Top games to watch this week
Friday, January 31
Leganés vs Rayo Vallecano
Parma vs Lecce
Werder Bremen vs Mainz 05
Montpellier vs Lens
Boavista vs Famalicao
Al Hilal vs Al Akhdoud
Tijuana vs Cruz Azul
Saturday, February 1
Newcastle vs Fulham
Bournemouth vs Liverpool
Atlético Madrid vs Mallorca
Espanyol vs Real Madrid
Atalanta vs Torino
Heidenheim vs Borussia Dortmund
Bayern vs Holstein Kiel
Brest vs PSG
Lille vs Saint-Étienne
América vs Juárez
Toluca vs Tigres UANL
Sunday, February 2
Manchester Utd vs Crystal Palace
Arsenal vs Manchester City
Barcelona vs Alavés
Juventus vs Empoli
Milan vs Inter
Roma vs Napoli
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim
Marseille vs Lyon
Sporting CP vs Farense
Estrela vs Benfica
Ajax vs Feyenoord
Fenerbahce vs Rizespor
Monday, February 3
Chelsea vs West Ham
Girona vs Las Palmas
Cagliari vs Lazio
Rio Ave vs Porto
Al Nassr vs Al Wasl
Gaziantep vs Galatasaray
Tuesday, February 4
Herediano vs Real Salt Lake
Real du Cap vs Cruz Azul
Stuttgart vs Augsburg
Atalanta vs Bologna
Atlético Madrid vs Getafe
Wednesday, February 5
Pachuca vs León
Forge vs Monterrey
Real Estelí vs Tigres UANL
Newcastle vs Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen vs Köln
Milan vs Roma
Leganés vs Real Madrid
Thursday, February 6
Cibao vs Guadalajara
Cavalry vs Pumas UNAM
Liverpool vs Tottenham
Valencia vs Barcelona
Boluspor vs Galatasaray
What are this week's must-watch games?
Liverpool face tough week with weekend trip to Bournemouth and midweek Carabao Cup semifinal against Tottenham
Liverpool are gearing up for a tough week, with the Merseyside giants visiting Bournemouth in the Premier League this weekend ahead of their Carabao Cup semifinal showdown with Spurs. Slot's men currently top the English top-flight table with a six-point lead and a game advantage over Arsenal. However, Saturday's trip to the Vitality Stadium (live on Telemundo, Universo, and USA Network) kicks off a tricky run of fixtures in the league.
After that, the focus shifts to Thursday's highly-anticipated Carabao Cup battle with Spurs, live exclusively on Peacock. Salah and Co. lost the first leg 1-0 but have the home advantage and will be keen on using that as a catalyst for a comeback. Tottenham unforgettably lost 6-3 when these two sides met in the league roughly a month ago and have been in dreadful form ever since. Which side will book their ticket to Wembley? Don't miss this clash!
Arsenal face Man City and Newcastle in back-to-back fixtures as Gunners' season faces tremendous hurdle
Just like Liverpool, Arsenal are also facing a tough week, with the North London giants facing Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend (live on Peacock) before traveling to Newcastle for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal. However, Arteta's men are six points behind Liverpool in the title race despite playing a game extra and thus cannot afford another slip-up. The last time the Gunners met Guardiola's side, they drew 2-2 following a controversial Leandro Trossard sending-off and will be out for revenge.
However, a slip-up could set the Gunners up for a terrible week as fans expect them to crash out of the Carabao Cup in Wednesday's semifinal, live exclusively on Paramount+. Odegaard and Co. lost 2-0 in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium and will have to pull off a remarkable comeback at St. James' Park. Unfortunately, Arsenal have won only once in their last four trips to the Magpies and will come face-to-face with Newcastle's in-form striker Alexander Isak, who stole the show in the previous encounter.
Milan vs Inter live this Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on Paramount+, Fox Deportes, fuboTV, and CBS Sports Golazo
The Milan Derby makes its much-awaited return this Sunday, with AC Milan and Inter Milan locking horns at a crucial point in the Serie A season. The Nerazzurri sit only three points behind current leaders Napoli but boast a game in hand and are thus one of the favorites for the Scudetto. The Rossoneri, on the flip side, have won only six of their last 15 league matches and are thus seventh in the table and at risk of missing out on UEFA Champions League football. A derby win could galvanize AC Milan's season, and given that Leao and Co. beat Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana final earlier this month, the Italian powerhouse will be eyeing a repeat.
Man City face Real Madrid in pick of Champions League play-off ties
Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City in the plum tie of the play-off round of this season's Champions League, following Friday's draw.
It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season.
City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe's elite club competition, will be at home in the first leg before going to Spain for the return.
Elsewhere, Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern Munich, after the Scottish champions reached the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years.
Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.
*Click here for a look at the UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage Play-off draw in full
Follow La Liga, the German Bundesliga, and the Copa del Rey on ESPN's platforms
The struggle to win La Liga, the Dutch Eredivisie, the Bundesliga, and other tournaments will be available for fans to watch this weekend and beyond thanks to the programming included on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.
The Spanish-language channel and the streaming platform will team up to cover over thirty matches from now until next weekend.
If the men's competitions are not appealing enough, fans will also be able to stream content from the Women's Super League in England. Three matches featuring some of the top teams in that league will be available to watch on ESPN+ this Sunday.
Cup competitions will also be covered this week, with DFB-Pokal and the Spanish Copa del Rey entering the quarterfinals. ESPN+ will handle coverage of both competitions, where teams such as Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayer Leverkusen continue their path to win their respective titles.
*Click here for a full preview of ESPN's upcoming schedule
Stream European and South American football on Fanatiz this week
Fanatiz USA continues to offer the best live soccer streaming content for its subscribers, with many of the most interesting leagues in Europe and other competitions to watch on its platform. Competitions such as Portugal's Primeira Liga, the French Ligue 1, and Turkey's Super Lig will be some of the tournaments that European soccer fans will be able to enjoy.
This streaming service will not only focus on top-tier football, as it will also cover Ligue 2 over the weekend, cementing its reputation as one of the most compelling platforms to watch live soccer. If that is not enough, KNVB Beker matches will also be available this week.
The streaming platform will also make available to its users some of the finest South American competitions, including the Primera División Argentina, the top-tier category in Uruguay, and the regional competitions for some of Brazil's state leagues. Teams such as River Plate, Boca Juniors, Peñarol, and Palmeiras will have their matches covered by this service.
*Here is the rest of the platform's programming for the rest of the weekend and beyond
Biggest headlines
Man City, PSG stay alive in Champions League as Arsenal reach last 16
Manchester City came from behind against Club Brugge to reach the Champions League knockout phase, where they were safely joined by Paris Saint-Germain as Arsenal qualified directly for the last 16 on Wednesday in the final round of league-phase matches.
Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa also followed Liverpool and Barcelona in securing top-eight finishes to skip the new play-off round.
On a dramatic night in which only two of the closing 18 games were dead rubbers, Man City got the win they needed to avoid an embarrassing exit with a nervy 3-1 victory over Club Brugge.
PSG, who defeated City 4-2 last week, produced an emphatic display in a 4-1 triumph at Stuttgart.
Arsenal only needed a point to wrap up a last-16 berth and goals from Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri gave them a 2-1 victory at Girona. Read more…
Man City will pose problems for Madrid or Bayern, promises Guardiola
Pep Guardiola said he cannot see Manchester City winning the Champions League on current form, but believes his side will be better when they face the might of either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich next month.
City needed a second-half fightback from 1-0 down to beat Club Brugge 3-1 on Wednesday to avoid crashing out before the knockout stages for the first time since 2012.
Their reward could be just a stay of execution against either the defending champions or Guardiola's former club Bayern.
City have also been a diminished force in the Premier League this season, where they sit fourth -- 12 points behind leaders Liverpool. Read more…
Arteta backs Arsenal to beat anyone after Champions League progress
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said his side could handle any opposition after progressing directly to the Champions League last 16 with a 2-1 win at Girona on Wednesday.
A much-rotated Gunners side defeated the Catalan outfit with goals from Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri after falling behind to Arnaut Danjuma's first-half strike.
Arsenal, avoiding the play-off phase added this season, will play Juventus, AC Milan, Feyenoord, or PSV Eindhoven in the last 16.
"Winning in this competition is very demanding but overall the team has been very consistent, regardless of all the issues they have had to face," Arteta told reporters after a fourth consecutive European victory.
"(Hopefully it breeds) more belief in that dressing room that we are a good team and we can face anyone and still perform and win games." Read more…
PSG sweat on Zaire-Emery fitness for Champions League play-off
Warren Zaire-Emery is an injury doubt for Paris Saint-Germain's two-legged Champions League last 16 play-off tie next month after picking up an injury in Wednesday's crucial win at Stuttgart.
The French champions announced Thursday that Zaire-Emery, 18, sprained his left ankle during the 4-1 win in the league phase, which booked PSG's spot in the play-off round and is set to be out for several weeks.
"The length of (Zaire-Emery's) absence will depend on how the injury progresses over the coming days," PSG said in a statement. Read more…
Man Utd, Spurs advance to last 16 in Europa League
Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at Romanian side FCSB, while troubled Tottenham turned to their young guns to advance via a top-eight finish on Thursday.
Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo scored for United in the second half of their final league phase fixture at the National Arena in Bucharest.
In north London, under-pressure Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was relieved to see Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi, and Mikey Moore kill off Swedish minnows Elfsborg with their first goals for the club in a 3-0 victory.
United, unbeaten in eight games in the tournament, finished in third place and Tottenham came fourth, ensuring the Premier League clubs both avoided the Europa League play-off round. Read more…
Neymar announces return to Brazil's Santos
Neymar announced Thursday he was returning to Brazilian club Santos, where he started his career, after ending his injury-plagued spell with Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal.
"I will sign a contract with Santos Futebol Clube," Neymar wrote on social media in a post accompanied by images of his past with the Sao Paulo-based team, where football icon Pele spent most of his career.
Santos' X account replied to Neymar's post, saying: "Your home awaits you. Your people await you."
The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward played just seven times for Al Hilal despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year. Read more…
Barca's Bonmati voices opposition to Saudi Arabia hosting Spanish Super Cup
Barcelona's two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati said Thursday she was against Saudi Arabia hosting the women's Spanish Super Cup.
"Before we move the Super Cup to another country, I'd like us to be able to give value to this competition here (in Spain)," Bonmati said on the sidelines of a promotional event.
"(This is something) we haven't managed to do so far, with interest, in a stadium that suits both teams, with a financial reward that doesn't involve losing money.
"And better consideration for the fans, to enable them to travel."
Since 2020, the men's version of the tournament, which pits the four winners and runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey against each other, has been held in Saudi Arabia -- excluding the 2021 edition due to Covid -- in a deal worth 40 million euros per annum ($43 million). Read more…
Arsenal win appeal over controversial Lewis-Skelly red card
Arsenal have successfully appealed against the red card shown to Myles Lewis-Skelly in Saturday's 1-0 win at Wolves, meaning the 18-year-old escapes a three-match ban.
The left-back was sent off in the first half at Molineux for tripping Matt Doherty as Wolves broke clear from an Arsenal corner.
Referee Michael Oliver was not asked to review the incident by the VAR much to the dismay of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Read more…
Other headlines from the world of soccer
Dortmund to name Kovac as coach until 2026
Former Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac will take over as Borussia Dortmund boss until 2026, a source told AFP subsidiary SID on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old will replace Nuri Sahin, who was sacked last Wednesday, with Dortmund since led by interim coach Mike Tullberg. Continue reading…
Ex-Belgium midfielder Nainggolan charged in drug trafficking probe
Former Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan was charged on Monday as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking on an international scale, a day after he was arrested, the Brussels prosecutor's office said.
The 36-year-old footballer was charged with "participating in a criminal organization" and then conditionally released, his lawyer Mounir Souidi told media after a hearing in Brussels. Continue reading…
Leipzig sign in-demand Xavi Simons from PSG until 2027
RB Leipzig have made Xavi Simons' loan from Paris Saint-Germain permanent, breaking the club's transfer record to sign the attacking midfielder until 2027.
The Red Bull-owned club announced the transfer on Thursday, making it Leipzig's first big signing since Jurgen Klopp took over as its parent company's Global Head of Soccer in early January. Continue reading…