Leicester vs Man Utd, Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich, Barcelona vs Valencia, Juventus vs Roma, and Atletico vs Liverpool comprise our list of must-watch games this week.

Top games to watch this week

Friday, October 15

PSG vs Angers SCO (Ligue 1)

İstanbul Başakşehir vs Beşiktaş (Super Lig)

Hoffenheim vs Koln (Bundesliga)

Saturday, October 16

Watford vs Liverpool (English Premier League)

Man City vs Burnley (English Premier League)

Leicester vs Man Utd (English Premier League)

Lazio vs Inter Milan (Serie A)

Brentford vs Chelsea (English Premier League)

Lyon vs Monaco (Ligue 1)

Atletico San Luis vs Club America (Liga MX)

Cruz Azul vs Tigres UANL (Liga MX)

OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit (NWSL)

LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers (MLS)

Sunday, October 17

Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)

Newcastle vs Tottenham (English Premier League)

Trabzonspor vs Fenerbahçe (Super Lig)

New York RB vs New York City (MLS)

North Carolina Courage vs NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL)

Juventus vs Roma (Serie A)

Barcelona vs Valencia (La Liga)

Houston Dash vs Portland Thorns (NWSL)

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Sporting KC (MLS)

Monday, October 18

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace (English Premier League)

Tuesday, October 19

Club Brugge vs Man City (UEFA Champions League)

Porto vs Milan (UEFA Champions League)

PSG vs RB Leipzig (UEFA Champions League)

Inter Milan vs Sheriff (UEFA Champions League)

Atlético vs Liverpool (UEFA Champions League)

Shakhtar vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League)

Wednesday, October 20

Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv (UEFA Champions League)

Zenit vs Juventus (UEFA Champions League)

Chelsea vs Malmo (UEFA Champions League)

Benfica vs Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League)

Manchester United vs Atalanta (UEFA Champions League)

Thursday, October 21

Lazio vs Olympique Marseille (UEFA Europa League)

Real Betis vs Bayer Leverkusen (UEFA Europa League

PSV vs Monaco (UEFA Europa League

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Olympiakos (UEFA Europa League

Bodo/Glimt vs Roma (UEFA Europa Conference League)

Vitesse vs Tottenham (UEFA Europa Conference League)

Most-watched soccer games on U.S. TV: Oct. 5-11, 2021

Concacaf World Cup qualifying final round action took the week of Tuesday, Oct. 5, through Monday, Oct. 11, by a storm, landing three matches in the top three most-watched soccer games in U.S. TV across two channels.

ESPN2's broadcast of the USMNT 2-0 win against Jamaica on Thursday, Oct. 7, was the most-watched soccer game of the week, receiving a 0.34 viewership rating for the 596,000 average viewers it attracted. Eighteen-year-old Ricardo Pepi was the star of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifying match, scoring a brace to separate the Americans from the Reggae Boyz.

Spanish-language TUDN bagged the other two most-watched games of the week. In second place, a draw between Mexico and Canada on Thursday, Oct. 7, received a 0.23 viewership rating for the 514,000 average viewers who watched the game. And in third place, Mexico's 3-0 win against Honduras on Sunday, Oct. 10, attracted 498,000 average viewers and received a 0.21 viewership rating.

Also, ESPN and TUDN screened the UEFA Nations League final. France came out on top after a 2-1 win thanks to a controversial Kylian Mbappe goal that seemed offside. However, VAR had a look at it and deemed it legal. ESPN averaged 328,000 viewers while TUDN averaged 296,000 viewers. 

Most Watched Games, USA, October 5, 11, USMNT, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying

What are the must-watch games this week?

Leicester vs Man United this Saturday at 10 a.m. ET live on USA Network, Universo, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo, fuboTV, Sling, and SiriusXM FC

The world's most popular league resumes action this Saturday, with the standout fixture of the upcoming Matchweek being Manchester United's trip to Leicester. Despite being fourth in the table, only two points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, the Red Devils find themselves under tremendous pressure after suffering a dip in form, winning only two of their last six matches across all competitions. Furthermore, the club could be without both Maguire and Varane due to injuries. Given that Ole's men are set to face Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City, Chelsea, and Arsenal between now and the end of November; Man United cannot afford to slip up at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester, Manchester United, Broadcast Listings, English Premier League

Speaking of Liverpool, they kick off this round with their early clash with Watford while Man City are set to host Burnley this weekend. Newcastle will face north London giants Tottenham in their first game since the Saudi-led takeover was completed while Arsenal will lock horns with Crystal Palace in Monday's thrilling London Derby.

English Premier League, Top Fixtures, Liverpool, Watford, Manchester City, Burnley, Leicester, Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham, Chelsea, Brentford

Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern München this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET live on ESPN+

The Bundesliga resumes on Friday with Hoffenheim vs Koln ushering back the German top-flight season. However, all eyes will be on the weekend and one Matchday 8 game in particular: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich. The league's top-two clubs will lock horns in Sunday's early kick-off in what could be one of the most crucial fixtures of the first half of the season. Both teams are level on 16 points, with the Bavarians boasting the upper hand merely thanks to their superior goal difference. Defeat to Die Werkself would heap pressure on Nagelsmann while victory would see the defending champions move clear of their close rivals. Do not miss this fixture.

Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Broadcast Listings, Bundesliga

There are several other Bundesliga fixtures to keep an eye on. Dortmund host ninth-placed Mainz in Saturday's early kick-off while RB Leipzig are preparing for a tricky trip to Freiburg. Here are the top five German top-flight fixtures for the upcoming round.

Bundesliga, Top Fixtures, Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Mainz, Freiburg, RB Leipzig, Borussia M'gladbach, Stuttgart, Koln, Hoffenheim

Juventus vs Roma this Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET live on Paramount+

Juventus started the season in horrible fashion, but after three consecutive wins, the Old Lady have climbed their way back up the Serie A table. However, fourth-placed Roma are their next opponents in what should be a stern test for Allegri's side. Led by Jose Mourinho, the Giallorossi have won all but two of their seven league outings, but given that Serie A leaders Napoli are six points ahead, the visitors cannot afford to drop points.

Juventus, Roma, Serie A, Broadcast Listings

Defending champions Inter Milan will be involved in an interesting tie as well, with the Nerazzurri taking on Lazio in Saturday's second-earliest fixture. Elsewhere, AC Milan will host Hellas Verona while Napoli will host Torino on Sunday.

Serie A, Top Fixtures, AC Milan, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Lazio, Juventus, Roma, Empoli, Atalanta, Torino, Napoli

Here are the standout fixtures from Europe's other big leagues

La Liga, Top Fixtures, Celta Vigo, Sevilla, Villarreal, Osasuna, Barcelona, Valencia, Deportivo Alaves, Real Betis,  

 Ligue 1, Top Fixtures, PSG, Angers, Lyon, Monaco, Clermont, Lille, Troyes, Nice, Marseille, Lorient

Paramount+ continues live coverage of the UEFA Champions League as Atletico vs Liverpool headlines Matchday 3 this midweek

The UEFA Champions League, everyone's favorite continental club competition, resumes this midweek, with several exciting fixtures set to take place on Matchday 3 of the 2021/22 season. The standout game of this round is scheduled for Tuesday with Liverpool gearing up for a trip to Atletico Madrid. Klopp's men have begun the campaign in excellent fashion, beating AC Milan 3-2 before thrashing Porto 5-1 in their first two fixtures. However, visiting Diego Simeone's side is never an easy hill. 

PSG take on RB Leipzig later that same day as Pochettino's men look to build upon their 2-0 triumph over Man City. Wednesday will see Barcelona take on Dynamo Kyiv in a crucial fixture as Ronald Koeman will need to produce a win in order to save the Blaugrana's season after losing their opening two games 3-0 respectively. Elsewhere, Manchester United will host Atalanta in what should be an interesting showdown as the Red Devils look to find their groove in Europe.

This week in women's football, October 15, October 21, NWSL,  

International break in women's soccer does not mean all leagues around the world stop their action.

The NWSL and Liga MX Femenil will be underway this weekend. Also, NCAA DI Women's Soccer will be in action on Sunday, Oct. 17, and Thursday, Oct. 21. Lastly, find out how to watch an international friendly clash between the USWNT and South Korea on Thursday, Oct. 21.

NWSL games this weekend 

Five of the last 12 NWSL regular-season games are set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 17. 

The Orlando Pride will travel to Louisville to play a must-win game against Racing Louisville on Saturday. A loss would shatter the Pride's play-off hopes.

After a 1-0 win against the Orlando Pride on Wednesday, the Chicago Red Stars will take on a Kansas City side that is coming off a 3-0 victory against the Houston Dash. Chicago needs a win or a draw on Saturday to edge closer to a playoff spot.

The Washington Spirit will have the tough task to find a positive result against OL Reign at Cheney Stadium on Saturday. A win would seal the Spirit a playoff spot. On the other hand, OL Reign must win this game to stay in the race for the NWSL Shield.

The North Carolina Courage dropped from third to sixth place after losing to the Spirit on Wednesday. Now, they will collide against seventh-place Gotham FC on Sunday. The winner of the contest will go into the final week of the regular season in a playoff spot. 

The Houston Dash will aim to upset the Portland Thorns as they did on Oct. 6. A Dash win would see them secure a playoff spot and put Portland's goal to win the NWSL Shield in question.

Saturday, Oct. 16

Racing Louisville vs. Orlando Pride at 7:30 p.m. ET

  • USA: Paramount+

  • International: Twitch

Chicago Red Stars vs. Kansas City at 8 P.M. ET

  • USA: Paramount+

  • International: Twitch

OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit at 10 p.m. ET

  • USA: Paramount+

  • International: Twitch 

Sunday, Oct. 17 

NC Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC at 2 p.m. ET

  • USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

  • Canada: CBS Sports Network

  • International: Twitch

Houston Dash vs. Portland Thorns at 7 p.m. ETUSA: Paramount+

  • International: Twitch 

How to watch three Liga MX Femenil games in the USA

Saturday, Sept. 16

Cruz Azul vs. Mazatlan at 1 p.m. ET

  • TUDN.com, TUDN App, TUDN USA

Sunday, Sept. 17

Club America vs. Tijuana Femenil at 4:45 p.m. ET

  • TUDN.com, TUDN App, TUDN USA

Monday, Sept. 18

Chivas Guadalajara vs. Tigres UANL at 10 p.m. ET

  • Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

NCAA DI Women's Soccer rankings and games to watch

The Florida State Seminoles continue their NCAA Division 1 Women's soccer domination. However, they will not play this week. An ACC matchup between No. 2 Virginia and No. 17 Notre Dame on Sunday will make up for Florida State's absence this week.

The following are the NCAA DI Women's Soccer rankings and games scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 17, and Thursday, Oct. 21:

1. Florida State (13-0-0)

2. Virginia (12-1-1) vs. Notre Dame on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. ET

  • ACC Network

3. North Carolina (10-1-2)

4. Pepperdine (12-1-0)

5. Southern California (10-2-0)

6. Arkansas (11-2-0)

7. UCLA (11-0-2)

8. Duke (9-2-1)

9. Rutgers (11-2-0)

10. Tennessee (12-1-0)

11. TCU (11-2-1) vs. Iowa State on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET

  • ESPN+

12. Hofstra (12-1-0)

13. Stanford (10-3-0) vs. Colorado on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET

  • Pac-12

14. Memphis (10-1-1) vs. South Florida on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET

  • ESPN+

15. BYU (8-3-1)

16. Harvard (9-0-1)

17. Notre Dame (12-1-1) vs. Virginia on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. ET

  • ACC Network

18. Ole Miss (10-2-2) vs. Vanderbilt on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. ET

  • SEC Network 

19. Purdue (10-2-2) vs. Northwestern on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. ET

  • Foxsports.com, FOX Sports App, BTN

20. SMU (8-2-1) vs. Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. ET

  • ESPN+

21. West Virginia (8-3-2) vs. Texas Tech on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. ET

  • ESPN+

22. Michigan (9-2-3) vs. Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. ET

  • Foxsports.com, FOX Sports App, BTN

23. Auburn (10-3-0) VS. Florida on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. ET

  • ESPNU

24. Oregon State (11-2-0)

25. Texas (8-3-3) vs. West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. ET

  • LongHorn Network

How to watch USWNT vs. South Korea on Thursday, Oct. 21

The women's friendly game between the USWNT and South Korea will take place at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City. The game will broadcast live on ESPN2 and stream on WatchESPN.

Biggest stories of the week

'Surprised he wasn't included': Napoli star speaks out after teammate's Ballon d'Or omission

With the 30 man list for the upcoming Ballon d'Or out, there was bound to be some surprise omissions.

One of these certainly is Chelsea's Edouard Mendy, who became the first African shot-stopper to win the Champions League this past May. Mendy successfully kept a clean sheet as the Blues won their second Champions League title, beating Manchester City 1-0 thanks to a goal from fellow new signing Kai Havertz.

And it's safe to say that Mendy's international teammate, Kalidou Koulibaly isn't impressed with his colleague's snub from the prestigious list.

"It's a real shame that Edou isn't one of them, [especially as he] is the first African goalkeeper to win the Champions League. For me [personally I think] that he [should have had] a place among these 30 players", the Napoli star was quoted as saying after Senegal's 4-1 win over Namibia in a World Cup qualifier.

Meanwhile, the only goalkeeper included is Gianluigi Donnarumma, formerly of AC Milan and now on the books with PSG. However, given that a goalkeeper hasn't won the coveted prize since Russian shot-stopper Lev Yashin won it in 1963, it's very unlikely that Donnarumma will find himself on the winner's podium, despite being part of Italy's EURO 2020 winning squad.

Manchester United receive injury boost as Solskjaer faces selection dilemma ahead of Leicester clash

Manchester United have received a much-welcomed boost ahead of their Premier League outing this weekend. The Red Devils' academy graduate Marcus Rashford was pictured in training as the team prepared for Sunday's crucial encounter with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The 23-year-old attacker, who helped his side to the Europa League final last season and was also involved in England's charge for Euro 2020, is yet to make an appearance in club football this season. The striker underwent shoulder surgery back in August after going through the 2020/2021 season with a lingering injury.

Erling Haaland set to hold talks with Premier League giants as early as this January

Several of Europe's biggest clubs have their eyes set on Erling Haaland, with the likes of Chelsea, Man United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG having all been linked with a move for the Bundesliga sensation. However, one side are set to hold January talks with the player and they are none other than Man City.

According to the Times, the 21-year-old is now target no.1 for the Cityzens in their search for a new striker, having seen iconic forward Sergio Aguero leave over the summer without being replaced. Initially, the Premier League champions preferred a move for Harry Kane, but due to Daniel Levy's unwillingness to negotiate, that transfer saga resulted in an unsuccessful pursuit.

Guardiola's side have now shifted their focus elsewhere and are keen on landing Haaland, with the club set to stage talks with his agent Mino Raiola this winter. It should be pointed out that this won't be the first time Erling's representative holds talks with another club as both Raiola and the player's father traveled to Spain to have conversations with Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, unlike those two La Liga giants, Man City have not been financially crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic and will thus have funds to spend on the Dortmund ace

One of the most attractive things about a move for the Norwegian is his price tag as his $91M release clause will activate in June 2022, meaning the Premier League champions can land him for far less money than what Spurs were demanding for Kane. Given that the former RB Salzburg striker has netted 68 times in 67 appearances for BVB, that figure could easily be seen as a bargain!

Other key headlines from the world of football

Wenger reveals offside decisions could be automated by 2022 World Cup

Arsene Wenger has hinted at a huge revolution of the offside process by the time the next World Cup rolls up. The Frenchman, who is in charge of global development at FIFA, stated that it could be automated by Qatar 2022 in an attempt to speed up the process and streamline the decision making when a contentious call is in need of a review.

What does this mean? Similar to goal-line technology, offside calls could be taken off the referees' shoulders and could be determined by technology. While Wenger did not go into great details as to how and when exactly this will occur, the former Arsenal boss did offer insight into the next big development in officiating.

"We must continue to progress in the speed of decision-making, particularly in terms of offside," Arsene told reporters.

"In 2022 at the World Cup, we'll be much better able to make very quick offside decisions. And it will stop the game less because that is what the VAR can be faulted with. There is a real emotional lift, but after that you have to know if you want fair decisions or not.

"There is a good chance that the offside will be automated at the 2022 World Cup. I am bound to secrecy, but this will be the next of the big developments in refereeing."

Milan dealt major blow ahead of resumption of domestic and European campaigns

French shot-stopper Mike Maignan, signed from Lille following their impressive Ligue 1 winning season this past summer, will be out for nearly two months after badly injuring his wrist. As per reports from Italy, namely Sky Sport Italia, the 26-year-old recently underwent keyhole surgery on his left wrist to fix a problem that had been bothering him since Milan's clash with Liverpool.

As a result, Maignan is expected miss over a dozen matches due to his recovery and rehab process, meaning that Milan are now scrambling to fill his position. Second-choice shot-stopper Ciprian Tatarusanu will take over for Milan's upcoming clash with Hellas Verona, but they still had to make an emergency signing due to another injury for their third-choice goalkeeper, Alessandro Plizzari, being out with a knee injury till next year.

That means at the moment, the Rossoneri only have one fit goalkeeper, and as such, they recently opted to sign 38-year-old Antonio Mirante, who was a free agent after leaving Roma earlier this year. 

Simeone reveals desperate attempt to lure Messi to Atlético this summer

In what turned out to be quite a candid interview with Ole, Atletico manager Diego Simeone admitted that he kept up to speed with what was going on with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and once he learned that "La Pulga" was set to leave Los Culés, he tried to make a run for his signing.

"Let me tell you something. A couple of months ago, with everything that was going on at Barcelona, we called Luis (Suárez). With all due respect, I did not call Leo, but I did call Luis to ask him how Messi was feeling, if he was in the mood to talk and if there was a slight possibility to get him to play for Atlético," Simeone said.

Despite Simeone's wishes, the plan did not succeed due to PSG's relentless pursuit of the footballer, which eventually resulted in his signing with Les Parisiens.

"It was something that lasted three hours, mainly because PSG were already obsessed with his signing. You ask if it led to something? No, nothing. We just watched his plane in the sky and said 'oh, here he goes!'" Simeone added.