Top games to watch this week
Friday, September 9
Werder Bremen vs Augsburg (Bundesliga)
Lens vs Troyes (Ligue 1)
Pumas UNAM vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX Femenil)
CF Montreal vs Columbus Crew (MLS)
Saturday, September 10
Cádiz vs Barcelona (La Liga)
Inter vs Torino (Serie A)
Sampdoria vs Milan (Serie A)
Bayern vs Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
Sporting CP vs Portimonense (Primeira Liga)
Porto vs Chaves (Primeira Liga)
PSG vs Brest (Ligue 1)
Necaxa vs América (Liga MX)
Tigres UANL vs León (Liga MX)
Charlotte vs New York City (MLS)
Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City (MLS)
Dallas vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Seattle Sounders vs Austin (MLS)
Sunday, September 11
Real Madrid vs Mallorca (La Liga)
Juventus vs Salernitana (Serie A)
Monaco vs Lyon (Ligue 1)
Boca Juniors vs River Plate (Argentine Primera Division)
Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Los Angeles FC vs Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Monday, September 12
Empoli vs Roma (Serie A)
Almería vs Osasuna (La Liga)
Tuesday, September 13
Viktoria Plzen vs Inter (UEFA Champions League)
Sporting CP vs Tottenham (UEFA Champions League)
Liverpool vs Ajax (UEFA Champions League)
Rangers vs Napoli (UEFA Champions League)
Porto vs Club Brugge (UEFA Champions League)
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atlético Madrid (UEFA Champions League)
Bayern vs Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
Marseille vs Eintracht Frankfurt (UEFA Champions League)
Minnesota United vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Sporting KC vs DC United (MLS)
Guadalajara vs Tigres UANL (Liga MX)
Wednesday, September 14
Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb (UEFA Champions League)
Shakhtar vs Celtic (UEFA Champions League)
Chelsea vs Salzburg (UEFA Champions League)
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig (UEFA Champions League)
Man City vs Borussia Dortmund (UEFA Champions League)
Kobenhavn vs Sevilla (UEFA Champions League)
Juventus vs Benfica (UEFA Champions League)
Maccabi Haifa vs PSG (UEFA Champions League)
New York City vs Atlas (Campeones Cup)
América vs Santos Laguna (Liga MX)
Thursday, September 15
Sheriff vs Man United (UEFA Europa League)
Arsenal vs PSV (UEFA Europa League)
Feyenoord vs Sturm Graz (UEFA Europa League)
Midtjylland vs Lazio (UEFA Europa League)
Real Betis vs Ludogorets (UEFA Europa League)
Roma vs HJK (UEFA Europa League)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Villarreal (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Silkeborg vs West Ham (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Partizan vs Nice (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Most-watched football games in the U.S. - August 29 - Sept. 4, 2022
The second month of the Premier League season has already started, and things regarding audience numbers in the United States have not changed a bit. The English top-flight continues to gather a large amount of followers in this country, and not even some of the most winning teams in Europe have been able to challenge its dominance.
This time, eight different Premier League matches were among the most viewed in the country, with the clash between Aston Villa and Manchester City gathering over one million average viewers. It is the highest number of viewers a single game has accomplished since the beginning of the campaign.
The second spot in this ranking goes to Manchester United and Arsenal, who delivered one of the most exciting games of the week this past Sunday. The Red Devils ended Arsenal's unbeaten run, and over 850,000 average viewers witnessed Erik Ten Hag's men doing so.
The podium was completed with a Major League Soccer clash, where Portland Timbers claimed a key win against Atlanta in the playoff race. Let us have a look at the numbers last week brought us in terms of football games.
UPDATE: Premier League weekend games called off as Britain mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Several exciting games were scheduled to take place this weekend in the Premier League, namely Manchester City vs Tottenham and Fulham vs Chelsea. However, the English top-flight have postponed Matchweek 7 altogether after the tragic death of Queen Elizabeth II, which was confirmed on Thursday, as the entire nation enters a period of mourning. Here is the official statement from the Premier League:
What are this week's must-watch games?
RB Leipzig vs Dortmund live this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+
While the Premier League has been postponed, the action continues in Europe's other top leagues, with RB Leipzig vs Dortmund headlining the upcoming round of Bundesliga fixtures. The home side enter this tie on the back of their embarrassing 4-1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League, thus adding to their already-horrible start to the season. Dortmund, meanwhile, sit level on points with league leaders Freiburg and are one ahead of defending champions Bayern Munich, who are in third. Bellingham and Co. kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a convincing win over Copenhagen, triumphing 3-0, and will look to replicate this when they visit the Red Bull Arena.
Boca Juniors vs River Plate live this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Paramount+, Fanatiz, fuboTV, Sling TV, VIX+, AFA Play, and TyC Sports Internacional USA
Two of the biggest clubs in South America reignite their rivalry this weekend as Boca Juniors and River Plate prepare to lock horns on Sunday in the Argentine Primera Division. They sit seventh and sixth in the table, respectively, but the two are level on points, hence the importance of this fixture. Both sides enter this clash in similar form, having won three out of their last five outings, but it is the visitors that boast a three-game winning streak. Los Millonarios have won eight of the last 20 editions of Superclasico, with five of those victories coming away from home. However, in recent match-ups, it is the home side that hold the upper hand, triumphing in three of their last five showdowns. Don't miss this clash.
European football continues this midweek as Bayern Munich vs Barcelona and Arsenal vs PSV headline the upcoming UEFA Champions League and Europa League fixtures
European football continues this midweek as Matchday 2 in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League are scheduled to take place between Tuesday and Thursday. The standout game is undeniably Bayern Munich vs Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski prepares to return to the Allianz Arena almost immediately after leaving the Bundesliga champions for the Catalan giants. Elsewhere, Erling Haaland will also face his former club, Dortmund, when the German outfit visit Man City on Wednesday while Liverpool look to bounce back from their embarrassing defeat to Napoli when they host Ajax.
As for the Europa League, Arsenal welcome PSV in the headline fixture as the Gunners will look for an improved performance after their narrow 2-1 victory over Zurich FC. Manchester United and Roma, who unfortunately suffered defeats in their opening fixtures, take on Sheriff and HJK respectively as they go in search of their first wins.
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Once again, women's football fans are set to be dazzled by club football, with some of the top leagues in the globe returning to action.
One of the leagues that will see their top contenders returning to European stadiums will be the French D1. The French top-flight have shown their power by seeing their clubs reach decisive stages of the UEFA Women's Champions League, with Lyon being the defending champions in the continental tournament.
If that is not enough to satisfy your need to watch women's football, how about keeping tabs on the NWSL? The North American tournament is getting hotter than ever, with up to four teams battling for the top spot after 16 games for all teams.
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.
NOTE: The FA Women's Super League was scheduled to take place this weekend but the latest round in that competition was also called off after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
2022 NWSL season
The North American competition returns to action with quite a few matches to keep an eye on. The San Diego Wave are back at the top of the league, with the Houston Dash and the Kansas City Current following them closely. The previous leaders, Portland Thorns, are now fourth in the competition but only three points behind the leaders, which means that a win this weekend could see them back at the top with no questions asked.
D1 Arkema
The French top-flight in the women's category kicks off this week. Teams such as PSG, Lyon, and Paris start the tournament as title contenders, although Les Lyonnaises are considered as the biggest favorites due to their record-breaking 15 titles and their status as UEFA Women's Champions League holders. The defending champions will kick off their run in the tournament on Sunday, but PSG will have the honor of starting the competition on Friday evening.
Liga MX Femenil - Apertura 2022 tournament
The Mexican league continues after the break and entering the second half of the regular season. Chivas remain as league leaders, but Tigres are two points behind them in the race for the top spot, which will be the main topic of concern this week.
Elsewhere, Monterrey and América will try to climb back into the title race, as both of them are set to play their respective matches on Monday. Both of them will do so at home, which makes them the favorites to win their ties.
For more details on games, standings, and news, visit our dedicated women's soccer page at LiveSoccerTV.com.
Biggest stories of the week
Lewandowski, Kessie set new Champions League records as Barcelona hit Viktoria Plzen for five
Barcelona pair Robert Lewandowski and Franck Kessie have entered the UEFA Champions League's record book for their goals contribution in Wednesday's meeting with Viktoria Plzen. The duo got on the scoresheet to inspire the Blaugrana to a massive 5-1 win at Camp Nou in their first group fixture of the new campaign.
Last season, the Catalans were far from their best in the Champions League and ended up in the Europa League after failing to secure a top-two spot in their group. This season, Xavi's side find themselves battling the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Group C and, as a result, the importance of opening the campaign with a win could not be overstated.
Against Viktoria Plzen, Barca needed just 13 minutes to assume the driver's seat, and it was Franck Kessie who headed home a corner to break the deadlock. The Ivorian midfielder who joined the Spanish club this summer consequently became the quickest debutant to score a goal as starter in Blaugrana history in the Champions League. The record was previously held by Sergio Busquets who scored in his debut against FC Basel inside the 15-minute mark back in October 2008.
In the 34th minute Robert Lewandowski became the second debutant to score for Barcelona against Plzen, coolly finishing off a pass from Sergi Roberto for his sixth goal of the season. The Polish striker secured the first of the two records in the night's affair as a result, becoming the oldest player to score on his Champions League debut for the Catalan giants at the age of 34 years and 17 days.
On the stroke of half-time Lewandowski got his second goal of the night after Jan Sýkora had pulled one back for the visitors. The former was able to complete his hat-trick with assistance from Ferran Torres in the 67th minute, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in this competition for three different teams (one for Borussia Dortmund, four for Bayern Munich, one for Barcelona).
Three minutes after Lewandowski's feat, Ferran Torres got on the scoresheet to make it 5-1 for Barcelona as they climbed to the summit of Group C.
OFFICIAL: Chelsea sack head coach Thomas Tuchel
The announcement that some feared but not many expected arrived on Wednesday morning: Chelsea have sacked head coach Thomas Tuchel.
This bombshell was dropped out of the blue following the club's embarrassing defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb, with the Premier League giants losing 1-0 in their opening match of the 2022/23 season.
However, this was not a one-off result. The London giants have endured a rough start to the Premier League season as well, winning only three of their opening six games while losing two. This has been merely a continuation of their horrible form in 2022.
"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club. Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea's history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here," the statement on the club's official website read.
"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.
"Chelsea's coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach."
As mentioned earlier, this announcement came the morning after the Blues' embarrassing 1-0 loss away to Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League. Despite fielding four of their major summer signings, starting Tuesday's fixture with Sterling, Aubameyang, Koulibaly, and Fofana on the pitch, Tuchel's men were uninspiring in front of goal once again and lost to a Mislav Orsic goal in the 13th minute.
However, according to the reliable Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports, the sacking of Tuchel wasn't simply down to that defeat at the Stadion Maksimir. According to him, communication between the head coach and Todd Boehly broke down on occasion during the summer and this led to the belief that a new manager who is "both a fit [for] the team and business" would be ideal.
Several names were linked with the Stamford Bridge job, but now the man in charge will be Graham Potter. Potter is a name that is quite familiar to some Premier League fans for his time with Brighton, where he had been managing for the past few years prior to being appointed as head coach for Chelsea.
The 47-year-old, who has signed a five-year deal, will have a tall task ahead to get the London giants back on track. At the moment, Chelsea are bottom of their UEFA Champions League group. The Englishman's first European test with the Blues will be a home clash against Austrian Bundesliga side Salzburg on September 14th.
Pogba in serious risk of missing FIFA World Cup due to injury
It has been a tumultuous start of the season for Paul Pogba, and judging by some recent revelations, it is only bound to get worse.
The French footballer has been unable to make an official comeback to Juventus since he returned to the team on a free transfer from Manchester United, and to make matters worse, the player could be forced to watch the FIFA World Cup at home due to an untimely knee injury.
The former Manchester United midfielder was supposed to have some sort of role during the Bianconeri's visit to PSG on Matchweek 1 of the UEFA Champions League, but during a training session in the build-up to that tie, he felt a slight discomfort to his right knee while kicking a ball. After initial tests were performed on the player, the decision has been made for him to undergo surgery as soon as possible.
Pogba had repeatedly ruled out the possibility of having a medical procedure on his knee, but coach Massimiliano Allegri has already stated that the player's recovery period due to this surgery could force him to miss the World Cup.
"He was training with the team for the second session in a row, but then he had to stop and we have decided that he should have surgery. The best scenario for us is to have him back in January," Allegri said.
If Allegri's prediction is true, then the footballer will not be able to help France in their title defense. After being asked about this issue, Allegri ruled out trying to speed up his recovery process so he can play for Les Bleus during the winter.
"The FIFA World Cup is neither my problem nor Juventus' problem. Our main concern will be to have him back fully fit in January," the coach added.
If things go as planned for Pogba and the French team, his recovery could come in 60 days, which would be enough to see him make the team that will play in Qatar. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that not even the best-case scenario may be enough for Pogba to keep his place with the national team. Will he make it back in time for the World Cup? Only time will tell.
UEFA open investigation into Juventus following fan behavior during PSG tie
On Tuesday evening, Juventus faced PSG in the Champions League. Les Parisiens earned a well-deserved 2-1 win over the Italian side courtesy of a brace from Kylian Mbappe, but that was not the only talking point following the match.
Rather, it was the behavior of some of Juventus's fans, who were caught on camera not only hurling racist abuse towards some of PSG's supporters, but also making monkey chants and apparently even engaging in making Nazi salutes.
Even more disturbing is the fact that this happened not at Juve's home stadium, but actually at PSG's home ground, at the Parc des Princes.
While the offenders have been identified, with some reports claiming that it was four or five individuals, it remains to be seen what exactly will be done with them.
As per other reports, however, UEFA have decided to open an "official investigation" into this matter. This comes on the heels of the Old Lady being embroiled in another controversy - this time, with some of their fans using anti-Semitic chants during the team's match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi against Fiorentina this past weekend.
Other key headlines from the world of football
Report: Man City assemble most-expensive squad in Europe, beat Man Utd to No.1 spot in top 10 list
Manchester City have the most expensive squad in Europe with an estimated price tag of $1.07BN (€1.08BN) and narrowly edge Manchester United's valuation of $1.02BN ($1.03BN), according to the CIES Football Observatory. The figures were disclosed on Monday in the independent research body's annual analysis on the big-5 league teams' transfer fee spending to assemble their current squads.
PSG made the podium, with their squad valued at $935M, while Real Madrid was ranked fourth with $782M. Chelsea finished in the top five with a squad valuation of $776M with three more English Premier League teams; Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham; featuring in the top 10 in the sixth, seventh, and ninth positions respectively.
Despite getting Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba in on free transfers this summer, Juventus was ranked as the side with the ninth most-expensive squad. Barcelona, with their massive recruitment this summer, surprisingly finished in 10th position with their squad valued at $575M.
Mourinho sets unwanted personal record during Roma's shock 4-0 loss to Udinese
On Sunday, Roma took on Udinese. While the Zebrette had improved their fortunes since an opening day 4-2 loss to Milan by picking up a draw against Salernitana followed by back to back wins against Monza and Fiorentina, the general consensus was that the Giallorossi were the heavy favorites to leave the Dacia Arena with at least a point, but very likely more in hand.
Hence, Sunday's match really took many by surprise, with Roma appearing to be nothing like the side that had easily cruised to a win over Monza in the prior round. Indeed, by the time the dust settled, it was Udinese celebrating a 4-0 victory, which certainly could have been a more embarrassing result for Roma had the Zebrette not wasted some additional chances.
And to make things worse, it just so happens to be the first time in Jose Mourinho's Serie A career that he has been in charge of a team that have lost by four goals, and in fact, this is the third time across the Special One's managerial stint that he has been on the tactician's bench that his side have shipped four or more goals.
Italian legend aims dig at Haaland despite impressive stats with Man City
The Norwegian ace saw a former Italian legend aiming quite a few digs at his style of play, as former Roma, Real Madrid, and Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano did not hold back with his criticism against the Citizens' ace.
Speaking on Christian Vieri's Twitch channel, Cassano revealed he was one of those who have not been impressed by Haaland's performances with Guardiola's team, and even went on to compare Haaland's antics with those of some of his former and current colleagues.
"Haaland is not special, I see Adriano of Inter in Haaland, he has a bit of Christian Vieri's progression," Cassano stated.
"Haaland will score 90 goals, he is very strong, he is a much stronger Lukaku-type of player, but Alvarez is more of a player than Haaland, qualitatively he is stronger," the Italian ace added.
Liverpool reportedly only signed second-choice midfielder Arthur after missing out on this player
According to a recent report, Arthur Melo, who was signed on loan by Liverpool on transfer deadline day to help their midfield injury crisis, was not even their no.1 choice. Calciomercato writes that the Premier League giants were eyeing a different Juventus midfield prior to making a move for the Brazilian.
That man was Denis Zakaria. Klopp was keen on a box-to-box midfielder and identified the Swiss international as the ideal short-term option. However, the club were unsuccessful with their attempts to reach an agreement with the player and team.
However, Chelsea did not make the same error. The Blues were also adamant on strengthening their midfield and after giving up on their pursuit of Ajax ace Edson Alvarez, Tuchel's side made a move for Zakaria and wrapped up a loan deal in no time.
