Top games to watch this midweek
Tuesday
Everton vs Fulham (Carabao Cup)
Chelsea vs Newcastle (Carabao Cup)
Atlético Madrid vs Getafe (La Liga)
Werder Bremen vs RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)
Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz 05 (Bundesliga)
Urawa Reds vs Manchester City (FIFA Club World Cup semifinal)
Wednesday
Liverpool vs West Ham (Carabao Cup)
Barcelona vs Almería (La Liga)
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bochum (Bundesliga)
Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
PSG vs Metz (Ligue 1)
Lyon vs Nantes (Ligue 1)
Montpellier vs Marseille (Ligue 1)
Inter vs Bologna (Coppa Italia)
Thursday
Crystal Palace vs Brighton (English Premier League)
Deportivo Alavés vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
América vs Barcelona (Club Friendly)
Benfica vs Avs (Taca da Liga)
What are this midweek's must-watch games?
Urawa Reds vs. Man City live this Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET on FIFA+
Manchester City finally kick off their FIFA Club World Cup campaign, with the UEFA Champions League holders entering the competition this Tuesday in the semifinal round. Standing in their way are Urawa Reds, who beat Leon 1-0 in the previous stage to make the penultimate round. Unfortunately, they face a hurting Manchester City side that aim to bounce back immediately following a disappointing draw at home to Crystal Palace. The Cityzens have won only three of their last eight fixtures across all competitions and will be striving to be crowned champions of the world following their unforgettable treble.
Chelsea vs. Newcastle live this Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+
Chelsea return to action this midweek, taking on Newcastle in an exciting quarterfinal showdown. The Blues enter this clash on the back of a crucial victory over Sheffield United while the Magpies returned to winning ways following a 3-0 triumph over Fulham. Howe's men overcame Manchester United in the previous round and will aim to take down another traditional "Big Six". Don't miss this clash.
Liverpool vs. West Ham live this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+
Can the Reds return to winning ways? Jurgen Klopp's men resume their Carabao Cup campaign at home to West Ham following a disappointing goalless draw against Manchester United on Sunday. The Hammers, on the other hand, beat Wolves 3-0, with summer signing Mohammed Kudus scoring a brace. ESPN+ will bring the action live exclusively to fans in the USA.
Deportivo Alaves vs. Real Madrid live this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, and WatchESPN
Real Madrid will be looking to return to the top of the table this Thursday as Ancelotti's men visit Deportivo Alaves. Los Blancos recently beat Villarreal 4-1 but sadly lost David Alaba to injury. The hosts, meanwhile, suffered a defeat to surprise La Liga title challengers Girona and will face another daunting task straight away. Can Babazorros El Glorioso pull off a shocker against the Merengues? Tune in to find out.
What to watch in women's football: December 18 to December 20
Frauen-Bundesliga
Matchday 10 will conclude on Monday as second-placed Wolfsburg face Werder Bremen. With Bayern Munich expected to pick up all three points against relegation-threatened Nürnberg on Sunday, the onus will naturally be on Wolfsburg to match that result as the title race in Germany starts to heat up.
Serie A (Women)
Like the Frauen-Bundesliga, Serie A will also have a match taking place on Monday, with Fiorentina welcoming Inter Milan to wrap up matchday 11. Fiorentina currently sit in third spot, five points behind Juventus, so regardless of the result, the Viola will not be able to leap-frog the Bianconere, but they certainly will not want Inter, who are in fourth, to narrow their five-point lead to just two. As for Inter, they actually could find themselves slipping into fifth if Como manage to pull off a huge upset against reigning Scudetto champions Roma.
However, given that the Giallorosse have won every single one of their matches so far, it's honestly hard to see that happening, meaning that both Fiorentina and Inter will come into this match sitting in their respective spots.
UEFA Women's Champions League
There will be more Women's Champions League action taking place this week, with several crunch clashes happening on Wednesday, December 20th. Key games include Roma vs PSG and Ajax vs Bayern Munich - especially as Group C is looking to be one of the most closely contested ones in this contest. Meanwhile, Swedish outfit BK Häcken will welcome Chelsea for part two of their two-legged tie, while Real Madrid and Paris will renew acquaintances for the second time in less than one week.
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.
Paramount+ and ViX stream UCL draw in the USA as La Liga champions Barcelona get Napoli in the round of 16
The draw for the UEFA Champions League round of 16, streamed live for fans in the USA via Paramount and ViX, is complete! All eight match-ups for the first round in the knockout stage have been determined and it has handed us several juicy encounters, the first being Barcelona's upcoming battle with Napoli.
The champions of Spain will battle the Scudetto holders for a spot in the quarterfinals as both sides look to shake off their mixed start to the campaign. While Xavi's men won Group H, the Blaugrana finished level on points with runners-up Porto and have stumbled in La Liga recently. Meanwhile, Osimhen and Co. finished behind Real Madrid in their group and are struggling in their Serie A title defense.
Speaking of Real Madrid, Spain's other heavyweight will also be in for a tricky test as the most successful team in UEFA Champions League history face RB Leipzig in the next round. Los Blancos were one of only two teams to complete the group-stage campaign with a perfect record, the other being Man City. At the same time, the aforementioned Bundesliga side suffered two defeats en route to this round.
After years of absence, Arsenal, who are finally back in the UEFA Champions League, made it through to the round of 16 as group winners and will face an interesting test against Porto. As mentioned earlier, the Portuguese giants finished level on points with Barcelona but ended up as runners-up due to their inferior head-to-head record against Xavi's men.
Fans of the North London giants feared a showdown against PSG or Inter Milan but the French and Italian powerhouses drew Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, respectively. The Nerazzurri were last season's runners-up, losing the final 1-0 to Man City, and while they have been unstoppable in Serie A this season, Diego Simeone's side should present a stern test.
And finally, we have Bayern Munich and Manchester City, two of the favorites for this year's title. Both sides got relatively favorable draws, with the reigning champions taking on Copenhagen while the Bundesliga giants will face Lazio. Check out the UEFA Champions League round of 16 fixture in complete below.
Biggest stories
Roma and Feyenoord to meet again in Europa League
Last season's Europa League runners-up Roma will meet Feyenoord for the third campaign in a row after the teams were drawn together in the knockout round play-offs on Monday.
Jose Mourinho's side beat Feyenoord in the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League in Tirana in 2022, and then came out on top in the quarterfinals of last season's Europa League, en route to losing the final on penalties to Sevilla.
The knockout round play-offs see the teams who came third in their Champions League groups face off against the runners-up from the Europa League group stage.
The winners will advance to the last 16, where they will join the eight group winners.
French media hint at possible rift between PSG's boss and Mbappé
Once again, the talk of the season at PSG will be Kylian Mbappé's future, and recent reports may drop a hint at how complicated it will be to keep the Frenchman around despite the club's efforts.
An article published in France suggests a potential problem for Les Parisiens between their coach and the French star. Their differences come from a couple of statements made by Luis Enrique in reference to decisions that had an effect on Mbappé's place on the pitch. Additionally, the coach's decision to hold the team back during their match against Borussia Dortmund was not appreciated by the players, creating tension between both of them which was later reflected in the coach's thoughts regarding the footballer.
Luis Enrique defended his decision by stating it was "one of the finest calls in his career," as PSG were facing elimination if they went all in to beat the German side rather than holding on to the draw. Reports close to the club state that Mbappé tried to lead a surge trying to win the game, but his teammates decided to ignore his requests.
Madrid defender Alaba suffers cruciate ligament injury
Real Madrid defender David Alaba will be sidelined for months after suffering a severe knee injury in his team's 4-1 win over Villarreal on Sunday in La Liga.
The Austrian center-back went off hurt in the first half after attempting to challenge Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno.
"After the tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he has been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee," said Madrid in a statement.
"The player will undergo surgery in the coming days."
Ten Hag praises Man Utd players after battling Liverpool draw
Erik ten Hag said Manchester United could take a lot of positives from their 0-0 stalemate against Liverpool on Sunday despite being dominated by the home side.
United have had a terrible season -- they came into the match with 12 defeats in their 24 games and an appalling recent record against their bitter rivals, who beat them 7-0 last season.
Liverpool enjoyed nearly 70 percent of possession on Sunday and had 34 shots to United's six but they could not break down their stubborn opponents.
Ten Hag praised his embattled team, who last week lost 3-0 to Bournemouth before crashing out of the Champions League in midweek.
Van Dijk slams Man Utd's caution after Liverpool draw
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk slammed Manchester United's defensive approach as he claimed there was "only one team trying to win" Sunday's 0-0 draw at Anfield.
Van Dijk was frustrated that struggling United opted for a cautious game plan that left little room for Liverpool to exploit. Liverpool's failure to break down United's massed defense cost them top spot in the Premier League as Arsenal took pole position following their win over Brighton.
Taking a swipe at United's negative performance, which allowed Liverpool to have 34 shots but only eight on target, Van Dijk said: "If you see how we played the game, we had most of the ball and created some opportunities. There was only one team trying to win the game.
Luton's Lockyer collapses as Bournemouth clash abandoned
Luton's Premier League clash against Bournemouth was abandoned on Saturday as Hatters captain Tom Lockyer was rushed to hospital after collapsing during the second half.
With the score level at 1-1 in the 65th minute, Lockyer suddenly fell to the turf in a worrying scene. Play was paused as the Luton defender received treatment from medics while both sides were sent to the dressing room.
Lockyer was eventually stretchered off, surrounded by the medical team, and taken immediately to hospital. There was a standing ovation from the crowd, with fans in the Vitality Stadium chanting Lockyer's name.
Luton later revealed in a statement that Lockyer was "responsive", but said they were unable to determine exactly what had happened to their player.
Other key headlines from the world of soccer
"Everything has an end": Leipzig's Forsberg to make MLS move
RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg has signed with sister club New York Red Bulls, the German club announced on Saturday. The announcement was made just moments after Forsberg came off the bench to score the decisive goal in Leipzig's 3-1 home win over Hoffenheim, which sent them up to third in the table.
Kane says Stuttgart win Bayern's "best game of year"
Harry Kane said Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over fourth-placed Stuttgart was the team's "best game of the year so far" after the reigning champions moved back within four points of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Kane scored twice and now has 20 goals from just 14 league matches since joining Bayern in the summer from Tottenham.
