Top games to watch this week
Friday, November 19
Augsburg vs Bayern (Bundesliga)
Monaco vs Lille (Ligue 1)
Levante vs Athletic Club (La Liga)
Saturday, November 20
Leicester City vs Chelsea (Premier League)
Watford vs Manchester United (Premier League)
Liverpool vs Arsenal (Premier League)
Atlético vs Osasuna (La Liga)
Barcelona vs Espanyol (La Liga)
Lazio vs Juventus (Serie A)
Fiorentina vs Milan (Serie A)
Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart (Bundesliga)
PSG vs Nantes (Ligue 1)
Philadelphia Union vs New York RB (MLS Playoffs)
Sporting KC vs Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS Playoffs)
Santos vs Atlético San Luis (Liga MX)
Puebla vs Guadalajara (Liga MX)
Sunday, November 21
Man City vs Everton (Premier League)
Tottenham vs Leeds (Premier League)
Granada vs Real Madrid (La Liga)
Inter vs Napoli (Serie A)
Olympique Lyonnais vs Olympique Marseille (Ligue 1)
New York City FC vs Atlanta United (MLS Playoffs)
Portland Timbers vs Minnesota United (MLS Playoffs)
Toluca vs Pumas UNAM (Liga MX)
Cruz Azul vs Monterrey (Liga MX)
Monday, November 22
Rayo vs Mallorca (La Liga)
Hellas Verona vs Empoli (Serie A)
Torino vs Udinese (Serie A)
Juárez vs Tijuana (Liga MX Femenil)
Santos vs Tigres UANL (Liga MX Femenil)
Tuesday, November 23
Dynamo Kyiv vs Bayern (UEFA Champions League)
Villarreal vs Manchester United (UEFA Champions League)
Lille vs Salzburg (UEFA Champions League)
Malmö vs Zenit (UEFA Champions League)
Chelsea vs Juventus (UEFA Champions League)
Barcelona vs Benfica (UEFA Champions League)
Sevilla vs Wolfsburg (UEFA Champions League)
Young Boys vs Atalanta (UEFA Champions League)
Nashville vs Orlando City (MLS Playoffs)
Seattle Sounders vs Real Salt Lake (MLS Playoffs)
Wednesday, November 24
Besiktas vs Ajax (UEFA Champions League)
Inter vs Shakhtar Donetsk (UEFA Champions League)
Liverpool vs Porto (UEFA Champions League)
Man City vs PSG (UEFA Champions League)
Sheriff vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League)
Club Brugge vs RB Leipzig (UEFA Champions League)
Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund (UEFA Champions League)
Spartak Moskva vs Napoli (UEFA Europa League)
Thursday, November 25
Lokomotiv vs Lazio (UEFA Europa League)
Real Betis vs Ferencvaros (UEFA Europa League)
Galatasaray vs Olympique Marseille (UEFA Europa League)
Monaco vs Real Sociedad (UEFA Europa League)
Brondby vs Olympique Lyonnais (UEFA Europa League)
Leicester vs Legia Warszawa (UEFA Europa League)
Olympiakos vs Fenerbahce (UEFA Europa League)
Mura vs Tottenham (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Slavia Praha vs Feyenoord (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Roma vs Zorya (UEFA Europa Conference League)
Most-watched soccer games on U.S. TV: Nov. 9-15, 2021
To no one's surprise, ESPN2's broadcast of the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 win against Mexico on Friday, Nov. 12, was the most-watched soccer game on U.S. TV last week.
An average of 1,315,000 viewers in the USA watched the Stars and Stripes take down their bitter rivals Mexico on ESPN2. Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie were the two scorers on the night. Gregg Berhalter's side have now won in their last three meetings against El Tri.
Spanish-language channel TUDN also screened the USA-Mexico Concacaf World Cup Qualifying game on Friday. The broadcast was the second most-watched game of the week, recording a 0.24 viewership rating for the 616,000 average viewers.
The third most-viewed soccer broadcast on U.S. TV was ABC's UEFA World Cup Qualifying game between Spain and Sweden. La Furia Roja won the game at Estadio De La Cartuja in Seville 1-0 thanks to an Alvaro Morata goal in the 86th-minute. The goal inevitably qualified Spain for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
What are this week's must-watch games?
Leicester vs Chelsea this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET live on NBC Sports, NBCSN, Universo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, fuboTV, and Sling TV
The Premier League returns to action this weekend, with Matchweek 12 kicking off with a bang as Chelsea visit Leicester in the opening game. The Blues enter this clash on the back of their recent slip-up at home to Burnley, with the champions of Europe drawing 1-1 with the Clarets. That result saw Man City creep up on them once more, but with their defense being as strong as ever before, Tuchel's side should back themselves to return to winning ways. Leicester, on the other hand, haven't triumphed in their last two league games, dropping to 12th in the table as a result, and will thus be in dire need of a home victory.
Liverpool vs Arsenal this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET live on NBC Sports, Peacock, NBC USA, Universo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, fuboTV, and Sling TV
All eyes will be on this clash as title favorites Liverpool gear up to take on the high-flying Arsenal. Klopp's men enter this tie on the back of unfavorable form, having drawn 2-2 at home to Brighton before losing 3-2 away to West Ham right before the international break. As a result, the Merseyside giants trail league leaders Chelsea by four points. In fact, the Gunners, who were bottom of the table after Matchday 3, are now only two points behind Liverpool in fifth. Arteta has his side's eight-game unbeaten run to thank for this upturn in fortunes. Will the north London giants end their long wait for a win at Anfield? Tune in to find out.
Inter Milan vs Napoli this Sunday at 12 p.m. ET live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and fuboTV
Inter Milan are set for another tricky Serie A test, this time locking horns with Napoli straight after the Milan Derby that took place right before the international break. The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw in that game, with a Stefan de Vrij own goal cancelling out Hakan Calhanoglu's first-half penalty. Fortunately for them, Osimhen and Co. were also held to a stalemate, with the league leaders picking up a single point after drawing 1-1 at home to Hellas Verona. Do not miss this Stadio Giuseppe Meazza showdown.
The UEFA Champions League resumes this midweek as Chelsea vs Juventus and Man City vs PSG headline top live games to watch
The UEFA Champions League makes its return this midweek, with Matchday 5 set to kick off this Tuesday. One fixture, in particular, stands out and that is Man City vs PSG. Despite being the better side throughout the 90 minutes, the Cityzens came away with a 2-0 defeat when the two sides met at the Parc des Princes, conceding two outrageous goals, one courtesy of a certain Lionel Messi. Will Guardiola's men get revenge? Make sure to catch this Etihad Stadium battle!
Defending champions Chelsea will welcome Juventus in what should be an interesting encounter. The last time these two sides met, the Old Lady emerged victorious courtesy of a 1-0 score line. A home win could see the Blues move level with Allegri's table-toppers, but that is easier said than done. Elsewhere, Man United will lock horns with Villarreal with the sole goal of returning to form, while Barcelona host Benfica at the Camp Nou in a crucial fixture for the Blaugrana's round of 16 aspirations. All games will be aired live on Paramount+.
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This week in women's football: people around the globe will enjoy plenty of club action, including the NWSL Final, top games from European leagues and Liga MX Femenil's regular-season finale.
How to watch NWSL Final: Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars
The NWSL Final will see the Washington Spirit clash against the Chicago Red Stars, two sides that overcame different types of adversities to reach the final stage.
Washington Spirit former head coach Richie Burke was fired by the league in August following an investigation into allegations of harassment and the development of toxic work culture under his watch. However, interim manager Kris Ward restored the locker room's morale and led the team to a third-place finish.
On the other hand, head coach Rory Dames's Chicago Red Stars went 4-1-2 in the last two months of the NWSL regular season and secured a spot in the playoffs. Chicago were not considered to be playoff contenders at times during the season due to inconsistent results, but the squad managed to stun the competition and reach the final. The Red Stars defeated favorites to win it all, the Portland Thorns.
CBS will broadcast the final live on TV in Canada and the USA. People who do not live in Canada or the USA can watch the final live on the NWSL's Twitch channel.
Eight European club games on ATA Football
ATA Football will exclusively live stream eight games from Europe's top four leagues this weekend, including an important FA WSL match for league-underperformers Manchester City against a mighty Aston Villa on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Liga Iberdrola
Saturday, Nov. 20
Athletic Club Bilbao vs. Huelva at 5 a.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 21
Real Madrid vs. Deportivo Alaves at 12:30 p.m. ET
Barclays FA WSL
Saturday, Nov. 20
Manchester City vs. Aston Villa at 6:30 a.m. ET
D1 Arkema
Saturday, Nov. 20
Bordeaux Girondins vs. Montpellier at 10:15 a.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 21
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Stade Reims at 6:45 a.m. ET
Frauen Bundesliga
Sunday, Nov. 21
Bayern Munich vs. Carl Zeiss Jena at 7 a.m. ET
VfL Wolfsburg vs. Essen SGS at 12 p.m. ET
Liga MX Femenil regular season finale
The last matchday of Liga MX Femenil's regular season will see Chivas Guadalajara travel to Estadio Nemesio Diez to face Toluca on Friday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. ET. The game will screen live on TUDN USA and TUDN.com/TUDN App online.
Toluca will play for pride as they are out of playoffs given that they are six points away from eighth-placed Cruz Azul. On the other hand, Chivas are tied in fourth place with Santos Laguna and only three points behind third-place Atlas. Chivas have a better goal differential than Atlas. Therefore, Guadalajara can overtake Atlas with a win if the latter fall to Puebla.
Biggest stories of the week
Insight into Fernando Santos' future revealed after Portugal drop into World Cup playoffs
Portugal's World Cup qualifier against Serbia, their 10th and final fixture in the race to make it to Qatar, was a game to forget for the European giants. Despite heading into this tie as the group leaders, Cristiano and Co. suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat, a result which saw them relinquish the no.1 spot – and automatic qualification – to the Serbians, with the continental powerhouse instead being relegated to the playoffs.
What made things worse is that the Euro 2016 champions were not merely beaten, but they were outplayed as Mitrovic and Co. came away with a deserved victory. As a result, the focus quickly shifted to Fernando Santos and his future – or lack thereof – as the Portuguese national team boss.
Calls for his dismissal have been around for quite some time. Despite boasting one of the most star-studded squads in international football, A Seleção have failed to hit their stride, disappointing in both the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the recent Euro 2020 tournament.
As a result, the weekend defeat was not the beginning of the end, but in fact the final straw for large portions of the fan base, with several supporters demanding Santos get sacked before the playoffs for the greater good of the nation. Unfortunately, as per local news outlet A Bola, the 67-year-old tactician is guaranteed to remain in charge until the playoffs, at the very least. The report claims that the FPF still retains confidence in the manager and see him as the right person to secure a spot at Qatar 2022.
Fellow Portuguese paper news outlet Record corroborate this story, but add that the players are "tired" and see Santos' methods as being "outdated". Whether captain Cristiano Ronaldo, the biggest name and personality in the dressing room, falls into this category remains unclear. It should be noted that the 36-year-old icon appeared to be fuming at his manager at full-time, reacting angrily towards his boss after he had entered the pitch to console his players.
Barcelona president hints at potential Messi and Iniesta return
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has left the door open once more for the return of Lionel Messi in the near future. The claim was made during the official unveiling of Dani Alves, with the Bluagrana chief hinting at the prospect of Andres Iniesta also joining in what could be a special homecoming.
After having an illustrious career which spanned across 21 years, Lionel Messi left the Catalonia club this summer to join Paris Saint-Germain as a result of financial constraints. The manner in which the Argentine superstar's exit was facilitated left a bitter taste in the mouths of supporters of Barcelona, including the club's hierarchy. With the player rumored to be unsettled in Paris, the president of his former side has stated that a return for him as well as Vissel Kobe's Andres Iniesta could be on the cards.
Genoa to become latest Serie A club to acquire North American owners
Serie A has garnered the attention of American and Canadian investors over the past decade or so, with clubs like Roma, AC Milan, Bologna, Spezia, Fiorentina, and Venezia now being under the ownership of North Americans.
And now, Genoa has joined their ranks. Genoa, which was founded in September 1893, are not only Italy's oldest club but also the oldest team still active in Italian football. In 2003, businessman Enrico Preziosi acquired the struggling club, which saved it from going utterly bankrupt. At that time, Genoa were facing a demotion to Serie C, but managed to stay in Serie B after the league's organizers decided to expand it to 24 teams. They finally gained promotion to Serie A, but it's been hardly smooth sailing, especially over the past few years.
However, their financial woes may be soon coming to an end, as a Florida-based investment firm, 777 Partners, has now acquired a majority share in the club in what looks set to also provide a huge cash boost for the struggling team. According to some reports, the company paid about $176 million (€155 million) to acquire 99.9 per cent of Genoa's share capital, and this cash influx may be exactly the tonic the Grifone need to try to get back on track.
TUDN announces coverage plans for Liga MX's Wild Card Round this weekend
The upcoming weekend will be quite a thrilling one for football fans in the United States, as the first playoff matches in the Mexican top-flight are scheduled to take place between Saturday and Sunday, and Univisión's TUDN will bring detailed coverage of those games for fans to enjoy.
The recently created Wild Card Round will keep fans on the edge of their seats, as three of the most popular teams in the league will be involved in this round. All the action in the Spanish-speaking network will begin on Saturday evening, when Puebla welcome Chivas del Guadalajara at Estadio Cuauhtémoc. La Franja finished the regular season in seventh place while Chivas concluded in tenth despite a managerial change.
Sunday will also give fans a chance to feast on a couple of games. The first one will feature Toluca and Pumas, two teams that make it to this round in very different situations. Toluca enter the Wild Card Round not being able to win any of their last five games while Pumas made it to this round after a thrilling come-from-behind win over defending champions Cruz Azul in their last regular season match.
The last fixture of the weekend will feature none other than Cruz Azul, the defending champions, who were paired up against Monterrey, the recent winners of the CONCACAF Champions League. La Máquina will be eager to prove that their title run last semester was not a matter of luck, while Monterrey will want to see their massive investment pay off with a good run for the title.
The winners of these games, added to whoever comes out victorious between Santos and San Luis, will face the top-four teams in the league: América, Atlas, León, and Tigres UANL.
Other key headlines from the world of football
Barcelona defender aims dig at Koeman over team's poor form
Speaking in an interview with Catalan television channel TV3, right back Oscar Mingueza spoke about how things went south for Los Culés during his last weeks at Camp Nou and how that had an effect on the team's general performances.
"Our locker room needed a change. We did not feel we were in the right environment. People in the team were not happy, and when you're not doing OK and things are not going as you planned, you need some things to change," Mingueza said.
The Spanish footballer went even further and admitted that sometimes some of his teammates tried to take matters into their own hands, disregarding in a way what was asked from them by the previous coaching staff.
"The team ceased to trust his ideas and each one tried to solve things their own way. We were not in a good place neither individually nor collectively. When the dynamics are not good, each one will try to solve things their way, but even so, we did not believe 100% in what we wanted to do," Mingueza added.
More legal woes for Man City star as defender charged with additional counts of assault
In August of this year, Benjamin Mendy, who was part of France's World Cup winning squad three years ago in Russia was charged with four counts of rape and one count of assault by the Cheshire police, thus leading to his immediate suspension by Manchester City. These alleged attacks took place between October 2020 and August 2021.
That means that Mendy has been out of action for nearly three months, and if he thought that was bad, well, it appears that things have gotten even worse. On Tuesday, November 16th, the 27-year-old was charged with an additional two counts of rape. That brings the total number of offenses he's now facing to seven - six counts of rape and one count of assault. He's due to make his appearance at Stockport Magistrates' Court on November 17th.
Report: Adeyemi favors Barca move as Sterling mauls La Liga switch
German teenage sensation Karim Adeyemi is said to be keen on completing a move to Barcelona amid growing rumors of Los Blaugrana being interested in securing his service. On the contrary, reports from England suggest that Manchester City star Raheem Sterling is adamant on making the switch to the Camp Nou outfit with a couple of Premier League sides having shown interest in recruiting him.
Adeyemi is the newest star in a long line of promising young footballers to come from the Red Bull network. The 19-year-old has had a fantastic start to the season, scoring 11 goals in just 13 games in the Austrian Bundesliga. He's also made an impression in the Champions League, scoring three goals and providing an assist in four games.
The attacker is said to be keen on a move to Camp Nou albeit not being in favor of leaving his Austrian club in the middle of the season. According Sport1, Barcelona are preparing an offer in the excess of $45.2M for the player in January, while offering him a five-year contract. Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is also another player on the radar of the Catalan club as the rebuilding under Xavi commences. The 25-year-old attacker has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad club and is said to be considering a move away.
