Top games to watch this weekend
Friday
Athletic Club vs Celta (La Liga)
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Wolfsburg (Bundesliga)
Montpellier vs Nice (Ligue 1)
Seattle Sounders vs FC Dallas (MLS)
Panama vs Morocco (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Mali vs Uzbekistan (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Indonesia vs Ecuador (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Spain vs Canada (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Al Hilal vs Al Taawon (Saudi Pro League)
Al Ittihad vs Abha (Saudi Pro League)
Mazatlán vs Toluca (Liga MX)
Tijuana vs Pachuca (Liga MX)
Saturday
Wolves vs Tottenham (English Premier League)
Arsenal vs Burnley (English Premier League)
Manchester United vs Luton Town (English Premier League)
Bournemouth vs Newcastle (English Premier League)
Real Madrid vs Valencia (La Liga)
Lecce vs Milan (Serie A)
Juventus vs Cagliari (Serie A)
Bayern vs Heidenheim (Bundesliga)
Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
Vitoria Guimaraes vs Porto (Primeira Liga)
Reims vs PSG (Ligue 1)
Flamengo vs Fluminense (Brasileirão)
Palmeiras vs Internacional (Brasileirão)
New Caledonia vs England (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Japan vs Poland (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Brazil vs Iran (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Argentina vs Senegal (FIFA U-17 World Cup)
Al Wahda vs Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League)
OL Reign vs NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL Championship)
Houston Dynamo vs Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Pumas UNAM vs Guadalajara (Liga MX)
Tigres UANL vs América (Liga MX)
Sunday
Liverpool vs Brentford (English Premier League)
Chelsea vs Manchester City (English Premier League(
Barcelona vs Alavés (La Liga)
Sevilla vs Real Betis (La Liga)
Lazio vs Roma (Serie A)
Inter vs Frosinone (Serie A)
Bayer Leverkusen vs Union Berlin (Bundesliga)
RB Leipzig vs Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Benfica vs Sporting (Primeira Liga)
Lens vs Marseille (Ligue 1)
Columbus Crew vs Atlanta United (MLS)
Philadelphia Union vs. New England (MLS)
France vs Burkina Faso (U-17 WC)
Venezuela vs New Zealand (U-17 WC)
Korea Republic vs USA (U-17 WC)
Mexico vs Germany (U-17 WC)
Feyenoord vs AZ (Eredivisie)
Cruz Azul vs Puebla (Liga MX)
León vs Juárez (Liga MX)
Most-watched soccer games in the USA: October 30-November 5, 2023
The viewership numbers in the USA for soccer matches played from October 30 through November 5 are in, with Arsenal's controversial showdown with Newcastle unsurprisingly topping the list.
The Gunners lost that St. James' Park stadium showdown 1-0, sparking outrage from manager Mikel Arteta towards the level of officiating in the Premier League. Nonetheless, just over 800,000 average viewers tuned in to NBC to catch this game as Anthony Gordan's goal sealed the three points for the Magpies.
The other two slots on the podium went to Liga MX in a week where only weekend fixtures made the cut. In second place was Telemundo's coverage of the showdown between Guadalajara and Cruz Azul, which Chivas won 1-0. Just over 600,000 average viewers — 617,000, to be precise — tuned in to catch this fixture as Yael Padilla's 97th-minute goal secured the win for the hosts.
The final spot went to Univision thanks to their coverage of Tigres UANL's showdown with San Luis. That tie ended in a two-all draw, with 523,000 average viewers catching the action on TelevisaUnivision's Spanish-language free-to-air network.
What are this weekend's must-watch games?
Real Madrid vs. Valencia and Barcelona vs. Deportivo live on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes this weekend
Spain's two top dogs return to action this weekend, starting with Real Madrid, who take on Valencia at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday. Los Blancos host Rubén Baraja's side following their UEFA Champions League victory over Sporting Braga during the midweek which secured their spot in the round of 16. However, Ancelotti's men were held to a goalless draw in La Liga last weekend and will need to return to winning ways.
Meanwhile, Barcelona host Deportivo Alaves the following day at 10:15 a.m. ET as the Blaugrana look to bounce back front their frustrating defeat to Shakhtar in the Champions League. Criticism came Xavi's way following that 1-0 loss and while they are the second-highest Catalonian club in the table this season, behind surprise leaders Girona, the Blaugrana recently beat Real Sociedad 1-0 and are only a few points off the summit. Catch both games live on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City live this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on USA Network and Telemundo
All eyes will be on this clash as Chelsea host the reigning champions Manchester City. The Blues recently beat nine-men Tottenham 4-1 and will want to go a step further by triumphing over Guardiola's side. However, the Cityzens remain the favorites for the title and will be tough to overcome. The recent injury to John Stones has dealt Pep a huge blow but expect the visitors to hand Pochettino's crew a stern test.
Liverpool vs. Brentford live this Sunday at 9 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock
Liverpool face a tricky test this weekend as the Merseyside giants aim to end their two-game winless streak. After being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw away to newly-promoted Luton Town, the Reds visited Toulouse in the UEFA Europa League and lost 3-2, albeit due to a controversial VAR decision in the final minutes of stoppage time. Meanwhile, the Bees are on a brilliant three-game winning streak, beating London heavyweights Chelsea and West Ham in their last two outings, and will be keen to add Klopp's men to their list of victims.
Lazio vs. Roma live this Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network
And finally, we have the Derby della Capitale. Rome powerhouses Roma and Lazio, who are seventh and 10th in the table respectively, face off this Sunday as both sides go in search of bragging rights and the crucial three points. Both teams trail current leaders Inter Milan by over 10 points and have huge hurdles to overcome in the top-four race, thus making this derby significant. Do not miss this clash.
OL Reign star Megan Rapinoe will hope to conclude her decades-long career on a high note as her team feature in the NWSL Championship final this weekend.
Here's all you need to know ahead of another exciting weekend in women's soccer.
What to watch in women's soccer: November 10th through November 12th
FA Women's League Cup
The 2023/24 FA Women's League Cup resumes action this week, with defending champions Arsenal seeking to pick up their first points in the competition as they prepare to face struggling Bristol City. Another key game involves Liverpool, who lost their first match 2-1 to Leicester, taking on Manchester City, who won their first League Cup match against Everton by a score of 2-1. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Everton will both be aiming for a good result in their tournament opener when they square off on Thursday, November 9th.
Liga F
Matchday eight in Liga F starts on Friday as Real Madrid, who sit in second place, take on ninth-placed Real Sociedad. Las Blancas are three points behind current league leaders Barcelona, but could pull level on points should they pick up a crucial win before the Blaugrana, who once again have made a perfect start to the season, travel to face Villarreal on Saturday, November 11th.
NWSL
The 2023 NWSL Championship gets underway this weekend as OL Reign and NY/NJ Gotham battle to lift the coveted trophy. Both teams have overcome some serious odds to get this far, as many pundits and observers had expected the final to feature the more heavily favored Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave.
However, both the Reign and Gotham were able to beat their higher-ranked opponents by identical scorelines of 1-0, and now, all eyes will be on Saturday's game. It will be a special one for USWNT veteran Megan Rapinoe, who retired from the national team earlier this year and the 38-year-old will certainly be eager to add another trophy to her cabinet in what will be her last game as an OL Reign player.
Top news in women's soccer
USWNT finally settle on new manager...
...and her name is Emma Hayes. The 47-year-old, who is a well-known figure in the women's game due to her impressive work with Chelsea, will become the new manager of the Stars and Stripes in 2024. The USWNT will be hoping that Hayes will be able to help turn their fortunes around, especially as they prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games and following a horrible showing at this summer's World Cup, which saw them crash out in the round of 16 after being beaten on penalties by Sweden.
Hayes will certainly have a lot of work to do to get the USWNT up and running quickly - from team selection to tactics as the former number-one side in women's soccer looks to get back on track after a poor showing in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Serie A thrown into chaos after side threatens to withdraw from league
It is only a few games into the 2023/24 Serie A season, but there is already plenty of drama. Pomigliano, who were only founded in 2019 and only became a fully-professional outfit during the 2022/23 campaign, have had a torrid time in the top flight this season.
Prior to last weekend's games, the Granata had yet to win a single game and were certainly hoping that their fortunes would improve when they took on fellow strugglers Sampdoria. However, they lost that game 1-0 due to what the club felt was a questionable penalty against them.
Normally, many teams and their managers would express their frustration after a call didn't go their way - but Pomigliano decided to go even further. As of November 5th, the club have decided to withdraw from Serie A entirely. Yes, that is right. They have decided to throw in the towel and leave the league, which means that Serie A could be thrown into flummox if the league is reduced to an odd number of teams. At the moment, there are ten teams featuring in Italian women's football's top flight, so with Pomigliano's threatened departure, there would be nine teams playing in the league instead.
Didn't find your favorite women's league on this list? No worries, as this is just a highlight of some of the exciting games coming up this week. Make sure to check out our special women's soccer page here at LiveSoccerTV.com for full broadcast info, match updates, news, and more.
MLS Cup Playoffs - Preview for the final games in Round One
We already have five teams in the next round of the MLS Cup playoffs, and we will find out the identities of the other three before the international break with the worst timing in football history.
FC Cincinnati, Orlando City, and the Philadelphia Union are already through to the conference semis in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Sporting KC and Los Angeles FC already booked their spots in the other conference, meaning that there are still two spots available for that stage. All three ties waiting to be sorted out have left several talking points, but we will go deeper into all scenarios once we have a look at each fixture.
The next three days will be packed with MLS football, and that is why we will go and take a closer look at what will go down in each fixture by looking at them in chronological order.
November 10
Seattle Sounders vs FC Dallas - The clash between the Rave Green and Dallas will see this tie returning to Seattle to find the team that makes the next round. The first clash in this series saw the hosts claiming a two-nil win, while the second leg ended with Dallas leveling the tie thanks to a couple of early goals that were too much for Seattle to handle. Now, the away side will need one out-of-this-world performance to knock out Seattle, as their record when playing on the road against Brian Schmetzer's team shows sixteen losses, five draws, and only one win.
Whoever wins this game will lock horns with Los Angeles FC in the Conference Semifinals
November 11
Houston Dynamo vs Real Salt Lake - The Dynamo return to play in front of their supporters, hoping they give them the necessary boost to get past the Claret and Cobalt. Houston defeated RSL at home on October 29, but failed to hold on to their lead in the second leg and eventually lost in a penalty shootout. Houston are unbeaten at home against Real Salt Lake since 2018, leaving RSL with only three wins in 20 trips to their stadium. Will it be a sign of things to come, or will Pablo Mastroeni's men rise to the occasion?
The team that makes it to the next round will get to host the Conference semis against Sporting KC, the eight-seeded team in the Western Conference.
November 12
Columbus Crew vs Atlanta United - The high-scoring series between Columbus and Atlanta comes to an end on Sunday, with the crew relying on Cucho Hernández's goalscoring skills to make it past this stage. The striker has scored three times against Atlanta, and one more goal by the Colombian could come in handy to end Atlanta's season. On the other side of the pitch, Thiago Almada will want to add a fifth win at Columbus' stadium in their ten trips to that venue, which would make them one of the toughest teams to beat for the Crew in front of their supporters since Atlanta joined the league.
The winner of this tie will go on to face Orlando City, the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Biggest stories of the week
Manchester United set three unwanted records in 4-3 loss to Kobenhavn
Manchester United were up by two goals after 30 minutes against Kobenhavn, and everything seemed to be fine for the Red Devils. Nonetheless, a woeful performance during the first half's stoppage time ended with the score level at two goals...and with Rashford being sent off.
Things would slightly improve after the break thanks to Bruno Fernandes' goal, but Kobenhavn's furious reaction saw the Danish club claim a historic win against the English side, which also set some records for all the wrong reasons for Ten Hag's men.
One of those "milestones" is the team's lack of care when it comes to defending inside the box, as they gave away one more penalty to the Danish side. Onana saved the last one, but this time the Cameroonian was not that lucky. Manchester United's lack of finesse when defending inside the box gave them their first unwanted feat of the evening.
Premier League teams plan to vote on banning Saudi Pro League moves
Although this will be limited to Newcastle's business, the first steps to prevent the competition from being tampered have been taken, as Premier League executives will vote to veto all moves coming from Saudi Pro League clubs related to Newcastle, who are owned by the Saudi Private Investment Fund (SPIF), which is what happens with most Saudi clubs.
The need for such a move has caught the attention of Premier League executives following Newcastle's interest in signing Rubén Neves on loan from Al Hilal. The club, also part of the SPIF, would be willing to loan the former Wolves footballer until the end of Sandro Tonali's ban, and that is where EPL members could raise any objections.
According to The Athletic, measures will be taken against such moves, with Premier League clubs being forced to approve or ban any transfer coming from the Saudi Pro League to Newcastle. To do so, each decision will need to have a two-thirds vote (fourteen out of the 19 teams involved).
CBS Sports announces multi-year deal with United Soccer League
It is a special day for USL Championship followers, as the league has signed a multi-year agreement with CBS Sports, who will air 100 games from the USL Championship and USL League One.
The deal will come to an end in 2027, and coverage of all games will be divided among CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network, and Paramount+.
This agreement will allow CBS Sports to broadcast select USL fixtures, which will include the USL Championship final on the CBS Television Network. It will be a sight to remember, as it will be the first time the USL is featured on network television. More than 20 USL games will be available to watch on CBS Sports Network, and over 70 will be streamed on CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+.
Colombian guerrillas free Liverpool striker Luis Diaz's kidnapped dad
Colombia's ELN guerrilla group on Thursday freed the father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz, ending a 12-day kidnapping ordeal and triggering celebration in his hometown.
After days of negotiations for the handover, the rebels presented Luis Manuel Diaz to humanitarian workers at an undisclosed location in the Serrania del Perija mountain range on the border with Venezuela.
The elder Diaz, 56, and his carers then traveled by helicopter to the city of Valledupar, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) from his hometown of Barrancas in the northern La Guajira department -- where he was abducted on October 28.
Man City's Stones faces lengthy injury absence: Guardiola
Manchester City defender John Stones faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury in Tuesday's 3-0 win against Young Boys.
City boss Pep Guardiola said the England center-back is likely to be out for a substantial period following his half-time substitution at the Etihad Stadium.
Stones had already missed the first 10 games of the campaign with a hip injury sustained in pre-season before returning to action in October.
VAR controversies prompt calls for action in Premier League
VAR was supposed to help cut out egregious and costly refereeing mistakes but the technology has come under heavy fire from Premier League managers who have lost faith in the system.
The video assistant referee was introduced in the 2019/20 season for "clear and obvious errors" or "serious missed incidents" in specific situations.
The promise was that it would lead to "more correct and fairer judgments", even though the Premier League conceded that 100 percent accuracy was impossible.
But feelings are running high after high-profile incidents that have overshadowed the action on the pitch.
Man Utd's Garnacho to face no action over gorilla emoji social post
Alejandro Garnacho will face no action over his use of gorilla emojis in a post about Manchester United team-mate Andre Onana, the Football Association said on Tuesday.
Onana produced a stoppage-time penalty save at Old Trafford to secure a crucial 1-0 victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League group stage last month.
Garnacho later uploaded a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of United players celebrating with Onana, along with a caption featuring two gorilla emojis.
The post was quickly deleted but the Cameroon goalkeeper defended Garnacho, who he said was trying to express "power and strength", adding: "This matter should go no further."
Other key headlines from the world of soccer
Pulisic and Weah ruled out of USA squad with injuries
AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic and Juventus forward Timothy Weah have both been ruled out of the United States squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League qualifiers with Trinidad and Tobago.
USA coach Gregg Berhalter named his 24-man squad for the pair of games against the Caribbean team on Thursday and the two wide-men were the most noticeable absences. A US Soccer Federation spokesman confirmed that the duo were both missing due to injuries.
Sparkling Leao hailed by Milan coach Pioli
Stefano Pioli said that Rafael Leao could be a world-beater after the inconsistent Portugal winger outshone Kylian Mbappe in AC Milan's 2-1 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Leao drew Milan level with an acrobatic overhead kick and terrorized the PSG defense every time he had the ball while France star Mbappe struggled to get into a thrilling game at the San Siro.
