Man United vs Tottenham the standout fixture of Matchday 3 in the Premier League while Guardiola and Bielsa prepare to face off in Leeds vs Man City
One more round will be played in the Premier League ahead of the upcoming international break. Matchday 3 in the English top-flight will present some tricky fixtures, the most anticipated tie being Man United vs Tottenham at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday. NBC Sports and Telemundo will bring this game live to the screens for EPL fans in the USA as Jose Mourinho looks to beat yet another one of his former clubs, having gotten the better of Frank Lampard's Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in the round of 16.
Spurs head into this showdown fresh off their disappointing and controversial 1-1 league draw with Newcastle. Despite dominating the game and having several chances to kill off the opposition, the north London outfit were made to settle for a point after conceding a contentious penalty in the dying minutes. The decision to award the Magpies a spot kick during that game sparked outrage from Jose and the football community, with many arguing that the handball rule has been taken to an outrageous level. As for the Red Devils, they enter this fixture on the back of back-to-back wins over Brighton, first in the league then in the League Cup. Their 3-2 EPL triumph is the one that stood out as Solskjaer's men were outplayed and outclassed by the Seagulls. Man United were all but destined for a draw but fortunately came away with a victory after being awarded a penalty after the final whistle had been blown as VAR confirmed Neal Maupay had handled the ball in the box in United's final attack. Can Rashford and Co. bounce back and hit form when they host Tottenham? Tune in to find out.
Rashford is up for the September Goal of the Month for his worldie vs Brighton but can he lead his club to victory vs Spurs?
The aforementioned tie isn't the only interesting fixture scheduled to hit the US screens via NBCUniversal's plethora of networks. On Saturday at 12:30 PM ET, Leeds vs Man City will be aired via NBC Sports, Telemundo, and Universo as Guardiola's side look to bounce back from the 5-2 home defeat vs Leicester. Since that embarrassing loss, the Citizens have signed Rúben Dias so it will be interesting to see if he makes his debut this weekend. Another exciting aspect is the battle between Pep and the highly-renowned tactician Guardiola hails as one of his icons: Marcelo Bielsa. Elsewhere, NBC will air Arsenal's tricky showdown with Sheffield at 9:00 AM ET on Sunday via its OTT service Peacock. They will look to overcome the 3-1 defeat they suffered at Anfield. Liverpool, on the other hand, will visit Aston Villa at 2:15 PM ET.
Bielsa vs Pep: The battle of two iconic tacticians is upon us!
The key games from La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, and USA as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, and many others are set for tricky fixtures
The Premier League isn't the only major European domestic championship scheduled to have exciting fixtures right before the latest international break. In Spain, the action continues in La Liga with the two biggest clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid gearing up for tricky ties. Of the two, the Blaugrana face the more daunting task as they will host UEFA Europa League champions Sevilla on Sunday (live on beIN Sport and Fanatiz USA). The Catalan giants have begun the season with back-to-back victories and have kept clean sheets in their first two games, which is impressive. Los Blanquirrojos, however, will be a completely different challenge compared to their first two opponents Villarreal and Celta Vigo. As for Zidane's men, they will be visiting Levante having endured yet another slim victory in the recent round. Will Los Blancos hit full gear at the Estadio de la Cerámica? Tune in to find out.
Two of Italy's biggest clubs Juventus and Inter Milan are also preparing for difficult weekend games. The Bianconeri take on Napoli in what is always an exciting showdown. The reigning champions drew 2-2 in their recent league fixture and will be keen on returning to winning ways. The Nerazzurri, meanwhile, will travel to Lazio. Simone Inzaghi's side were one of Italy's most exciting clubs last season and were in the title race prior to the suspension. The Eagles began the season with a 2-0 victory over Cagliari but lost 4-1 to Atalanta on Wednesday. Will they beat Conte's side? Make sure to catch these fixtures.
Napoli currently lead the table in Serie A but will they be able to beat Juve?
Elsewhere in Germany, Schalke are preparing to take on RB Leipzig in their first game since sacking David Wagner after his 18-game winless run. Manuel Baum has been appointed as his successor and it will be interesting to see how he fares in his debut given that it will come against one of Germany's top dogs. Reigning champions Bayern Munich take on Hertha BSC at 12:00 PM ET on Sunday live on ESPN+ in the USA.
Speaking of the United States, there will be a few interesting domestic games taking place in both Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League. Firstly, Toronto FC and Philadelphia Union will lock horns this Saturday at 7:30 PM ET in the MLS in what is a clash between the third and second-placed clubs in the Eastern Conference. Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas will face off in yet another highly-anticipated edition of the Texas Derby. This will be an intriguing showdown as the standings are tight in the Western Conference. Victory for Dynamo could slash the gap with their bitter rivals while a win for Dallas will edge them closer to the Western Conference table-toppers. This Wednesday tie kicks off at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN+ as well as Fox Sports Southwest, TUDN Radio, MLS App, and MLSsoccer.com. In the NWSL, Utah Royals vs Portland Thorns is our pick-of-the-weekend game as it is the only match of the three this weekend that will be broadcasted on TV through CBS Sports Network.
The international break brings us the long-awaited Euro 2020 playoffs on top of some interesting friendlies
Yet another international break is upon us and with it comes the long-awaited Euro 2020 playoffs – the competition proper will take place in 2021 but UEFA opted against a name change. The playoffs will decide the final four spots in Europe's highly-coveted continental tournament. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 8, which is this Thursday – they were originally penned down for the end of March but were postponed due to COVID-19. A total of eight games will be played, two in each of the four Paths (A, B, C, and D). The headline playoff ties for the semis are Norway vs Serbia and Scotland vs Israel as these are the two fixtures for Path C, meaning we could see a Serbia vs Scotland final showdown for one of the four tickets. Iceland vs Romania is another game to keep an eye out for as fans are eager to know whether we will be seeing the Viking Thunder Clap at the Euros once more. All but one of the eight games are simultaneous 2:45 PM ET kick-offs, with the sole exception being Georgia vs Belarus at 12:00 PM ET.
Elsewhere, there will be a number of thrilling friendly matches. On this list is Netherland vs Mexico, which kicks off live at 2:45 PM ET on Wednesday on UniMás; TUDN; Univision NOW; and ESPN2, as El Tri are gearing up for their first match of 2020. This will also be the North American giants' first trip to Europe under the helm of Gerardo Martino. Portugal, on the other hand, will take on Spain that same day in a highly-anticipated fixture as Cristiano and Co. warm up for crucial back-to-back UEFA Nations League ties against France and Sweden.
Last time Cristiano faced Spain, he netted a hat-trick. How many will he score this time around?
Top headlines from the world of football
Sergiño Dest becomes the first US first-team player to join Barcelona as the Blaugrana confirm new signing
It is official: Sergiño Dest has joined Barcelona. After weeks and weeks of speculation, the Catalan giants have finally announced the addition of the American right-back from Ajax. He thus becomes the first US first-team player to don the famous Blaugrana jersey and joins a growing list of USMNT talents to join top European clubs.
Dest is the latest USMNT talent to join a top European club
Juventus draw Barcelona in UCL 2020/21 group stage to set up Cristiano vs Messi showdown
One of the saddest aspects of Ronaldo's departure from La Liga was the end of the Cristiano vs Messi showdowns in El Clasico. Fortunately, fans will be able to see the two superstars lock horns once more as Juventus have drawn Barcelona in Group G of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League. It will be interesting to see how their two encounters go down. The only thing we know is that it will be mouth-watering.
It will be Cristiano vs Messi in Group G of the UCL
Top 15 live games to watch on October 3-8, 2020
Saturday, October 3
12:30 PM ET
Leeds United vs Man City (English Premier League)
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12:30 PM ET
RB Leipzig vs Schalke 04 (Bundesliga)
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Sunday, October 4
9:00 AM ET
Arsenal vs Sheffield United (English Premier League)
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9:00 AM ET
Lazio vs Inter Milan (Serie A)
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10:00 AM ET
Levante vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
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11:30 AM ET
Man United vs Tottenham (English Premier League)
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12:00 PM ET
Bayern Munich vs Hertha BSC (Bundesliga)
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2:45 PM ET
Juventus vs Napoli (Serie A)
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3:00 PM ET
Barcelona vs Sevilla (La Liga)
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Wednesday, October 7
2:45 PM ET
Netherlands vs Mexico (Friendly)
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2:45 PM ET
Portugal vs Spain (Friendly)
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Thursday, October 8
2:45 PM ET
Scotland vs Israel (UEFA Euro 2020 Playoffs)
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2:45 PM ET
Norway vs Serbia (UEFA Euro 2020 Playoffs)
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2:45 PM ET
Slovakia vs Ireland Republic (UEFA Euro 2020 Playoffs)
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2:45 PM ET
Iceland vs Romania (UEFA Euro 2020 Playoffs)
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