What to watch on Friday, August 16, 2019:
Bayern München vs Hertha BSC at 14:30 ET/18:30 GMT
Broadcast listings: FOX Deportes, FOX Soccer Match Pass, Fox Sports 2 in the USA; BT Sport 2, BT Sport Live in the UK; Sportsnet World, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Ontario in Canada; DAZN, TeleClub Sport Live, ZDF in Germany
Preview: The Bundesliga kicks off with this clash between the defending champions and the club from the capital. Questions linger over Niko Kovac and his squad despite winning the title last season. This wasn’t helped by the fact that they lost the DFL Supercup to Dortmund but Lewandowski and Co. will aim to begin the campaign with a win.
Can Bayern maintain their opening day record?
Athletic Club vs Barcelona at 15:00 ET/19:00 GMT
Broadcast listings: beIN SPORTS CONNECT, beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, Fanatiz USA in the USA; beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada, beIN Sports Canada, beIN SPORTS en Español in Canada; beIN Sports 1, Kayo Sports, beIN Sports Connect in Australia; Movistar+, Partidazo in Movistar LaLiga, MiTele En Vivo in Spain
Preview: Not only does the Bundesliga season kick off on Friday, but so does La Liga. Barcelona, the reigning champions, will commence the 2019/20 campaign with a trip to Athletic Club.
Last season ended on a bitter note for the Catalan giants after they lost the Copa del Rey final and threw away a 3-0 lead to lose to Liverpool in the Champions League semis. Lionel Messi will not be available for the opening game after being left out of the squad due to a calf injury. Griezmann should make his league debut with the Blaugrana while Suarez will be on hand to deputize as Valverde’s main goalscoring threat in Leo’s absence.
No Messi, no party?
What to watch on Saturday, August 17, 2019:
Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg at 09:30 ET/13:30 GMT
Broadcast listings: Fox Sports 1, TUDN USA, FOX Soccer Match Pass in the USA; Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World in Canada; Sky Sport Bundesliga 2, Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1 in Germany
Preview: Dortmund head into the new season as the DFL Supercup champions but the competition they truly seek to win starts now. Reus and Co. were the favorites to win the Bundesliga last season but an unfortunate loss to Bayern saw the tables turn. They will have another go this term and it all begins with a home clash with Augsburg.
Southampton vs Liverpool at 10:00 ET/14:00 GMT
Broadcast listings: Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO NOW, NBC Sports Live Extra App, UNIVERSO, NBCSN, NBCSports.com in the USA; DAZN in Canada; Optus Sport in Australia
Preview: Liverpool made amends for their Community Shield loss by winning the UEFA Super Cup, beating Chelsea on penalties. Now it’s back to the Premier League for the champions of Europe as they aim to build on their impressive 4-1 win against Norwich on opening day. Their next challenge will be Southampton, which should be a straight-forward win, but since this is the Premier League, anything can happen.
Celta de Vigo vs Real Madrid at 11:00 ET/15:00 GMT
Broadcast listings: beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, Fanatiz USA, beIN SPORTS CONNECT in the USA; beIN Sports Canada, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada in Canada; beIN Sports 1, beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports in Australia; MiTele En Vivo, Movistar Laliga, beIN Sports Connect España, Movistar+ in Spain
Preview: Zidane will begin the season with Real Madrid without Cristiano for the first time and in their league opener, they will make a tricky trip to Celta Vigo. Los Blancos’ poor pre-season did not help their confidence after their disastrous 2018/19 campaign, with Eden Hazard yet to show his full potential. Injuries are another issue, as Zizou will be without Asensio, Rodrygo, and Mendy just to name a few. Luka Jovic should be fit to feature but he has given no reason to bench Benzema.
Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur 12:30 ET/16:30 GMT
Broadcast listings: NBC Sports Live Extra App, NBCSports.com, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC, Telemundo in the USA; BBC Radio Manchester, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League in the UK; DAZN in Canada; Optus Sport in Australia
Preview: This is the game to watch this weekend. The champions of England take on the Champions League runners-up. Man City vs Tottenham has become an interesting fixture in recent years, with Pochettino emerging as an excellent tactician, but whether he can outdo Guardiola on the road remains a doubt.
Sterling and Co. showed on opening day that they mean business, scoring five past West Ham without a reply. Tottenham, on the other hand, had to fight back from a goal down to beat newly-promoted Aston Villa 3-1. Don’t miss this showdown.
Man City training for the Tottenham
What to watch on Sunday, August 18, 2019
Chelsea vs Leicester City at 11:30 ET/15:30 GMT
Broadcast listings: Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Live Extra App, NBCSN, Telemundo in the USA; BBC Radio, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League in the UK; DAZN in Canada; Optus Sport in Australia
Preview: If there was ever a team that could come away from a defeat in a major European game with positives, it is Chelsea. The Blues recently lost the UEFA Super Cup to Liverpool, but after the 4-0 beating they got at Man United, no one expected the Blues to push the Reds all the way to penalties.
Lampard’s men were disappointed, nonetheless, as they had many opportunities to win the game but the focus must shift back to the league where they are in search of a first win. Leicester are their next opponent and the London giants are fully aware that they cannot afford to drop more points.
