7 p.m. – Twitch – Utica City FC vs Mesquite
8 p.m. – Twitch – Dallas Sidekicks vs San Diego Sockers
8 p.m. – Twitch – St. Louis Ambush vs Milwaukee Wave
Sunday
English FA Cup
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Derby County vs Barnsley
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Bristol City vs Swansea City
9 a.m. – ESPN+ – Cardiff City vs Leeds United
9 a.m. – ESPN+ – Norwich City vs Blackburn Rovers
9 a.m. – ESPN+ – Hartlepool United vs Stoke City
9 a.m. – ESPN+ – Stockport County vs Walsall
11:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Aston Villa vs Stevenage
11:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Manchester City vs Chelsea
Spanish La Liga
8 a.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Almería vs Real Sociedad
10:15 a.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis
12:30 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Sevilla vs Getafe
3 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona
Italian Serie A
6:30 a.m. – Paramount+ – Salernitana vs Torino
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Lazio vs Empoli
9 a.m. – Paramount+ – Spezia vs Lecce
12 p.m. – Paramount+ – Sampdoria vs Napoli
2:45 p.m. – Paramount+ – Milan vs Roma
French Coupe de France
9:30 a.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – La Châtaigneraie vs Lorient
12 p.m. – Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV – Dunkerque vs Auxerre
2:45 p.m. – Fox Sports 2, fuboTV – Lille vs Troyes
Liga MX
8 p.m. – Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, FOX Deportes – Santos Laguna vs Tigres UANL
10:10 p.m. – ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN Deportes – Tijuana vs Cruz Azul
Portuguese Primeira Liga
1 p.m. – fuboTV – Marítimo vs Sporting CP
Belgian First Division A
7:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – Genk vs Club Brugge
Dutch Eredivisie
6:15 a.m. – ESPN+ – Utrecht vs Feyenoord
8:30 a.m. – ESPN+ – NEC vs Ajax
Portuguese Segunda liga
9 a.m. – fuboTV – Benfica II vs Feirense
Scottish Premiership
8:30 a.m. – Paramount+ – Motherwell vs Hibernian
11 a.m. – Paramount+ – Dundee United vs Rangers
Turkish Super Lig
11 a.m. – beIN SPORTS, fuboTV – Fenerbahçe vs Galatasaray
Major Arena Soccer League
3 p.m. – Twitch – Utica City FC vs Empire
3 p.m. – Twitch – Florida Tropics SC vs Harrisburg Heat
4:30 p.m. – Twitch – Monterrey vs Chihuahua
9 p.m. – Twitch – San Diego Sockers vs Dallas Sidekicks