Top games to watch this week
Saturday, May 22
Bayern Munich vs Augsburg (Bundesliga)
Dortmund vs Leverkusen (Bundesliga)
Eibar vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Real Madrid vs Villarreal (La Liga)
Real Valladolid vs Atlético Madrid (La Liga)
Cruz Azul vs Pachuca (Liga MX)
Sunday, May 23
Inter Milan vs Udinese (Serie A)
Aston Villa vs Chelsea (EPL)
Man City vs Everton (EPL)
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace (EPL)
Arsenal vs Brighton (EPL)
Leicester vs Tottenham (EPL)
Wolves vs Manchester United (EPL)
Atalanta vs Milan (Serie A)
Bologna vs Juventus (Serie A)
Napoli vs Hellas Verona (Serie A)
Brest vs PSG (Ligue 1)
Angers vs Lille (Ligue 1)
Puebla vs Santos Laguna (Liga MX)
Tuesday, May 25
River Plate vs Fluminense (Copa Libertadores)
Sao Paulo vs Sporting Cristal (Copa Libertadores)
Racing Club vs Rentistas (Copa Libertadores)
Wednesday, May 26
Villarreal vs Manchester United (UEFA Europa League Final)
Barcelona vs Santos (Copa Libertadores)
Boca Juniors vs The Strongest (Copa Libertadores)
Nacional vs Argentinos Juniors (Copa Libertadores)
Thursday, May 27
Palmeiras vs Universitario (Copa Libertadores)
Defensa y Justicica vs Independiente del Valle (Copa Libertadores)
Flamengo vs Vélez Sarsfield (Copa Libertadores)
Liga MX final (1st leg)
What are the must-watch games this week?
Real Madrid vs Villarreal, Real Valladolid vs Atlético, and the final round of the 2020/21 La Liga season live this weekend on beIN Sports, fuboTV, and Fanatiz USA
The Spanish top-flight title race will be decided on the final day. Matchday 38 in La Liga will take place this Friday through Sunday, but the three key fixtures will all commence on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET and they are Eibar vs Barcelona, Real Madrid vs Villarreal, and Real Valladolid vs Atlético Madrid. The Blaugrana's showdown will have no bearing on the title race as the Catalan giants are mathematically out of the equation, but this tie could serve as Lionel Messi's final game for the Blaugrana. The title race is all down to Real Madrid and Atletico, with Zidane's men taking on seventh-placed Villarreal and Simeone's side visiting the relegated Real Valladolid. Luis Suarez and Co. boast a two-point lead at the top and thus need to match or better Los Blancos' score. As for Benzema and Co., they need their rivals to slip up in order to successfully defend their title. Do not miss the final round!
Aston Villa vs Chelsea, Leicester vs Tottenham, and the final round of the 2020/21 Premier League season live this weekend on NBC Sports and Peacock
The title race in England is done and dusted but the battle to finish in the top four will be decided on the final day. Chelsea, Liverpool, and Leicester are vying for two remaining UEFA Champions League spots. The Blues and the Reds, who sit third and fourth in the table respectively, simply need to win their fixtures in order to book their UCL tickets. Tuchel's men take on Aston Villa, which will be tricky, while Klopp's side face Crystal Palace. As for Leicester, they will lock horns with Tottenham and will keep their fingers cross for a favorable result elsewhere. All three games will be aired live in the USA via NBC Sports and its OTT streaming service Peacock.
Atalanta vs AC Milan, Bologna vs Juventus, and the final round of the 2020/21 Serie A season live this weekend on ESPN+
ESPN+ will bring the final round of the 2020/21 Serie A season live to the US screens as Juventus, AC Milan, and Napoli fight to the death for the two remaining UEFA Champions League spots. The Rossoneri are currently third and might thus appear as the favorites to finish in the top four; however, Pioli's men are unfortunately in for a tricky game, taking on second-placed Atalanta. As for Napoli, they will be facing Verona and just like AC Milan, they simply need to win their fixture in order to finish in the top four. Juventus, meanwhile, visit Bologna needing a victory and a slip-up from one of their two closest rivals in order to be spared the embarrassment that is the UEFA Europa League.
Brest vs PSG, Angers vs Lille, and the final round of the 2020/21 Ligue 1 season live this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on beIN Sports and Fanatiz USA
La Liga isn't the only top-five European league that will be decided on the final day as Ligue 1 awaits a similar fate. First-placed Lille boast a one-point advantage over second-placed PSG. As a result, the league leaders simply need to beat Angers on the final day, or match Les Parisiens' score, in order to lift the French top-flight crown. As for Mbappe and Co., they will be taking on Brest and will be banking on a slip-up from Les Dogues. Elsewhere, with only a single point separating third-placed Monaco and fourth-placed Lyon, Mathcday 38 will decide who will grab France's third and final UEFA Champions League spot as they take on Lens and Nice, respectively.
The Villarreal vs Man United Europa League final live this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET on Paramount+, TUDN, fuboTV, and CBS Sports Network
The highly-anticipated UEFA Europa League final will take place this Wednesday. Fans in the US can tune in to Paramount+, TUDN, fuboTV, and CBS Sports Network to see the Red Devils and the Yellow Submarine do battle for this European title. Bruno Fernandes and Co. are seen as the favorites as Solskjaer looks to get his hands on silverware for the first time since arriving at Old Trafford. However, their opponents are led by one of the competition's most successful coaches: Unai Emery. The Spaniard masterminded a semi-final victory over former employers and fellow Premier League club Arsenal, and will be looking to add a fourth Europa League title to his belt.
The Liga MX Femenil Clausura final, NWSL Matchday 2 and Division 1 Feminine games on ATA Football headline what is coming up in the world of women's football.
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Liga MX Femenil Clausura final
Tigres UANL and Chivas Guadalajara will face off in the two-legged Liga MX Femenil Clausura final. Chivas will host the first of the two legs, which will take place at the Estadio Akron on Monday, May 24, at 10 p.m. ET. NBC's Universo will broadcast the game in the United States.
NWSL Matchday 2
National Women's Soccer League action resumes Friday, with Racing Louisville hosting the Washington Spirit at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both sides will look for their first league wins of the season.
The North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride will open Saturday play at 7 p.m. ET. The Pride are coming off a one-all draw against the Spirit on Matchday 1. On the other hand, the Courage sit under Orlando due to goals scored after a goalless draw against OL Reign.
The Chicago Red Stars are looking to overcome a week one 5-0 defeat against the Thorns at Providence Park. The Red Stars will have the comfort of playing at home, but they will face a 1-0 Gotham FC without star midfielder Julie Ertz. NJ/NY will be led by last week's Budweiser Player of the Week Midge Purce. The game will close Saturday play at 8 p.m. ET.
Matchday 2 will conclude with two Sunday games, featuring a Northwest rivalry match between the Thorns and OL Reign at 6 p.m. ET. Newcomer Rose Lavelle will miss the game, but she is likely to be ready to play on Matchday 3 against her former team, the spirit. And to conclude the week, the Dash will host Kansas City at 7 p.m. ET.
Broadcast info for NWSL Matchday 2 games
Friday, May 21
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Racing Louisville vs. Washington Spirit at 7:30 p.m. ET – Twitch
Saturday, May 22
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NC Courage vs. Orlando Pride at 7 p.m. ET – Paramount+
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Chicago Red Stars vs. Gotham FC at 8 p.m. ET – Paramount+
Sunday, May 23
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Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign at 6 p.m. ET – CBS Sports Network
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Houston Dash vs. Kansas City at 7 p.m. ET – Paramount+
Division 1 Feminine on ATA Football
ATA Football will live stream a couple of Division 1 Feminine games on Friday, May 21, featuring league-leaders Paris Saint-Germain and reigning champions Olympique Lyonnais.
PSG will travel East to Reims to face sixth-placed Stade Reims at 2:45 p.m. ET. Reims are on a five-game unbeaten streak – four wins, one draw – but will face Les Parisiennes, who are undefeated in league play this season. The game will stream live on ATA Football in the USA, UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy.
Lyon, who find themselves second in the league, will be tested by third-placed Bordeaux that are on a four-game win streak. Les Girondins are led by league joint-top goalscorer Khadija "Bunny" Shaw. The Jamaican striker has 21 goals and seven assists in 18 matches. On the other hand, Lyon will look for a win in order to meet PSG on the final matchday of the Division 1 Arkeema season and fight for the title. The game will stream live on ATA Football in the USA, UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy.
2021 Women's International Champions Cup (WICC)
The 2021 WICC is back after a year hiatus and will see the Portland Thorns host the four-game tournament at Providence Park from Aug. 18-21. ESPN networks will broadcast the games in both English and Spanish.
The Portland Thorns and Houston Dash will represent the NWSL while Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais travel from Europe to claim the title of the world's best. Reigning champions Lyon will try to fend off tournament debutants Houston, Portland and Barcelona.
2021 UWCL champions Barcelona will take on former UWCL champions Lyon to kick off the tournament. Opening day will close with an all-American skirmish between the Dash and Thorns. The winners of each duel will play in the European vs. U.S. final on August 21, while the two losers will face off in a third-placed game earlier that day.
Biggest stories of the week
Barcelona secure $610M loan from American investment bank to deal with COVID-19 losses
Barcelona may be one of the most successful clubs in the world, but the Blaugrana aren't immune to the ensuing crisis that's resulted due to COVID-19.
How bad are things for the Blaugrana? Well, according to reports, Barcelona are currently in debt to the tune of €1.173 billion ($1.433 billion).
So, in comes Goldman Sachs. The American investment bank is no stranger to taking on high-profile clients, and in fact, already have a relationship with Barcelona. And to tackle their hefty debt - €730 million ($892 million) which has to be paid in the short- term - the Spanish powerhouse have secured an equally hefty loan. How much? Well, half a billion euros.
To be precise, the loan is valued at €500 million ($611.7 million), and the Blaugrana have set €100 million of these infusion of funds immediately so they can meet certain fiscal obligations prior to June 30th.
Juventus beat Atalanta to secure a record 14th Coppa Italia title
After winning the Supercoppa Italiana at the beginning of the season, Juventus have added another trophy to their cabinet, defeating Atalanta in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final. The Bianconeri stood their ground to run away with a 2-1 win over Piero Gasperini's high-flying side to secure a record-extending 14th trophy in the competition. Goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa were enough to take Andrea Pirlo's men to the finish line with Ruslan Malinovskyi scoring La Dea's consolation goal.
On a personal level, Wednesday night's feat meant that Cristiano Ronaldo has now won every major competition he's played in for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus - becoming the first player to achieve the milestone in three of Europe's top five leagues.
Both Juventus and Cristiano made history with the Coppa Italia win
Deschamps reveals reasons that led to Karim Benzema's return to Les Bleus
It has been six years since Karim Benzema's last game with the French National Team, but that wait will be over after Didier Deschamps decided to lift the "ban" that kept the striker away from Les Bleus due to a legal problem.
Speaking in the press conference where he revealed the names of the footballers that will take part in the UEFA Euros, Deschamps admitted that he and Benzema had a long chat before deciding to call him up.
"Why now? I don't have the capacity of going back in time and change what I've done. No one can. What really matters is what happens today and tomorrow. There have been some interesting developments, one above all: We saw each other, we had a long discussion, and after that, I had a long time to think about what would happen and I decided to call him up," Deschamps said.
"I will not reveal a word about what we talked about. All I can say is that he needed that discussion as much as I did," Deschamps added.
Benzema is undoubtedly one of France's best attackers
Muller and Hummels called back to the German NT as Low names Euro 2020 squad
With Euro 2020 fast approaching, die Mannschaft boss Joachim Low named two outcasts in his 26-man squad for this summer's UEFA tournament.
They are none other than Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller, two of Germany's most successful and most experienced players. The center-back and midfielder were shown the door by Low after the disastrous 2018 World Cup and 2018-19 UEFA Nations League campaigns in a bid to inject youth into the national team.
However, things have not gone according to plan, with the four-time World Cup winners suffering a second consecutive UEFA Nations League disappointment in the absence of their experienced players. Low admitted this, confessing that he had to reassess the situation after witnessing Muller's and Hummels' excellent season.
"I am really happy and proud to play for Germany again," the Dortmund center-back wrote on Twitter while his Bayern Munich counterpart posted a picture of himself smiling and giving a thumbs up with the caption "back again".
Low explains why he called back both Muller and Hummels
Other key headlines from the world of football
Manchester City star Raheem Sterling switches boot sponsors
Although his boot deal with Nike ended last year, Raheem Sterling hasn't found it difficult to secure a new sponsor. In fact, Puma were reportedly prepared to pay over $140 million (£100 million) to secure his signature, but nothing came to fruition.
But no worries - Sterling now has a new sponsor: American company New Balance. While the financial details of his contract haven't been made public, he'll be rocking New Balance's New Balance Furon v6+ boots on the pitch and will also be involved in creating unique content for the company, which includes lifestyle products and other signature items.
ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC to cover all 51 of EURO 2020 matches in USA
For USA-based fans, all 51 games in this summer's European Championship will be shown on ESPN and its various platforms. Here's the breakdown of how the games will be distributed across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC:
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ESPN: 39 games. This includes the tournament opener featuring Italy and Turkey on June 11th at 15:00 EST (12:00 PST/21:00 CET). In addition, the semi-finals on July 6th and 7th, which will kick off at 15:00 EST and the final match on July 11th at 15:00 EST will also be featured on ESPN.
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ESPN2: Seven games. The first of these will be a group-stage match between Italy and Wales on June 20th at 12:00 EST (09:00 PST/18:00 CET). Another highlight match is Germany vs Hungary on June 23rd at 15:00 EST (12:00 PST/21:00 CET).
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ABC: Five games, which will feature two group stage matches, two round of 16 ties, and one quarter-final clash.
In addition, all 51 matches will be live-streamed on ESPN+. Fans will be treated to also other highlights, including a star-studded commentary line-up and analysis featuring familiar faces and voices such as Ian Darke, Taylor Twellman, Mark Donaldson, Alejandro Moreno, Efan Ekoku, Jon Champion, Derek Rae, and more. All matches will feature a 30-minute pregame show, followed by in-depth half-time and post-game analysis and other commentary from the aforementioned group and other guests.
An unexpected turn of events could see Messi leave Barcelona this summer
According to reports by Le Parisien, the Argentine was keen on signing an extension with Barcelona after the first meeting between his father and president Joan Laporta, where both parties agreed that Messi would accept to lower his wages to help the club's ailing finances. The Catalan giants were in the title race back then but, unfortunately for the club, their disappointing performance that saw them slip to third and out of the battle for the crown could have compromised their chances of signing an extension with Leo.
The French publication states that Messi's family and even his father, Jorge Messi, have told him that PSG's project could give him a chance to win an international title, namely the UEFA Champions League, faster than at Barcelona, where there will be a rebuilding process that will start this summer. Added to that, his wages would be even higher than those he currently earns at Barcelona.
