Top games to watch this weekend
Friday
Las Palmas vs Atlético Madrid (La Liga)
Bologna vs Lazio (Serie A)
Porto vs Estoril (Primeira Liga)
PSG vs Montpellier (Ligue 1)
Leicester vs Leeds United (Championship)
Al Fateh vs Al Hilal (Saudi Pro League)
Al Shabab vs Al Ittihad (Saudi Pro League)
Saturday
Fulham vs Manchester United (Premier League)
Man City vs Bournemouth (Premier League)
Newcastle vs Arsenal (Premier League)
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Atalanta vs Inter (Serie A)
Milan vs Udinese (Serie A)
Hoffenheim vs Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern München (Bundesliga)
Chaves vs Benfica (Primeira Liga)
Marseille vs Lille (Ligue 1)
Boca Juniors vs Fluminense (Copa Libertadores Final)
Al Nassr vs Al Khaleej (Saudi Pro League)
América vs Tijuana (Liga MX)
Guadalajara vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX)
New York RB vs Cincinnati (MLS)
Dallas vs Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Sunday
Luton Town vs Liverpool (English Premier League)
Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano (La Liga)
Fiorentina vs Juventus (Serie A)
Sporting CP vs Estrela (Primeira Liga)
Lyon vs Metz (Ligue 1)
Nice vs Rennes (Ligue 1)
Sporting KC vs St. Louis City (MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Most-watched soccer games in the USA: October 23-29, 2023
The week of October 23 to October 29 brought some interesting viewership numbers for soccer games in the USA. Matches from all across the globe made it onto this list, including UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, and La Liga fixtures, but the top spot went to the Mexican top flight once again.
Club America grabbed the No. 1 spot with their 3-0 win over Monterrey as just over 800,000 average viewers tuned in to Univision to catch this clash. While Univision made it onto the podium with another game, that tie was a UEFA Champions League showdown involving Real Madrid and Sporting Braga.
Los Blancos visited the Portuguese club and won 2-1, with star signing Jude Bellingham netting the decisive goal. The Englishman would go a step further in El Clasico, scoring twice to lead his club to another 2-1 victory, but it was their European game that garnered more viewers — 625,000 average viewers tuned in to this tie.
In second was another Liga MX tie, this time aired in the USA courtesy of Telemundo. That fixture was Tigres UANL's trip to Guadalajara, with the visitors beating Chivas 4-0 to the tune of 631,000 average viewers.
For a full breakdown of last week's most-watched soccer games in the USA, click here.
What are this weekend's must-watch games?
Newcastle vs Arsenal live this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, NBC, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Arsenal return to action in the Premier League following their heavy 3-1 loss to West Ham in the Carabao Cup. However, a tough showdown awaits the Gunners as they visit Newcastle at the daunting St. James' Park. The Magpies recently beat Manchester United 3-0 in the cup and will be aiming to take down another English giant. However, Arteta's side has been a tough nut to crack all season and should hand Howe's team a stern test.
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern München live this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Der Klassiker is back! For the first time this season, Dortmund lock horns with Bayern Munich as Brandt and Co. look to leapfrog the reigning champions in the table. The home side are currently fourth in the standings but are only two points behind the Bavarians. Tuchel's crew, on the other hand, are second, two points behind current leaders Leverkusen. As a result, this is a must-win fixture for both sides as neither will want to lose ground on their current target.
Copa Libertadores final is here as Boca Juniors face Fluminense live this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on beIN Sports, Fanatiz USA, and beIN Sports Connect
The 2023 Copa Libertadores champions will be decided this weekend. Fluminense, led by Brazilian icon Marcelo, take on Edinson Cavani's Boca Juniors as the South American heavyweights battle it out for this prestigious title. Fluminense have never won this trophy before and will be keen on making history on Saturday. Boca Juniors, meanwhile, have won this competition six times before and could become the joint-most successful team in Copa Libertadores with a victory at the Maracana on Saturday. Do not miss this showdown.
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona live this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
Will Barcelona return to winning ways? This is the question facing the Blaugrana as they aim to bounce back from last weekend's disappointing El Clasico defeat. Xavi's men have since dropped to fourth and are only five points ahead of fifth-placed Real Sociedad. The Catalan giants must now come away from a tough ground with all three points or risk falling further behind in their title defense.
Club soccer is back in full swing after the international hiatus, meaning that there will be plenty more games to keep fans entertained over the next few days.
Here's all you need to know ahead of another exciting week in women's football.
What to watch in women's football: November 3rd to November 5th
NCAA
For fans of college soccer, they will have plenty of games to follow over the next few days. Fans in the USA can follow many of these matches via live streaming through ESPN+ and the ESPN App, which also provides games from the ACC Network. Additional live-streaming options also include fuboTV, while the SEC Network will also be carrying some games on TV and live-streaming is also accessible through SEC Network +.
For a detailed schedule of games, including where and how you can watch them, check out our special NCAA Division I women's soccer page here.
Serie A (Women)
The latest batch of Serie A games begins on Saturday with a doubleheader. First up will be a game featuring two struggling sides - Pomigliano and Sampdoria - who sit in seventh and ninth respectively. Then, an exciting match is on the cards as Fiorentine lock horns with Milan. The Viola will be really looking to get back to winning ways after a disappointing result from the last round, while the Rossonere will aim to try to start building up some good results to work their way up the table.
On Sunday, a match between two heavyweights of Italian women's soccer will be on display as Juventus battle Roma. Both teams have won the Scudetto in recent times, with Roma coming into this season as the reigning champs for the first time in their history. This game arguably is the big one of this matchday as both teams sit on 15 points and have a perfect 100 percent winning record - meaning that at least one of these teams will end up seeing that run end this weekend.
Other games taking place this weekend also include newly promoted Napoli being hopeful of finally picking up points against fellow strugglers Sassuolo, while Como and Inter Milan, who are joint-tied on 10 points, will square off as each hopes to try to put some pressure on the top two sides.
Women's Super League
The WSL resumes this weekend as Aston Villa welcome Chelsea. On paper, this looks like a heavily lopsided clash especially considering that the hosts have yet to pick up a single point so far this season while the Blues, who are the reigning WSL champions are in second place, with only Manchester City's superior goal difference separating the two sides.
Manchester City, for their part, will look to stay ahead of the chasing pack when they face Arsenal on Sunday, November 5th. Given that Chelsea are expected to pick up all three points against floundering Aston Villa, the Cityzens could start that match sitting in second. Meanwhile, Arsenal will look to try to keep pace with the top two sides by picking up another good result after a poor start to the season.
Elsewhere, Liverpool and Leicester will be locked in a tense battle as both sides seek to pick up vital wins. Leicester started off the season well and raced into an early lead, but have since slipped up in their last two games, while Liverpool have also experienced the same downturn after posting back-to-back wins to start the season.
Tottenham have been experiencing a great run lately and come into their upcoming match against Everton having won their last three fixtures. That really does not bode well for Everton, who have won just once all season and are only propped up by the worse-performing Aston Villa and Bristol City.
Finally, it has been a difficult start to life in the top tier for Bristol City, who have yet to pick up a single point. They will hope that their upcoming match against West Ham will provide some kind of respite, but it may be much easier said than done considering that they have already conceded a whopping 14 times so far this season.
Top news in women's soccer
Manchester United's Mary Earps achieves huge milestone
Although she had to settle for a runners-up medal at this summer's World Cup and saw her team crash out of the Champions League, Mary Earps still has plenty to celebrate. The Manchester United shot-stopper, who was the subject of a record-breaking bid from Arsenal earlier this year, placed fifth at the Ballon d'Or ceremony earlier this week.
That is the highest-ever ranking for a women's shot-stopper since the Ballon d'Or decided to include female players. Prior to breaking into the top ten, the best-ever result for a shot-stopper was 12th, achieved by Sari van Veenendaal in 2019 and Christiane Endler in 2021 and 2022.
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 - Broadcast info for second matches in best-of-three series
The second round of games in the MLS Cup playoffs is set to kick off this Saturday, and we are here to give you a glimpse of what could go down in the fixtures being played this weekend.
The first matches left some unexpected victories in some of the fixtures, but all in all, the outcome of all matches will give fans several talking points ahead of the next games and in the event of a third game to sort everything out.
Without any delay, we leave you with a brief look at the weekend games. We will have a look at them in chronological order.
November 4
New York RB vs Cincinnati - The top team in the Eastern Conference claimed a huge win against the Red Bulls, who will need more than a smile to get past the Orange and Blue defense. Cincy are one win away from reaching the conference semis and considering their away record (seven wins in 17 matches), it seems right to predict the team led by Pat Noonan could be booking their spot in the next round as soon as Saturday's clash is over. On the other hand, the Red Bulls will try to repeat a similar game as the one they had at home in their most recent outing, because anything different could force them to pack their bags after just two postseason games.
Dallas vs Seattle Sounders - The Sounders barely broke a sweat to beat Dallas at home, but Saturday's game could be quite different. Coach Nico Estévez is desperate to make a statement against Seattle, having only won once in five times against the Rave Green, and with only three losses at home in 17 matches, it seems like Dallas could actually stun Seattle, just like they did in their 2-0 win back in August 2022.
November 5
Sporting KC vs St. Louis City - The newest team in the league will face their first do-or-die fixture in history, and with their experience this year, their options are not as good as you could think. The first meeting between these teams at Sporting KC's home ended with a win for the hosts, and considering that the best team in the West struggled to win games while on the road, it would not be surprising to see them being eliminated from the competition. On the other hand, Sporting claimed nine wins in their 17 matches at home, which could also be a sign of things to come if Peter Vermes' men are able to defend their ground as they used to.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Los Angeles FC - The defending MLS champions return to Vancouver after a 5-2 win at home, which could easily give them the necessary edge to beat the Caps. Added to that, Cherundolo's team has escaped BC Place with no losses in their last two meetings there, which also opens a great window of opportunity for Vela and Co. As for the Caps, the team from Canada won eight of their 17 matches at home, giving them a bit of hope to try and turn things around on Sunday.
Biggest stories of the week
Messi praises Argentine teammates as he claims eighth Ballon d'Or
There were no surprises at the Ballon d'Or gala, but it was quite an emotional night for Lionel Messi in Paris.
As he picked up his eighth award of the sort, the footballer wasted no time in recalling who helped him win what could be the most special of his wins in this ceremony, mainly because he won it after leading Argentina to the FIFA World Cup and because some believe this could be his final win at this gala.
While accepting the trophy, Messi thanked his teammates for their contribution to winning this award.
Gundogan slams Barcelona teammates following last-gasp El Clasico defeat
Jude Bellingham got the last laugh in last weekend's El Clasico as the English sensation scored twice to inspire his side to a 2-1 comeback victory, equalizing in the 68th minute before grabbing the winner two minutes into added time.
And speaking after the game, Ilkay Gundogan admitted to not only being upset with the result, having thrown away a one-nil lead to come away with nothing, but also being livid with his teammates' reaction to Saturday's result.
Last season's treble winner spoke following the final whistle and candidly called out his comrades, singling out their mentality. He admitted to the Australian sports channel that the dressing room was not as upset with the defeat as he would have liked and stated that Real Madrid and Girona could run away with the title race unless there is a shift in attitude.
Saudi Arabia only bidder for 2034 World Cup
Saudi Arabia is in line to host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA announced that the kingdom had submitted the only "expression of interest" in hosting the tournament.
The decision will be ratified officially at the end of next year, providing all of the technical criteria are met.
Saudi Arabia, which has invested heavily in football as well as Formula One and golf, is set to take over from an unprecedented tri-continental line-up for the 2030 event, which will be shared between Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three matches in South America.
The bid comes one year after neighbouring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East, where the Saudi national team scored a stunning group stage victory over eventual winners Argentina.
FIFA sends 'prayers' to Liverpool's Diaz after father's kidnapping
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has sent "support and prayers" to Liverpool forward Luis Diaz following the kidnapping of his parents in Colombia.
Diaz's mother has been rescued but dozens of soldiers, backed by police, are searching for his father.
"On behalf of FIFA and the global football community, I would like to extend our support and prayers to Luis Diaz, his family and his friends in these difficult times," Infantino said on Instagram.
The Colombia football federation has also issued a further statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, demanding that those holding Diaz's father release him immediately, without conditions.
Spain World Cup star Bonmati wins Women's Ballon d'Or
Spain's World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati won the Women's Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris on Monday.
Bonmati succeeds her international teammate Alexia Putellas as winner of the prize after inspiring Spain to glory at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year.
The 25-year-old midfielder was named the best player at the World Cup as the Spanish team overcame off-field turbulence, including protests against their national federation and coach Jorge Vilda, to lift the trophy.
Other key headlines from the world of soccer
FIFA bans Rubiales for 3 years for forced kiss on Spain player
FIFA announced Monday it had imposed a three-year ban on former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales following his forced kiss on the lips of World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso.
World football's governing body provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days following his unsolicited kiss during the medal ceremony after Spain won the Women's World Cup in Sydney in August. FIFA said Rubiales would now be banned from all football activity for three years.
Vinicius extends Real Madrid deal until 2027
Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior has signed a new contract with Real Madrid that runs until 2027, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.
Vinicius, 23, joined Madrid in 2018 from Brazilian club Flamengo and has developed into one of La Liga's standout players, scoring the winning goal in last year's Champions League final against Liverpool.
