Top games to watch this week
Friday, September 2
Borussia Dortmund vs Hoffenheim (Bundesliga)
Celta de Vigo vs Cádiz (La Liga)
Benfica vs Vizela (Primeira Liga)
Estoril vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)
Necaxa vs León (Liga MX)
Saturday, September 3
Everton vs Liverpool (English Premier League)
Chelsea vs West Ham (English Premier League)
Tottenham vs Fulham (English Premier League)
Aston Villa vs Man City (English Premier League)
Austria vs England (Women's World Cup Qualifying)
Real Madrid vs Real Betis (La Liga)
Sevilla vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Milan vs Internazionale (Serie A)
Union Berlin vs Bayern (Bundesliga)
Gil Vicente vs Porto (Primeira Liga)
Nantes vs PSG (Ligue 1)
Minnesota vs Dallas (MLS)
Atlas vs Pumas UNAM (Liga MX)
América vs Tigres UANL (Liga MX)
Sunday, September 4
Manchester United vs Arsenal (English Premier League)
Valencia vs Getafe (La Liga)
Udinese vs Roma (Serie A)
LA Galaxy vs Sporting KC (MLS)
Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Los Angeles FC vs Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Tuesday, September 6
Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea (UEFA Champions League)
Dortmund vs Kobenhavn (UEFA Champions League)
Salzburg vs Milan (UEFA Champions League)
Celtic vs R. Madrid (UEFA Champions League)
Sevilla vs Man City (UEFA Champions League)
PSG vs Juventus (UEFA Champions League)
Benfica vs Maccabi Haifa (UEFA Champions League)
RB Leipzig vs Shakhtar (UEFA Champions League)
Palmeiras vs Athletico-PR (Copa Libertadores)
Monterrey vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX)
América vs San Luis (Liga MX)
Wednesday, September 7
Ajax vs Rangers (UEFA Champions League)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Sporting CP (UEFA Champions League)
Napoli vs Liverpool (UEFA Champions League)
Atlético Madrid vs Porto (UEFA Champions League)
Club Brugge vs Bayer Leverkusen (UEFA Champions League)
Barcelona vs Viktoria Plzen (UEFA Champions League)
Internazionale vs Bayern (UEFA Champions League)
Tottenham vs Marseille (UEFA Champions League)
Flamengo vs Vélez Sarsfield (Copa Libertadores)
Thursday, September 8
Zurich vs Arsenal (UEFA Europa League)
PSV vs Bodo/Glimt (UEFA Europa League)
Manchester United vs Real Sociedad (UEFA Europa League)
Lazio vs Feyenoord (UEFA Europa League)
Crvena Zvezda vs Monaco (UEFA Europa League)
Villarreal vs Lech Poznan (UEFA Europa Conference League)
West Ham vs FCSB (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Nice vs Köln (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Most-watched football games in the U.S. - August 22-28, 2022
The past week was full of interesting matches to watch for fans in the United States, with the English Premier League being the undisputed ratings champion one more time, just like it has been since the competition began in August.
This time, five matches for the English top-flight were among the most viewed in the country, with the clash between league leaders Arsenal beating Fulham earning the honor of the most-watched of the week. Considering the English and Spanish feeds for this weekend, the match was seen by over 850,000 fans across the country.
The second spot in this ranking goes to Tottenham's win over Nottingham Forest, which had over 500,000 average viewers. Conte's men continue to rise in the tournament, and their upcoming games might also keep fans glued to their seats if they continue to show such good form.
The podium was completed by two up and coming teams: Brighton and Leeds United, with the hosts claiming a narrow one-nil win over Leeds. The game played on Saturday evening was also followed by over half-a-million users who witnessed Brighton keeping the points thanks to a goal by Pascal Groß.
Let us have a look at the numbers last week brought us in terms of football games.
What are this week's must-watch games?
Everton take on Liverpool this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET in the Merseyside Derby live on USA Network, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, SiriusXM FC, and fuboTV
The first of two Premier League games to make our list is the Merseyside Derby as Everton prepare to host the almighty Liverpool this Saturday in what should be a thrilling showdown. Lampard's men are already hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone and are yet to win a game this season. The Reds, on the other hand, enter this tie on the back of consecutive victories, the most recent being their last-minute triumph over Newcastle. Do not miss this showdown.
The Milan Derby returns as AC Milan face Inter this Saturday at 12 p.m. ET live exclusively on Paramount+
From England, we now head over to Italy where another exciting derby is set to take place. Defending champions AC Milan prepare to face bitter rivals Inter this weekend in the always-heated Derby della Madonnina. Neither Pioli's men nor Inzaghi's side top the table, and while the gap between the Milan giants and leaders Atalanta and Roma is small, defeat could see one of the two lose ground in this season's Scudetto race. This should make for an thrilling clash!
Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Man United this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET live on USA Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, SiriusXM FC, and fuboTV
Returning to England, league leaders Arsenal prepare for what many believe to be their first true test of the season. Sunday will see the Gunners travel to Old Trafford to lock horns with bitter rivals Manchester United. Arteta's men sit top of the table thanks to their perfect record, winning five out of five so far. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have bounced back from their defeats to Brighton and Brentford and have now triumphed in their last three fixtures, the most recent being the 1-0 win over Leicester on Thursday. Who'll win Sunday's showdown? Tune in to find out the answer.
European football is back! Inter vs Bayern and Man United vs Real Sociedad headline Matchday 1 in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League
European football is finally back as fans of the beautiful game prepare to welcome both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League this midweek. As usual, the UEFA Champions gets underway on Tuesday and Wednesday, with PSG taking on Juventus in one of two standout games as Mbappe and Co. once again embark on their campaign for continental success. Elsewhere, Inter Milan host Bayern Munich in what should be a thrilling showdown while reigning champions Real Madrid kick off their title defense away to Celtic.
Thursday is Europa League time as all eyes will be on Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United. Given that the two will face off in the English top-flight on Sunday, one team could enter the opening round on the back of defeat. The Gunners kick things off away to FC Zurich while the Red Devils face a tougher test, welcoming Spanish outfit Real Sociedad to Old Trafford. Elsewhere, West Ham will get their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign underway, taking on FCSB in London. All European fixtures can be watched live via Paramount+ (other platforms might broadcast/stream certain fixtures live as well).
Once again, women's football fans are set to be dazzled by national teams in this category, as the FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers carry on in Europe. There will also be some domestic competitions taking place in North America, which will surely keep club football fans interested in their favorite clubs.
Added to that activity, there will be quite a few national team friendlies being held, including the always interesting performances by the USWNT, who will be having a couple of friendlies in preparation for the FIFA Women's World Cup next year.
Without further ado, let's have a look at what the beautiful game will offer in terms of women's football matches for the next seven days.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifying
The road to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will continue for European teams this week, with squads such as the Netherlands, England, Germany, and Belgium coming close to securing their spots in the quadrennial competition. There will be some key matchups that could hold several surprises for all teams involved, and that is exactly why we urge you to keep track of all the games being played in the next seven days.
2022 NWSL season
The North American competition will be put on hold due to the international break, but there will be an interesting clash taking place for fans of the U.S.-based competition. The match will feature none other than the NWSL Challenge Cup winners, the North Carolina Courage, against NJ/NY Gotham FC, a team in need of wins to turn their fortunes around.
Liga MX Femenil - Apertura 2022 tournament
The International break will bring the Mexican top-flight to an almost absolute halt, but there will be some matches being played so a few teams are able to catch up with their opponents. Such will be the case of Puebla, Toluca and América, who are scheduled to play a couple of matches this weekend.
The upcoming fixtures will be as follows:
Sunday, September 4
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Puebla vs América
Monday, September 5
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Monterrey vs Toluca
Women's International Friendlies
With this international break taking place all over the globe, there will be quite a few friendlies worth watching. These matches will feature some of the top national teams out there, including title contenders for next year's Women's World Cup, such as the USWNT, Canada, Brazil or Australia.
Here is a list of the top games that will be played in the next seven days.
Friday, September 2
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South Africa vs Brazil
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Netherlands vs Scotland
Saturday, September 3
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Australia vs Canada
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USA vs Nigeria
Monday, September 5
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South Africa vs Brazil
Tuesday, September 6
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Australia vs Canada
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USA vs Nigeria
For more details on games, standings, and news, visit our dedicated women's soccer page at LiveSoccerTV.com.
Biggest stories of the week
TRANSFER: AC Milan secure signature of Barcelona defender on Deadline Day
The transfer window is now closed, but before it officially shut on September 1st, AC Milan was able to make a key signing.
The Rossoneri, who have been looking for cover following Alessandro Florenzi's recent injury, have opted to bring in Sergino Dest from Barcelona. The 21-year-old defender made history upon his signing for Barcelona back in 2020 as the first ever American to feature for the Blaugrana as well as playing in the world-famous El Clasico tie.
However, despite earning over 70 appearances during his time at Camp Nou, Dest has been essentially pushed out of the squad with Barcelona making new signings this summer and thus has had to look elsewhere to secure guaranteed first-team football.
Dest becomes the second American to sign for Milan following fellow defender Oguchi Onyewu did so in 2009. Naturally, he will look to have a better spell at the Stadio San Siro than his predecessor, who barely featured before spending months out injured and eventually ended up departing for Twente in the Eredivise. In fact, Oneywu is unfortunately better known for his training ground brawl with Zlatan Ibrahimovic than any involvement for the team on the pitch.
Milan have decided to bring in Dest on a one year loan with an option to buy, which could cost the current Scudetto winners approximately €20 million ($20 million). According to some reports, Dest could make his debut as early as this weekend, as Milan prepare to take on cross-town rivals Inter in a highly anticipated Derby della Madonnina tie.
Report: How Cristiano led the dressing room push to get Maguire dropped at Man Utd last season
Last season, several reports emerged claiming that certain figures in the Manchester United dressing room weren't pleased with Harry Maguire. The English defender endured a rough campaign, and in the eyes of many fans and a few players, was part of the problem during the club's worst points tally in Premier League history.
In fact, some outlets claimed that cliques broke out at the club, with the English players grouping up on one side while Cristiano Ronaldo had his camp of followers on the other. A new report has now emerged via the Athletic detailing the behind-the-scenes info and it appears to confirm those allegations.
According to Adam Crafton and a host of other reporters, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner approached then interim boss Ralf Rangnick with a group of other players during their horrible dip in form back in February. He was joined by Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane, just to name a few,
The purpose of this meeting with Rangnick was to bring up grievances and suggestions for how to salvage the campaign. Ronaldo argued that it would be in the club's best interest if they played with two strikers up top, asking for Edinson Cavani to join him in a two-man forward line.
Additionally, the 37-year-old icon also suggested Maguire be dropped from the starting lineup due to his dip in form. The interesting part about this meeting is that the Englishman was not present despite being the club captain.
The conversation was ultimately brought to an end when Rangnick reminded everyone that this was not an appropriate discussion to have in the absence of their skipper. While some were apologetic and understanding of this stance, Ronaldo wasn't and made his point clear: "Maguire is part of the problem".
Ultimately, Cristiano did not get his wish as the caretaker persevered with the Three Lions center-back while Ronaldo continued to play up front on his own. Not much changed in terms of the results as the Red Devils went on to finish the season in seventh, behind both Arsenal and Tottenham, thus missing out on the top four.
Rangnick went on to leave Old Trafford despite agreeing to take up an advisory position after completing his interim role. However, CR7's unhappiness at the Theatre of Dreams lingers on. The Portuguese superstar has requested a transfer in order to secure game time in the UEFA Champions League, but so far, no top team has made a push for the former Real Madrid ace.
Farewell, Barcelona: Aubameyang agrees deal with Premier League giants on Deadline Day
Despite having only left the Premier League back in January, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has sealed his return to the English top-flight.
Due to the arrival of Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona, several top clubs in need of a short-term striker turned their attention to the Gabonese ace as he was destined to see his playing time diminish in Catalonia.
One of those clubs were Chelsea as the London giants are in dire need of goalscorers. Thomas Tuchel's side have endured a horrible start to the Premier League campaign, losing twice in their opening five games and drawing once. Additionally, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners have scored only six times, which is the joint-worst tally among the teams currently in the top half of the table.
As a result, the German coach pushed for a reunion with Aubameyang, a player he knows well from their time together at Dortmund, and on deadline day, Chelsea struck a deal with the Blaugrana on the final day of the summer transfer window.
According to the popular Fabrizio Romano, the English and Spanish heavyweights reached an agreement for the 33-year-old in a deal that should see him move to Stamford Bridge for €14M ($14M). The striker arrived in London to put pen to paper on a two-year deal, with the option for an extra year.
In exchange, Marcus Alonso headed the other way on a three-year deal as Xavi has been keen on strengthening the left-back position all summer. The Spaniard will get his wishes while Aubameyang will get the opportunity to lead the line at a top European club.
It will be interesting to see how his second spell in the Premier League unfolds. As everyone remembers, the African star was the captain of Chelsea's bitter rivals Arsenal and was once seen as one of the best attackers in the league until a drop in form and fall-out with Mikel Arteta brought an abrupt and ugly end to his time at the Emirates Stadium.
Tuchel slams Chelsea stars after landing unwanted feat with Southampton defeat
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has hit out at his side's defending and mentality following Tuesday night's Premier League defeat at Southampton. The Blues were on the wrong side of a 2-1 score line as they picked a second successive defeat on the road in the new season.
Ahead of the encounter, Chelsea were unbeaten in their last 9 games away to Southampton and had won seven while drawing twice on the South Coast. With the omen well in their favor, the Blues showed signs of promise and were duly rewarded through Raheem Sterling's opener in the 23rd minute. However, the lead was rather short-lived as the Saints' new-boy Romeo Lavia restored parity less than five minutes later.
Right on the stroke of half-time Adam Armstrong slotted home what would be the eventual winner to put Southampton in the driver's seat. Chelsea strived to get a sufficient response in the second half but could not fashion any as they slumped to their second defeat of the season.
So far, Thomas Tuchel's men have taken just seven points from their first five games; and, following the conclusion of Tuesday's affair, the German coach was quick to call out the toughness of his players as well as their overall mentality. "We are not tough enough to win these matches away," he said in his post-match press conference.
"Today, we scored so everything was okay but one set piece again, one sloppy defending again, we were off-balance and we did not react to it. We were lucky not to concede a third goal at the beginning of the second half. We were not tough enough as a team to react or push it over the line for us.
"Soft defending. What stops that is pure mentality, stop it with defending mentality. There is no superiority for the opponent, there is no need to give shots away, just toughen up as a team and show a different mentality.
"I don't like to talk about it normally because you cannot prove it with data or tactical position but it is like this," Tuchel added.
"Both goals are cheap, soft goals and should not happen if you expect to win a match in the evening at an away stadium."
PSG target Chelsea ace as top priority for next transfer window
One of the most highly-rated midfielders in the world could be heading for pastures new days after the end of the FIFA World Cup, as Chelsea are still considering to part ways with him regardless of his massive performances for the club.
According to recent reports, the Premier League club may be considering to see the end of N'Golo Kanté's contract without offering him an extension. The dominant holding midfielder could be out of a club by the end of the season due to this decision, which may see one of the top spending teams in Europe hiring him on a free move.
The club in question would be none other than PSG, who are reportedly ready to bring Kanté back home with an interesting contract and a suitable salary. The report adds that if Chelsea refuse to offer the Frenchman an extension, the French side would be willing to sign Kanté for the second half of the season, as they would be allowed to negotiate with the footballer during the final six months of his contract.
Recently, Chelsea's coach Thomas Tuchel hinted that the club may be thinking about letting Kanté leave the club due to his constant injuries, including one he picked up a couple of weeks back while playing against Tottenham. That fact would be key to determining the midfielder's future, even if he has been one of the top players for Chelsea in recent years.
Kanté is currently playing his seventh season for the London giants, where he has won a Premier League title, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League crown, one UEFA Europa League title, a UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup title, among other accolades. His experience and drive in midfield would be quite an asset for all teams, and PSG may be on the winning end of a negotiation if things continue down their current course.
Other key headlines from the world of football
Dybala's brace helps Roma move joint-top in the Serie A table
Roma fans did not have to wait too long to celebrate Paulo Dybala's first goals with the Giallorossi, and the player has now entered the league's record books with his midweek performance.
The player led Roma's three-nil win over Monza with a first-half brace, which was followed up by one more goal courtesy of Roger Ibañez. These goals and Roma's form prior to this match has seen them climb to the joint-top of the competition, where they have scored six goals while conceding once in four games.
The Giallorossi will now make a trip to face Udinese trying to keep up the good work in the domestic competition. Mourinho's men have amassed 10 point from four games so far, which is level with Atalanta, though Roma trail their rivals simply because they have scored one less goal in comparison to La Dea.
Premier League: All the records set as Man City hit Nottingham for six
Manchester City continued their domineering run in the English Premier League by running away with another massive score line in Wednesday night's clash with Nottingham Forest. The Citizens issued another statement to their rivals by putting six goals past the visitors to keep their unbeaten run going.
City entered the midweek's affair at the Etihad in high spirits as they had secured a 4-2 win over Crystal Palace in their weekend's outing. Against Forest, Pep Guardiola's men determined the game's tempo right from start to finish and it took them just 12 minutes to open the floodgates for more goals. Erling Haaland began the onslaught by scoring twice in the 12th and 21st minutes respectively. Both goals were assisted by Phil Foden.
The Norwegian goal machine got his third of the night in the 39th minute to make it back-to-back hat-tricks, this time, with the assist coming from John Stones. Joao Cancelo added more salt to the injury of the Nottingham Forest by hitting Man City's fourth in the 50th minute before new-boy Julian Alvarez marked his full Premier League debut by hitting a second-half brace to conclude the rout. Here are all the records set in that victory:
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Erling Haaland's nine goals in his first five Premier League appearances is a new competition record, surpassing the eight scored by both Micky Quinn and City's all-time leading goalscorer Sergio Aguero.
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Manchester City have scored 5+ goals in a Premier League game for the 32nd time under Pep Guardiola, which accounts for 14% of their games under the Spaniard (32/233). It's more than twice as many such games as any other side since he joined (Liverpool, 15).
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Erling Haaland (5 apps) has now matched Harry Kane (26 apps) for goals scored in the month of August in the Premier League (8).
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Man City have equaled the Premier League record for longest winning streak on a specific day of the week. They have so far won 21 times in succession in matches played on a Wednesday. Liverpool managed 21 consecutive wins on a Saturday between 2018-2020.
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Erling Haaland has broken Demba Ba's record as the player to reach two Premier League hat-tricks in the fewest matches. The Norwegian did it in five matches while the former Newcastle United star needed 21 games.
First Premier League manager sacked: Bournemouth fire Scott Parker after 9-0 loss to Liverpool
Only four rounds have been played in the 2022/23 Premier League season and yet the English top-flight has already witnessed its first managerial change. And while this announcement came as a surprise to many, this decision took place at the most predictable club: Bournemouth. The newly-promoted side announced on Tuesday morning the departure of Scott Parker, with the Englishman leaving the club after a rough start to the campaign.
This decision came on the back of three consecutive defeats in the league, the most recent being their record-equaling 9-0 thrashing away to Liverpool. Sadly, Saturday's horrible loss at Anfield wasn't their only embarrassing result as they had conceded seven times in the two outings prior to that. Additionally, public displays of frustration towards the board due to their lack of investment played a significant role in this move.
The club have begun the search for a new head coach, but in the meantime, Gary O'Neil has taken over as a caretaker. The Englishamn was thrusted into the dugout almost immediately as the Cherries were in action this midweek, taking on Wolves on Wednesday, playing out a goalless draw.
