Real Madrid vs Chelsea, PSG vs Man City, Carabao Cup Final headline top games to watch live on April 23-29, 2021

Topics: TV Schedules, Barcelona, Villarreal, Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSG, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Roma, La Liga, Carabao Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League

Villarreal vs Barcelona, Man City vs Tottenham, Real Madrid vs Chelsea, PSG vs Man City, Man United vs Roma, and Villarreal vs Arsenal are just a few of the games to make our list.

What are the must-watch games this week?

Villarreal vs Barcelona this Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET live on beIN Sports, FuboTV, and Fanatiz USA

Barcelona return to action this weekend and will be involved in a highly-anticipated showdown with Villarreal. The Blaugrana head into this clash on the back of an impressive 5-2 triumph over Getafe, a game which saw talisman forward Lionel Messi bag a brace and an assist. That triumph saw the Catalan giants return to third in the table amid a heated title race. Atletico and Real Madrid, the two teams above them, boast a five-point and two-point lead, respectively, over Koeman's side but the Camp Nou outfit have a game in hand. As for Villarreal, they are seventh in the table but only a point behind fifth-placed Real Sociedad. Unai Emery's men have a crucial Europa League semifinal clash with Arsenal on the horizon, meaning the gaffer will have one eye on the midweek European fixture. Do not miss this tie.

Villarreal, Barcelona, La Liga, Broadcast listings

Man City vs Tottenham in the Carabao Cup Final this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET live on ESPN+

This Sunday, Tottenham will have a shot at ending their horrible trophy-less run when they take to the pitch at Wembley for the 2020/21 Carabao Cup final. Unfortunately, Man City stand in between Spurs and their first piece of silverware since 2008. Not long ago, the north London giants were seen as title contenders in the Premier League. Fast forward to today and Harry Kane and Co. appear destined to miss out on the top four and have since sacked their manager Jose Mourinho. The club parted ways with the Special One on Monday and have appointed Ryan Mason as the caretaker boss, a move which has raised many eyebrows. Does he have what it takes to beat Guardiola's side? Not many managers do, hence why the Citizens are well on their way to the EPL crown. The Cityzens bounced back from their FA Cup semifinal defeat by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday to restore their 11-point lead, but that 1-0 loss to Chelsea reminded everyone that the Etihad Stadium side can be bested. The question is whether Spurs can pull this off or not.

Totenham, Manchester City, Carabao Cup Final, Broadcast Listings

Paramount+ brings us the UEFA Champions League semifinals as Real Madrid vs Chelsea kicks off the 2020/21 penultimate stage

The 2020/21 UEFA Champions League semifinals kick off this midweek, with Real Madrid vs Chelsea getting the Paramount+ live coverage underway on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET, as usual. The controversial European Super League took center stage in the recent week, but with that debacle being over for now, the focus shifts back to everyone's favorite European club competition. There has been speculation that the clash between Los Blancos and the Blues, two of the founding clubs of the breakaway ESL tournament, could be pushed back as punishment but there's little to suggest that will occur. Having beaten Man City 1-0 to make the FA Cup final, Tuchel's side will be high on confidence and will be aiming to eliminate another Madrid giant. The other semifinal fixture will see Man City visit PSG and this is the game to watch. Having beaten Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, Mbappe and Co. are now one step away from making back-to-back UCL finals. Unfortunately, Guardiola's side are the favorites and given their rock-solid defense, Pochettino's deadly attack will need to be at their very best if they wish to breach the Cityzens' goal.

The European coverage continues on Thursday as Paramount+ bring the Europa League semifinals live to the US screens

The European fun does not end on Wednesday as Thursday brings the UEFA Europa League semifinals. Premier League giants Man United and Arsenal resume their campaign to make the final at the Stadion Miejski in Gdańsk, Poland. Both teams will face tough opposition in the penultimate stage, with the Red Devils taking on Roma while the Gunners have to get past a Villarreal side led by former coach Unai Emery. Arteta will need to deliver an excellent away performance at the Estadio de la Cerámica against his predecessor as they cannot bank on the home advantage in the 2nd leg after their last two shaky European outings. Solskjaer's side, on the other hand, enter their tie on the back of an excellent five-game winning streak, dispatching Granada with ease in the previous round. However, the Giallorossi, who knocked out Ajax in the quarterfinals, cannot and should not be underestimated. The last four will also be aired on popular Spanish-language broadcasters TUDN and Univision so make sure to tune in.

This week in women's football, April 23, 29, 2021, Kansas City, Houston Dash, Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham, Chicago Red Stars, FA WSL, NWSL

This week in women's football, the NWSL Challenge Cup keeps rolling, the Barclays FA Women's Super League returns and Liga MX Femenil has two games on U.S. television that you can watch. This and more about the world of women's football.

Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020

The Women's Olympic Football Tournament draw is set and done. Japan, Canada, Great Britain and Chile will face off in Group E. China PR, Brazil, Zambia and the Netherlands will compete in Group F. Lastly, Sweden, the USA, Australia and New Zealand are the representatives in Group G.

Japan, Canada, Great Britain , Chile, China PR, Brazil, Zambia, Netherlands, USWNT, Women's Olympic Football Tournament, Draw

How to watch 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup games on April 26 and 27

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup resumes on April 26 and 27, with four games. The matches will stream live on Paramount+ in the USA and Canada, and internationally on Twitch.

Monday, April 26

Racing Louisville vs. NC Courage at 6 p.m. ET
Kansas City vs. Houston Dash at 8:30 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 27

Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC at 7 p.m. ET
Seattle Reign vs. Chicago Red Stars at 10 p.m. ET

How to watch FA WSL games from Saturday, April 24, through Wednesday, April 28

The Barclays FA Women's Super League reached its climax on Wednesday, April 21, when Chelsea and Manchester City met at Academy Stadium in Manchester. The two fought hard in a two-all draw that left Chelsea at the top of the table. The two sides have two games left to play. Emma Hayes' Blues need to defeat Tottenham and Reading to win back-to-back WSL titles, something that has not been done since Liverpool pulled off this feat in 2014.

Saturday, April 24

Aston Villa vs Bristol City at 7:30 a.m. ET

Sunday, April 25

Manchester United vs. Tottenham at 7:30 p.m. ET
Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion at 9 a.m. ET
Birmingham City vs. Reading at 9 a.m. ET
West Ham United vs. Everton at 10 a.m. ET

Wednesday, April 28

Birmingham City vs. Aston Villa at 2 p.m. ET
Arsenal vs. West Ham United at 2:30 p.m. ET

How to watch Liga MX Femenil top matchups this weekend

Two highly anticipated Liga MX Femenil games will broadcast live in the USA and Mexico on TUDN.

Third-placed Atlas will visit fifth-placed Pumas UNAM on Matchday 16 of the competition on Saturday, April 24. Atlas are three points away from league leaders Tigres UANL. A win against Pumas would see Las Rojinegras stay in contention for the title.

On the other hand, ninth-placed America will host eighth-placed Cruz in Ciudad de Mexico on Sunday, April 25. Cruz Azul will look to snap a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, a win for America would mean that they would overtake Cruz Azul on the table.

Saturday, April 24

Pumas UNAM vs. Atlas at 1 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 25

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

Biggest stories of the week

Schalke relegated for first time in 30-plus years after nightmare season

Unfortunately, it always seemed a matter of when, not if, with Schalke.

Despite their best efforts, die Königsblauen have had nothing short of a nightmare campaign this season.

The 2020/2021 term has seen Schalke go through a whopping five managers and ship 76 goals which is more than any other team have done since 2000 - and we're not even done with the current campaign. Schalke have won just twice all season. One of those wins was a recent 1-0 victory over Augsburg that gave their fans a faint glimmer of hope, but that was short-lived, as on Tuesday, April 20th, they were officially relegated to the 2.Bundesliga after suffering a 1-0 loss to Arminia Bielefield.

Back in January, they avoided matching an unwanted record: equaling the worst run in Bundesliga history without winning a game. Fortunately, young American striker Matthew Hoppe came to the rescue, netting a hat-trick to give die Königsblauen their first win of the season over Hoffenheim. Hoppe also wrote his name in the history books as he became the first American international to store a hat-trick in Germany's top flight, and there were initially hopes that maybe, just maybe, Schalke could be the latest of several struggling teams to pull off a great escape in European football.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. With just 13 points, two wins, 18 goals scored, and 76 conceded (heading into this weekend's matches), Schalke will be playing in the 2.Bundesliga for the first time since 1988 next term.

Schalke head into the German second division for the first time in over 30 years!

Schalke, Relegation, Bundesliga, Stats

Man City boss Guardiola issues heartfelt criticism of the European Super League

Pep Guardiola weighed in with his thoughts on the controversial European Super League ahead of the 2-1 win over Aston Villa. While the former Barcelona boss echoed trust in his team's leadership, similar to Jurgen Klopp the day prior, Pep issued a candid and heartfelt criticism of the somewhat closed format despite Man City being a founding member.

A total of 20 teams were expected to participate, with only five spots being made available via league performances – the remaining 15 slots would have been reserved for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico, Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and three other founding clubs regardless of their league finish. Guardiola slammed this attempt to divorce success from effort as being anti-sport.

"I can give my opinion of what I know today but I do not know any more - that is the reality," the Cityzens boss stated, as per Sky Sports.

"It is not a sport where the relation between effort and success does not exist. It is not a sport where success is already guaranteed, it is not a sport where it doesn't matter when you lose.

"But at the moment it is only a statement, and no more than that.

"I would love the president of this committee to explain to the whole world why they took the decision.

"I don't know why these specific teams have been selected and going to play this competition.

"I have said many times, I want the best and strongest competition possible, especially the Premier League

"And it's not fair if one team fights to make it to the top and then cannot qualify because success is just guaranteed for a few clubs."

Pep echoed what every fan felt about the European Super League

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, European Super League

Phil Foden shines as Man City close in on Premier League title with comeback win

Manchester City starlet Phil Foden emerged as the star man once again as his side overcame a tough challenge against Aston Villa to secure vital points on Wednesday night. The 20-year-old attacker was extremely influential as the Citizens secured a 2-1 comeback win at Villa Park to close in on their Premier League title dream.

After conceding John McGinn's opener in just 20 seconds after kick-off, Foden restored parity for the visitors before Rodri's strike proved to be the eventual winner for Pep Guardiola's side. The clash ended with Man City and Aston Villa having John Stones and Matty Cash sent off respectively.

For Phil Foden, his contribution in the night's win took his overall goal tally under Pep Guardiola to 29, making him the only player alongside Bojan Krkic to score as many goals in all competitions before turning 21 under Pep Guardiola.

Foden is a star in the making!

Phil Foden, Pep Guardiola, Record, Man City, Aston Villa, English Premier League

Other key headlines from the world of football

Bundesliga set to apply new quarantine rules due to rising COVID-19 cases

Bundesliga officers have revealed the steps the league will take to prevent further problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release, the league stated that all 18 Bundesliga teams will be placed in strict quarantine to avoid more matches from being postponed. This measures were implemented after Hertha Berlin were forced to postpone three games due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

The German Football League confirmed that the first step of this plan will begin on May 2, where players and staff will only be allowed to leave their homes for training and for playing games. Then, on May 12, all players will move into "biosecure training bubbles", which will force them to stay at a designated facility. Players will only leave said facility when they travel to play games.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic signs contract extension with AC Milan

After quite a complicated week for AC Milan fans, the team decided to give their supporters a little bit of joy by revealing that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has agreed to sign a one-year contract extension. The Rossoneri, currently second in Serie A, have admitted that the club will benefit from the player's experience next season when they return to the UEFA Champions League.

The footballer, who will collect the same amount of money as in the current season, has scored 15 goals in 17 games for the San Siro side this season, establishing himself as the main scorer and a moral leader for Stefano Pioli's squad.

Barcelona president issues shocking statement regarding European Super League

Speaking at the opening gala of the Barcelona Tennis Open, Barcelona president Joan Laporta openly admitted that the Super League would benefit all teams involved, while adding that those that have refused to leave the project will try to convince UEFA about its feasibility.

"It has to be an attractive competition, based on what each team does on the pitch. We are willing to discuss these matters openly with UEFA, and I'm sure we will find common ground. We need more resources to give fans what they want," Laporta said.

Perhaps anticipating the backlash from fans and experts, Laporta added that even if Barcelona still support the project, the decision to embark on this highly-controversial breakaway league ultimately rests with the club's associates.

"We need to be prudent. This tournament is absolutely necessary, but the ultimate decision will be handed to our associates. Big clubs like us contribute with a lot of money, and we should really have a say on the economic end of all issues," Laporta added.