Top games to watch this week
Friday, December 13
Valladolid vs Valencia
Empoli vs Torino
Freiburg vs Wolfsburg
Toulouse vs Saint-Étienne
Saturday, December 14
Arsenal vs Everton
Liverpool vs Fulham
Nottingham vs Aston Villa
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid
Cagliari vs Atalanta
Udinese vs Napoli
Juventus vs Venezia
Mainz vs Bayern
Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen
Marseille vs Lille
Reims vs Monaco
Sporting CP vs Boavista
Botafogo/Pachuca vs Al Ahly
Sunday, December 15
Manchester City vs Manchester United
Southampton vs Tottenham
Chelsea vs Brentford
Atlético Madrid vs Getafe
Barcelona vs Leganés
Milan vs Genoa
Borussia Dortmund vs Hoffenheim
PSG vs Lyon
AVS vs Benfica
Monterrey vs América
Talleres Córdoba vs Newell's Old Boys
Vélez Sarsfield vs Huracán
Monday, December 16
Lazio vs Inter
Bournemouth vs West Ham
Sporting Braga vs Famalicao
Porto vs Estrela
Adana Demirspor vs Besiktas
Galatasaray vs Trabzonspor
Tuesday, December 17
Juventus vs Cagliari
Twente vs Celtic
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Roma vs Galatasaray
Lyon vs Wolfsburg
Wednesday, December 18
Real Madrid vs TBD
Villarreal vs Rayo Vallecano
Espanyol vs Valencia
Monaco vs PSG
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Newcastle vs Brentford
Southampton vs Liverpool
Roma vs Sampdoria
Thursday, December 19
Nacional vs Benfica
Tottenham vs Man United
Inter vs Udinese
Borac Banja Luka vs Omonia Nicosia
Real Betis vs HJK
Panathinaikos vs Dinamo Minsk
Celje vs The New Saints
Molde vs Mladá Boleslav
LASK Linz vs Víkingur Reykjavík
Larne vs Gent
Jagiellonia Białystok vs Olimpija
Hearts vs Petrocub
Bačka Topola vs Noah
Lugano vs Paphos
Djurgården vs Legia Warszawa
Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers
Cercle Brugge vs İstanbul Başakşehir
APOEL vs Astana
Heidenheim vs St. Gallen
Rapid Wien vs København
Vitória Guimarães vs Fiorentina
What are this week's must-watch games?
Liverpool vs Fulham live this Saturday at 10 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock
Liverpool return to Premier League action for the first in over a week, having last played on December 4 in their 3-3 draw at Newcastle. As a result, the Reds have seen their lead at the top slashed to four points and will thus be keen on returning to winning ways. The Merseyside giants have a game in hand over nearest rivals Chelsea and Arsenal but should face a tricky test against Fulham, who held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw last weekend.
Amorim makes Manchester Derby debut as Man City host Man United live this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on Univisión, TUDN USA, and ViX
Rubin Amorim is gearing up for his Manchester Derby debut as the Red Devils visit none other than Manchester City this Sunday. The struggling English giants returned to winning ways in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday but have lost back-to-back Premier League matches, suffering defeats against Arsenal and Forest. Manchester City are in even worse form, winning only once in their last 10 games across all competitions. Can Guardiola and Co. turn things around against their bitter rivals? Do not miss this clash.
Monterrey and América in Liga MX Apertura 2024 final to decide the champion live this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Telemundo, USA Network, and fuboTV
Who will be the Apertura 2024 champions? That question will be answered this weekend as Monterrey host Club América in the second leg of this exciting title decider. Rayados have the home advantage but have a 2-1 deficit to overturn, having lost the first leg to the Eagles. Kevin Alvarez and Alejandro Zendejas scored for Club America in that victory, thus handing the Liga MX heavyweights the advantage. Can the home side turn things around? Tune in to Telemundo, USA Network, or fuboTV to find out the answer.
Real Madrid headlines the Intercontinental Cup final live this Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET on Fanatiz USA, fuboTV, and beIN Sports
Real Madrid visit Rayo Vallecano in La Liga this weekend but manager Carlo Ancelotti will have one eye on his team's midweek fixture in the Intercontinental Cup final in Doha. The Spanish giants will travel to Doha, Qatar to face either the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca or the CAF Champions League holders Al Ahly on Wednesday — the Mexican and Egyptian powerhouses will battle it out this Saturday for a spot in the final. Los Blancos might be without a few key players but are slowly regaining form, having beaten Atalanta 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, and will want to return from the Middle East with another trophy in the bag.
Man United visit Tottenham in Carabao Cup quarterfinal live this Thursday at 3 p.m ET exclusively on Paramount+
Wrapping up our list is a highly-anticipated Carabao Cup quarterfinal between Tottenham and Manchester United, with one of these two struggling Big Six sides eyeing a semifinal berth. Spurs will be in Premier League action this weekend and could enter this tie on the back of a win. Nonetheless, the North London side have won only one in their last eight matches, leading to the growing disapproval of head coach Ange Postecoglou. Meanwhile, the Red Devils will enter this quarterfinal straight after this weekend's Manchester Derby, meaning Amorim's side will either be hurting or high in confidence depending on that result.
Live Streaming Schedule for Peacock: December 14-15, 2024
Another round of exciting Premier League matches is headed to Peacock, with the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service set to air five fixtures from Matchweek 16 — four of which will be exclusive to the platform.
Three of the four Peacock-exclusive Premier League matches are all 10 a.m. ET Saturday kick-offs, with two involving the Big Six. Those teams are Liverpool and Arsenal, who take on Fulham and Everton respectively.
The Merseyside giants are currently top of the table but saw their lead slashed to four points after last weekend's showdown with Everton was called off due to severe weather conditions. The Gunners, on the flip side, host Sean Dyche's side on the back of their 1-1 draw at Fulham, underlining the need to return to winning ways.
All but one of the five English top-flight matches are scheduled for Saturday, with Tottenham's clash with Southampton being the exemption. Spurs threw away a 2-0 lead at Chelsea to lose 4-2 in the previous round, thus upping the pressure on under-fire head coach Ange Postecoglou.
*Click here for the full breakdown of Peacock's schedule
Bundesliga, La Liga, and Barclays Women's Super League headline ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ schedule on Dec. 13-18, 2024
ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes have several interesting soccer matches in store over the next few days, with La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the FA Women's Super League taking center stage on these platforms.
ESPN Deportes' schedule will be jam-packed with Spanish top-flight matches during this period, with the Spanish-language network delivering 10 live fixtures on Friday through Wednesday.
Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid will all be in action, with Los Blancos facing Rayo Vallecano on the back of their UEFA Champions League victory over Atalanta. The Catalan giants, on the other hand, host Leganes on the back of poor domestic form while Diego Simeone's side take on Getafe a week after their dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over Sevilla.
Meanwhile, ESPN+ promises to deliver nearly 40 live matches from eight different competitions, ranging from women's soccer competitions (NCAA Women's Soccer and the Women's Super League) to Europe's top five leagues.
La Liga's Matchweek 17 will be available, as well as round 14 in the Bundesliga season. League leaders Bayern Munich visit Mainz on Saturday but the standout German top-flight fixture is Sunday's RB Leipzig vs Eintracht Frankfurt clash, with the pair sitting fourth and second in the table respectively.
*Click here for a full look at the upcoming schedule for ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
Biggest headlines
FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host
On Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, underlining the Gulf kingdom's growing influence in world sport despite criticism of the country's human rights record.
At the same time, a virtual Congress of world soccer's governing body confirmed that Morocco, Spain, and Portugal will be joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup, in which three games will also be played in South America.
The Saudi bid was waved through by acclamation during the meeting of FIFA's 211 national member associations, with no rivals standing in its way. Read more…
'Humanising Saudi football': Netflix show paves way for World Cup
A new Netflix series on Saudi soccer features packed stadiums and top-flight talent, but whether it can curb criticism of Riyadh's bid to host World Cup 2034 is an open question.
The six-episode "Saudi Pro League: Kickoff" debuted just three weeks before the FIFA Congress is set to formally approve Saudi Arabia -- the sole candidate -- as host of the quadrennial spectacle.
The vote on Wednesday will be a crowning moment for de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's use of sport to amass influence and improve the Gulf kingdom's global image.
Soccer has been at the heart of that effort, and the Netflix series depicts how the Saudi Pro League has been transformed by the arrival of global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema -- all of whom get ample screen time. Read more…
Real confirm Mbappe left thigh injury
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe suffered a thigh injury in this week's Champions League match at Atalanta, the Spanish club confirmed Thursday without giving details on his absence.
"Following tests carried out on Kylian Mbappe today by the Real Madrid medical department, the player has been diagnosed with a thigh injury in his left leg. His progress will be monitored," Real said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Mbappe opened the scoring in the 10th minute in a 3-2 win in Bergamo to revive the holders' flagging Champions League campaign.
But the 25-year-old pulled up with muscle pain after 36 minutes and was replaced by Rodrygo. Read more...
Guardiola 'questioning self' after latest City loss at Juve
Pep Guardiola admitted that he is questioning himself as his Manchester City team slumped to yet another defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.
City fell 2-0 in a freezing Turin, their seventh defeat in 10 matches in all competitions putting their qualification for the last 16 at risk.
Asked by reporters whether he was questioning his management, Guardiola replied: "Yeah, of course."
"Of course, I question myself in the good moments and the bad moments," said Guardiola. Read more…
'Incredible' Saka makes the difference for Arsenal: Arteta
Mikel Arteta praised Bukayo Saka's "incredible talent" after the Arsenal forward's double inspired a 3-0 win over Monaco that moved his side closer to the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
Saka struck late in each half at the Emirates Stadium before Kai Havertz wrapped up Arsenal's fourth win in six games in the revamped league phase of Europe's elite club competition.
The Gunners sit third in the table with two games remaining as they chase automatic qualification for the last 16 via a top-eight finish.
With matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona to come in January that should be a simple task for Arsenal. Read more…
Torres sinks Dortmund to send Barcelona into knockouts
Substitute Ferran Torres struck twice in 10 minutes to earn Barcelona a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and seal their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.
Raphinha opened the scoring for Barcelona on 53 minutes in Germany, latching onto a Dani Olmo pass on the counter, but Serhou Guirassy equalized seven minutes later from the penalty spot.
Torres, who replaced the ineffective former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, tapped in a rebound with 15 minutes to play only for Guirassy to again haul Dortmund level.
With the hosts pushing for a first-ever victory over Barcelona on their fifth attempt, Lamine Yamal fed Torres on a fast break and the winger drilled the ball past Gregor Kobel. Read more…
Dortmund fear 'worst-case scenario' after Schlotterbeck injury
Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin said his side feared a "worst-case scenario" after Nico Schlotterbeck, the club's only fit center-back, was stretchered off in Wednesday's home loss to Barcelona.
With Dortmund trailing 3-2, Schlotterbeck leaped high to try and head in a free-kick in the last play of the game and landed awkwardly on his ankle, and was stretchered from the pitch.
"We don't know yet with Schlotti, but the pictures look ugly," Sahin said. Read more…
Man City's Walker calls for action after online racist abuse
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has called for tough action to tackle online abuse after he received a "vile, racist and threatening" message following Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Juventus.
Walker played the whole Champions League match in Turin but could not help Pep Guardiola's team avoid a seventh defeat in 10 matches.
The England international posted a screenshot of a message he received on Instagram from an unnamed user to his social media accounts on Thursday that used obscene racist language.
"No one should ever be subjected to the sort of vile, racist, and threatening abuse I have received online since last night's match," Walker wrote on his X and Instagram accounts. Read more…
Other headlines from the world of soccer
Ashworth exit 'not the best' for Man Utd says Amorim
Ruben Amorim admitted Dan Ashworth's surprise departure from his role as Manchester United sporting director was "not the best situation" for the troubled club.
United announced on Sunday that Ashworth will leave Old Trafford after only 159 days in the post following his move from Newcastle. Continue reading…
Pochettino's USA to face Costa Rica in Orlando in January
New coach Mauricio Pochettino will guide the United States against Costa Rica in a January 22 friendly in Orlando, US Soccer announced on Tuesday.
The friendly will be one of two in Florida, alongside a January 18 meeting with Venezuela at Fort Lauderdale, as part of the Americans' annual January training camp. Continue reading…
Man City announce record Premier League revenue
Manchester City posted record revenues for a Premier League club last season as the champions' income increased to £715 million ($903 million).
As City marched to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title last term, their revenue rose from £712.8million to the new record mark for the year to June 30. Continue reading…