Top games to watch this week
Friday, December 29
Fiorentina vs Torino (Serie A)
Napoli vs Monza (Serie A)
Genoa vs Inter (Serie A)
Lazio vs Frosinone (Serie A)
Benfica vs Famalicao (Primeira Liga)
Porto vs Chaves (Primeira Liga)
Al Feiha vs Al Hilal (Saudi Pro League)
Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce (Turkish Super Cup)
Saturday, December 30
Luton Town vs Chelsea (English Premier League)
Aston Villa vs Burnley (English Premier League)
Manchester City vs Sheffield Utd (English Premier League)
Wolves vs Everton (English Premier League)
Nottingham vs Man United (English Premier League)
Atalanta vs Lecce (Serie A)
Milan vs Sassuolo (Serie A)
Juventus vs Roma (Serie A)
Portimonense vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
Al Taawon vs Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League)
Celtic vs Rangers (Scottish Premiership)
Sunday, December 31
Fulham vs Arsenal (English Premier League)
Tottenham vs Bournemouth (English Premier League)
Monday, January 1
Liverpool vs Newcastle (English Premier League)
Sunderland vs Preston North End (Championship)
Leeds United vs Birmingham City (Championship)
Leicester vs Huddersfield Town (Championship)
Norwich vs Southampton (Championship)
Stoke City vs Ipswich Town (Championship)
Swansea vs West Brom (Championship)
Sheffield Wednesday vs Hull City (Championship)
Tuesday, January 2
West Ham vs Brighton (English Premier League)
Getafe vs Rayo (La Liga)
Real Sociedad vs Alavés (La Liga)
Valencia vs Villarreal (La Liga)
Milan vs Cagliari (Coppa Italia)
Wednesday, January 3
Granada vs Cádiz (La Liga)
Celta de Vigo vs Real Betis (La Liga)
Real Madrid vs Mallorca (La Liga)
Girona vs Atlético Madrid (La Liga)
PSG vs Toulouse (Ligue 1)
Atalanta vs Sassuolo (Coppa Italia)
Roma vs Cremonese (Coppa Italia)
Thursday, January 4
Osasuna vs Almería (La Liga)
Sevilla vs Athletic (La Liga)
Las Palmas vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Juventus vs Salernitana (Coppa Italia)
Crystal Palace vs Everton (FA Cup)
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal draw at Anfield garners second-largest EPL audience in history in the USA
Not only was Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield the most-watched soccer match of the week gone by, but it was also a historic match in terms of Premier League audience in the USA.
The Gunners visited the Merseyside giants on Saturday, with Gabriel Magalhães and Mohamed Salah getting on the scoresheet. This fixture garnered NBC an average viewership of 1.49 million; however, across Telemundo, Peacock, and NBC's other digital platforms, this tie secured an audience of 2.28 million.
This makes it the second-most watched Premier League game in the USA in history behind another tie involving Arsenal — the Gunners' 3-2 win over Manchester United last season in January 2023 which earned an audience of 2.31 million.
Of the 2.28 million people that tuned in for the one-all Anfield stalemate, 328,000 tuned in to Telemundo while an additional 464,000 opted for Peacock and other NBC-affiliated digital platforms.
Returning to the most-watched soccer games list for December 18-24, the Premier League reigned supreme in the absence of the MLS and Liga MX. USA Network grabbed the next two spots with their coverage of Luton's 1-0 win over Newcastle and Chelsea's 2-1 loss at Wolves, garnering an average audience of 503,000 and 403,000 respectively.
What are this week's must-watch games?
Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United live this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on Universo, Peacock, NBC, and Universo NOW
Premier League giants Manchester United return to action this weekend following their dramatic midweek victory over Aston Villa. Despite going 2-0 down in the first half, the Red Devils scored three second-half goals to turn things around at Old Trafford and end their winless streak. The question on everyone's mind is whether they can now mount a winning streak. Do not miss their upcoming showdown with Nottingham Forest.
Juventus vs. Roma live this Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET exclusively on Paramount+
Serie A continues this weekend with title challengers Juventus welcoming Roma in what should be an interesting showdown. The Bianconeri have suffered a couple of slip-ups recently, drawing at home to current leaders Inter Milan and away to Genoa. As a result, Allegri's men find themselves four points adrift of the top spot. Roma, on the other hand, beat Napoli last weekend but that was their only win in their last three league outings.
Fulham vs. Arsenal live this Sunday at 9 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock
Will Arsenal return to winning ways? The Gunners enter this game on the back of their frustrating 2-0 loss at home to West Ham, having drawn 1-1 away to Liverpool in the game before that. Arteta's men have thus surrendered the lead to Liverpool and will need to bounce back at Craven Cottage. However, the last time Fulham locked horns with the Gunners, Marco Silva's men picked up a point courtesy of a 2-2 draw and nearly won the match.
Liverpool vs. Newcastle live this Monday at 3 p.m. ET exclusively on USA Network
And in the standout game of this week, Liverpool prepare to host Newcastle in an exciting showdown. The Reds beat the Magpies with 10 men the last time they faced off, and with Howe's side struggling with an injury crisis and having lost three games in a row, Klopp should be confident of delivering a result. Will the Merseyside giants kick off 2024 with a crucial win? Tune in to USA Network to find out.
La Liga season resumes in 2024 with Real Madrid vs. Mallorca and Las Palmas vs. Barcelona live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
And finally, we have La Liga, which returns this midweek to resume the 2023-24 campaign after its short hiatus during the festive period. Real Madrid and Barcelona will be involved in the action, with Los Blancos hosting Mallorca while the Blaugrana visit Las Palmas. Ancelotti's men are currently top of the table but are level on points with Girona. The Catalan giants, on the flip side, sit in fourth and are seven points adrift after dropping points in five of their last 10 league matches.
Year in Review: How are things shaping up for the top leagues heading into 2024?
2023 is nearly consigned to the history books, and given the roller-coaster ride many people worldwide experienced for varying reasons, it's safe to say that many are looking forward to putting a topsy-turvy year behind them ahead of 2024.
Sports certainly weren't exempt from plenty of drama, with plenty of talking points to keep fans buzzing, especially in the second half of 2023 when all the new campaigns in women's soccer got underway.
So without further ado, here is a look at the state of play in the biggest women's leagues as all go on hiatus until January 2024.
Women's Super League: Manchester City and Arsenal look to shake things up
A very interesting title race is shaping up in the Women's Super League. Although reigning champions Chelsea conclude 2023 on top of the table, the Blues' position is far from secure. Emma Hayes's team were shockingly beaten 4-1 by Arsenal earlier in December, which sent a clear signal to many fans that the Gunners are really looking to challenge for the WSL title this season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are another team to keep one's eye on, as they sit in second place, just three points behind Chelsea. Indeed, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal have mostly dominated the top three places as of late, while Manchester United, who impressed many by finishing in second last term, will hope to have a say. However, the Red Devils have looked less than consistent at various points this term and will need to kick into a higher gear if they want to start closing the gap on the top three.
Liga F: Barcelona look comfortable...but there are plenty of teams in hot pursuit
2019. That was the last time any other team besides Barcelona won the Liga F title. The Blaugrana are one of three teams in the women's top tiers (the others being Roma and Lyon) to have made a perfect start to their domestic campaign, and as such have also built up a seemingly comfortable lead over everyone else, with 12 wins from first 12 games.
Or have they? Barcelona have shown in the not-too-recent past that they are not infallible. Although they won the title as expected last term, they saw their perfect winning streak snapped in the last days of the campaign, so anything is possible in 2024. In hot pursuit are Real Madrid (second, 27 points), Levante (third, 27 points), Madrid (fourth, 27 points), and Atletico Madrid (fifth, 26 points). At the very least, there will be a very interesting battle for Champions League football between all of these teams, and potentially, even for the league title depending on how things shape up once Liga F gets back underway next year.
Serie A: Can anyone stop Roma?
It seems like not too long ago that Juventus were dominating the women's soccer scene in Italy. However, Roma have now changed things, as the Giallorosse pipped the Bianconere to their first-ever Scudetto last season. This term, Roma have clearly proved that they are no one-season wonder, as they conclude 2023 with a perfect 11 wins out of 11 Serie A games, and sitting six points clear of Juventus heading into the second part of the 2023/24 season.
Of course, given that Juventus had won the last five Serie A titles prior to being dethroned last season, it would be unwise to totally rule them out. Meanwhile, Fiorentina, who sit in third spot and are the last team other than Roma or Juventus to win the Scudetto, will naturally be looking to have their say. But for now, it appears that the Scudetto is set to remain in the Eternal City for yet another year - unless 2024 throws up plenty of surprises along the way.
Frauen-Bundesliga: Will Bayern be able to hold onto the title?
Last season saw huge celebrations in Munich as both the men's and women's teams won their respective Bundesliga titles. However, both needed last-gasp victories to clinch it, with the women's team crushing Turbine Potsdam 11-1 on the final matchday to make sure that the coveted prize remains in their hands for another season and narrowly edge out Wolfsburg.
Given that they have won seven titles - the joint most alongside Eintracht Frankfurt - Wolfsburg are never a side to be discounted when it comes to the title race. At the moment, Bayern have slipped into second spot following a frustrating and shocking 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Nurnberg, while Wolfsburg's gritty 1-0 win over Werder Bremen leaves them in top spot heading into 2024.
As of now, the title race looks mostly set to be contested between Bayern Munich (second, 24 points) and Wolfsburg (first, 25 points), but Eintracht Frankfurt, who are in third spot and just four points behind Bayern, will certainly look to force their way into the conversation in 2024.
Click here to read our 2024 preview of women's soccer in full
Biggest stories
Portugal's boss drops hint on Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement plans
In an interview with former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, Portugal's coach Roberto Martínez discussed the possibility of watching Cristiano Ronaldo playing his final matches with the national team next summer, but the coach's words were far from confirming such a scenario. In fact, Martínez revealed that the footballer may keep on playing with A Seleçao far beyond next summer.
While Martínez did not share the full details of his conversation with the Portuguese icon, he was able to reveal the number of games Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play with A Seleçao, which comes in handy to predict when CR7 will retire from football.
"He was very close to 200 caps, something no other player had achieved before. Of course the conversation we had is private, but I can reveal one of the things he told me. I asked if reaching 200 caps would interest him, and he simply replied: '250 interests me,'" the Spanish tactician stated.
Messi reportedly calls Manchester United flop to join him at Inter Miami
A report by Argentine radio station Continental 590 AM stated that Messi contacted former Manchester United player Marcos Rojo to join him in the MLS. The former Red Devil has been playing for Boca Juniors since 2020 and was recently part of the team that lost the Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense.
Rojo, who played 61 games for Argentina, was also part of the team that lost two Copa América finals under coach Gerardo Martino in 2015 and 2016. The report in the Argentine radio station added that Martino also called Rojo to try and convince him to join Inter Miami this winter.
Formerly a left-back, Rojo has adapted to the center-back position since he joined Boca, a spot Inter Miami are trying to fill. The Herons struggled in defense last season, which is why Rojo's help could come in handy for the Florida-based side.
Barcelona facing two-year ban from the UEFA Champions League
Just days after Barcelona showed their support to the Super League, a new probe by UEFA is threatening to leave the club out of the UEFA Champions League or any European competition.
According to an investigation by the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, UEFA's Financial Control Committee is conducting a probe against the Catalan side, which is looking into their financial statements for the past three years and may include revenue from activities that are not related to football.
The German media outlet has quoted confidential conversations between UEFA officers, who labeled Barcelona's financial statements as an "utter disaster". The newspaper has also quoted these officers stating that the Catalan club could face a "two or three-year ban" from the competition, adding that if there are major losses in their statements, the club could face an even bigger suspension.
Man United break 93-year record in embarrassing 2-0 loss away to West Ham
Second-half goals from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in Manchester United's weekend trip to West Ham condemned the Premier League giants to their eighth top-flight defeat of the season. Furthermore, Ten Hag's side reached another set of unwanted milestones in what has been an awful campaign so far.
First of all, while this was Manchester United's eighth defeat in the Premier League, the Red Devils have lost a whopping 13 games so far this season across all competitions. This means just under half of their matches in 2023-24 have ended in defeats, having played 26 games in total.
To put this into perspective, the last time the 20-time English champions lost 13 games or more before Christmas was nearly a century ago, dating back to 1930.
Song omits Bayern star Choupo-Moting from Cup of Nations squad
Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is the notable absentee from Cameroon's Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled by head coach Rigobert Song on Thursday.
Song included other stars who play abroad such as Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana and Besiktas striker Vincent Aboubakar.
However, 47-year-old Song, who was a pivotal player for Cameroon when they won the title on two occasions in 2000 and 2002, took the bold gamble to omit Choupo-Moting.
"We all know he is an important player," said Song of the 34-year-old Bayern player.
"However, one has to make choices."
Brighton wingers Mitoma and Adingra set for at least a month out
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi expects to be without wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra for between four to six weeks in the latest blows to his injury-hit squad.
Mitoma suffered an ankle problem during last week's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, with Adingra damaging his hamstring at Selhurst Park.
The pair are among up to 10 Seagulls players set to miss Thursday's match at home to Premier League high-flyers Tottenham.
"Tomorrow we have more or less 10 injured players, maybe eight but (the other) two players can't start the game," Brighton boss De Zerbi told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
Man Utd must consult Ratcliffe's INEOS over transfers, Ten Hag future
Manchester United must consult with INEOS over any January transfer window deals and the future of manager Erik ten Hag prior to the Premier League ratifying its agreement to take a 25 percent stake in the club.
The English football giants announced on Christmas Eve it had reached an agreement with chemicals company INEOS and its chairman Jim Ratcliffe, a boyhood Red Devils fan, which will give the firm responsibility for football operations at Old Trafford once the regulatory approval procedure is completed.
This procedure is set to take four to six weeks and run beyond the finish of the January transfer window.
But, with the Premier League club's shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing related to the deal published late Tuesday contains a provision guaranteeing INEOS will be consulted on football matters while regulatory authorities complete their checks.
Other key headlines from the world of soccer
Man City's Grealish burgled during match
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish was burgled while the England star was playing in his club's Premier League match at Everton on Wednesday. Grealish's Cheshire mansion in north-west England was targeted by thieves as he was in action for the Premier League champions during their 3-1 victory on Merseyside.
Members of Grealish's family and his fiancee Sasha Atwood were watching the televised match at the house when they heard a disturbance, according to reports on Friday.
Postecoglou doesn't expect transfer salve for wounded Spurs
Ange Postecoglou admits "nothing magical" will happen in the January transfer window to help injury-hit Tottenham. Postecoglou's depleted side crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday.
Nine players were unavailable to the Tottenham boss and, after Sunday's clash with Bournemouth, he will lose Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, and Son Heung-min for January due to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup.
