I did give 4 stars to all of last Saturday’s matches, didn’t I?  Oh well, it was a brutally cold, horribly rainy day in NYC on Saturday, and one of the few where I was able to sit back and watch most of them.  What a day!!!  Gameweek 27 is also shaping up to be an exciting one, leading off with the 2nd Manchester derby.  Please note that Fox has trumped ESPN for this one, so the early Saturday match will be on FSC, with ESPN resigned to watching the ruffians of the league face Wolves at 10 am.  We also have a fun London derby in the Monday Night Football ESPN match, and then two of the matches involving EPL teams I’ve been salivating over:  Spurs visit to Serie A leaders Milan on Tuesday, and Barcelona’s return to the Emirates on Wednesday!  That’s 3 4-star matches this week!!

****:  Must-see.  Cancel all other activities.  Do not even DVR as even in America you might hear the score!
***
:  Strong match; worth watching live; DVR a must if you can’t see live
**:   Flip through quickly to see the goals, red cards, injuries, and perhaps watch the last 5 minutes + injury time if close
*:    Only if you’re a die-hard

Matches shown in chronological order:

Saturday, February 12 (all times EST)

**** Man UtdMan City, 7:45 am, FSC/FD [Marriner]
Well, City most certainly did not go for it in the home derby, but they have to this time, don’t they?  As a neutral, would be terrific for the league to see Tevez explode for more goals.  Marriner gets this big derby after Chelsea-Liverpool; the league has its favorites.
*** ArsenalWolverhampton, 10 am, ESPN2/ESPND & espn3.com [Foy]
Wolves have been giant killers, of course, but pretty much exclusively at the Molineux.  The crowd will get restless at the Emirates if the Gunners don’t get (and hold!!) a big lead.
** LiverpoolWigan, 10 am, FSC/FD [Friend]
Kenny’s side simply don’t allow goals!  >6 hours since they’ve conceded in the league.  Will they be heading back to Europe after all?  This should be a cakewalk…
** BlackburnNewcastle, 10 am, FS+ & foxsoccer.tv [Attwell]
Magpies should be on a high from the amazing comeback, but they (and Rovers) are only 5 points above the drop zone.  The league is wide open, and these become important matches with only 12 to play.
* BirminghamStoke, 10 am, foxsoccer.tv & 2:30 pm (delayed) FS+ [Halsey]

*** BlackpoolAston Villa, 10 am, foxsoccer.tv & 4:30 pm (delayed) FS+ [Webb]
Tangerines dropping quickly; still would like to see Michael Bradley.
* West BromWest Ham, 10 am, foxsoccer.tv only [Mason]
Two awful teams, one manager who’s still there for unfathomable reasons, and the league’s worst referee!  No wonder Fox chose to give us no options to watch on tv!  On the ‘net if you must…
*** SunderlandTottenham, 12:30 pm, FSC/FD [Jones]

The Black Cats totally caught out at the back (well, the first two goals were clearly offside) against height, so expect to see the Peter Crouch show here.  With the biggest match in Spurs history just 3 nights later, will be interesting to see what ‘arry does with team selection.

Sunday, February 13

*** QPRNott Forest, Championship, 8:30 am, FS+ & foxsoccer.tv [Clattenburg]
I added this match because these are teams we may be seeing next year in the league.  If Rangers win, they are sitting pretty for automatic promotion.  Forest is just ahead of a big bunch of teams vying for a playoff spot.  Should be a great atmosphere, and remember, when he’s refereeing, the game is not about the players, it’s all about Clattenburg.

*** BoltonEverton, 11 am, FSC/FD [Probert]
This should be a fun match.  Their prior encounter finished 1-1.

Monday, February 14

*** FulhamChelsea, 3 pm, ESPN2 & espn3.com [Dean]
Maybe they’ve had some training to work out that triangle?  ‘Cause it didn’t look ready-for-prime-time on Sunday; maybe 8 days and they’ll look a lot better.  The Cottage is becoming a more difficult place to win again and it was terrific to see Dempsey scoring his 10th and then saying he had no interest in heading back to play in America.

Tuesday, February 15

**** AC MilanTottenham, Champions League knockout leg 1 of 2, 2:30 pm, FSC/FD & from 5 pm foxsoccer.tv
I think Bale likes this stadium!
** BirminghamNewcastle, 2:45 pm, FS+ & foxsoccer.tv [Mason]

Wednesday, February 16

**** ArsenalBarcelona, Champions League knockout leg 1 of 2, 2:30 pm, FSC/FD & from 5 pm foxsoccer.tv
After the blow-out over Madrid, this is the match I’ve been most waiting for all year.  Two teams that love to pass; has Arsenal made any progress?
** WiganBolton, FA Cup 4th Round Replay, 2:45 pm, I don’t see any listings at the moment with Champions league taking center stage