<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-february-2010/image/7960640?term=champions+league+emblem" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view3.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/7960640/sports-news-february-2010/sports-news-february-2010.jpg?size=500&amp;imageId=7960640" border="0" alt="Feb. 16, 2010 - 05485920 date 15 02 2010 Copyright imago Panoramic Illustration Conference de Press Avant Match Champions League C1 C 1 15 02 2010 Foot Football largeur Attitude Micro UEFA Emblems Symbols emblem EdLemaistre Panoramic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxITA men Football EC 1 Champions League 2009 2010 Lyon press conference Press call Objects Vdig 2010 horizontal Highlight premiumd." width="500" height="352"></figure></div></a></div>
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid’s offensive woes will not be aided when they travel to the Stade de l’Abbé Deschamps on Tuesday and face an Auxerre squad who gave up the fewest goals in Ligue 1 last season with a meager 29. &nbsp;While Auxerre’s form has not carried over to this current season, where they have not won in Ligue 1 while conceding ten in seven matches, expect the Burgundy outfit to pack it in the midfield and play with ten behind the ball throughout the vast majority of the match. &nbsp;Karim Benzema will start for José Mourinho as he will hope to provide an extra spark that Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín, and co. have not lit consistently this campaign.

FK Rubin Kazan made their club known throughout Europe not only by winning back-to-back Russian Premier League titles in 2008 and 2009 but also by stealing three points away from then-defending champions FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the group stage of last season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League. &nbsp;Both teams have been drawn again into the same group, and Rubin Kazan will host Barcelona at the Tsentralnyi Stadion in the early Wednesday match.
Rubin Kazan has won all their league matches in September to somewhat keep pace with Zenit St. Petersburg at the top of the Russian Premier League, but this focus to catch Zenit caught them in their first group stage match, when in a match bereft of any real quality, FC København talisman Dame N’Doye headed the winner in the 87th minute to give his team all three points. &nbsp;Manager Gurban Berdiýew will have to rub his rosary beads harder than usual to come up with another shock against Barcelona, but besides the divine inspiration he will seek, Berdiýew will have the advantage of a Barcelona team that will have to travel thousands of miles to Tatarstan and possibly without Lionel Messi, although reports suggest Messi may be listed on the substitutes’s bench.
In one of the best matches of Matchday 2, Manchester United will travel to the Mestalla to play a Valencia team who currently tops the table in La Liga, unbeaten in five matches and winning four. &nbsp;While Rangers held Manchester United to a dour 0-0 draw, Valencia went to Turkey and taught Champions League newcomers Bursaspor a European lesson with a 0-4 thrashing at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium.
The Red Devils will start the match without Wayne Rooney as Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to rest him against Valencia following their 2-2 draw at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday. &nbsp;Rooney suffered a knock to his ankle during the match, and combined with his poor performances throughout the summer and the current Barclays Premier League season alongside the revelations of his sordid private life, Sir Alex felt that staying behind in Manchester would be the best move for both Rooney and Manchester United.
Valencia wants to extend their outstanding form against United, and for the last few matches, Los Che have been without their influential midfielder Éver Banega, who sprained his ankle against Racing de Santander early in Valencia’s second match of the season. &nbsp;In Banega’s absence, new signings Mehmet Topal and Tino Costa filled in perfectly and kept the Valencia Experience a constantly smooth ride. &nbsp;No one will convincingly make an argument that Valencia is a better team without David Villa and David Silva, and while Valencia lost a shade of flair and fantasy with their departures, they have sured up the midfield and defense and have become a more efficient team. &nbsp;Not necessarily sexy but effective as their record indicates.
The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Sept. 28
Auxerre vs. Real Madrid – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español and&nbsp;DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD) (delayed at 5:00 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)
Sept. 29
FK Rubin Kazan vs. FC Barcelona – 12:25 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Sports en Español
Valencia vs. Manchester United – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Sports en Español
<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/atletico-madrid-fulham/image/8771003?term=uefa+europa+league" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/8771003/atletico-madrid-fulham/atletico-madrid-fulham.jpg?size=500&amp;imageId=8771003" border="0" alt="May 12, 2010 - Hamburg, Germany - epa02154241 The Europa League Trophy is seen prior to the UEFA Europa League final soccer match between FC Fulham and Atletico Madrid at Hamburg Arena in Hamburg, Germany, 12 May 2010." width="500" height="333"></figure></div></a></div>
UEFA Europa League
Two of the four matches in Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League involve a Spain vs. Germany showdown. &nbsp;A struggling Sevilla who underwent a managerial change after their 2-0 to Hércules will go to the Signal Iduna Park, better known as the Westfalenstadion to face a Borussia Dortmund club who have won five of their six Bundesliga matches and trail the surprising leaders Mainz by three points.
The other España – Alemania clash involves Bayer Leverkusen playing trophy holders Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón, where both teams’ ambitions in their respective leagues include upgrading to the Champions League for next season while maintaining interest in the Europa League. &nbsp;Patrick Helmes will be the key figure as he tries to convince manager Jupp Heynkces that he deserves more than spot starts up front with Stefan Kießling. &nbsp;Helmes will likely start for Leverkusen after his hat trick guided the boys from the Rhine to an easy 4-0 win over Rosenborg on Matchday 1.
Atlético Madrid will need to sharpen their European game after they played distracted in their 0-1 loss at Aris in their opening match of the group stage. &nbsp;Los colchoneros might have had an eye on the following match against Barcelona when they lost to Aris, and with a key match against Sevilla this upcoming weekend, Atlético will fight those same demons to stay on the path and focus on a strong German team that looks like a serious contender for the Europa League trophy come May.
Sept. 30
Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla – 12:55 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)
Villarreal vs. Club Brugge – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 482 (482-1 for HD)
Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen – 3:00 PM on Gol TV HD
Unfortunately, the BSC Young Boys – Getafe match at the Stade de Suisse will not be shown on US TV.

La Liga European Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Matchday 2: Sept. 28 &#8211; Sept. 30

La Liga European Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Matchday 2: Sept. 28 - Sept. 30 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga European Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Matchday 2: Sept. 28 – Sept. 30

<div id="attachment_3570" style="width: 514px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/09/Castle-of-Santa-Barbara.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3570" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3570 " src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/09/Castle-of-Santa-Barbara.jpg" alt="" width="504" height="378"></figure></div></a>The Castle of Santa Bárbara, standing sentry on top of a mountain peak in the center of Alicante, finds it origins in the 9th century during Arab rule.</div>
La Liga clubs spent a week on vacation after the opening round of fixtures because of the international FIFA date, although for Real Madrid and Barcelona, many of their players were on international duty. &nbsp;In particular, ten players from Barcelona and six players from Real Madrid traveled to Buenos Aires midweek for the Argentina – Spain friendly. &nbsp;No one will feel sorry for them, especially the teams they will face this weekend.
Hércules, promoted from the Segunda División this season, made huge splashes in the transfer market, if not by outrageous sums of money but by well-known, veteran footballers. &nbsp;David Trezeguet from Juventus, Nelson Haedo Valdez from Borussia Dortmund, and Royston Drenthe from Real Madrid signed for the Alicante club because they believe in the Hércules&nbsp;project, headed by chairman and renowned builder Valentín Botella and manager Esteban Vigo.

Although they lost a tight 0-1 match at home against Athletic Bilbao in Round 1, none of their star signings played in the match, and Fernando Llorente’s goal from a set-piece at the beginning of the second half was due to a defensive mistake that Esteban Vigo adamantly stated would never happen again. &nbsp;They will travel up the Mediterranean coast to Barcelona into the cauldron of the Camp Nou for the early Saturday night kickoff, and even though no one expects them to pull off an astonishing upset, the experience of the new transfers should help in alleviating the anxieties of the majority of the Hércules players who have never played in front of such a large crowd.
Other intriguing matches this weekend include Osasuna visiting the Santiago Bernabéu where they nearly derailed Real Madrid’s chances of catching Barcelona at the tail end of the season when they took two different leads against Los Merengues but failed to secure any points when Cristiano Ronaldo headed his second goal of the match to pull Madrid out of the fire and earn the 3-2 win.
Athletic Bilbao hosts the hottest team in La Liga, Atlético Madrid, in the late Saturday kickoff. &nbsp;Atlético deservedly captured the UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan, and three days later, with many of the same players that started against Inter, crushed Sporting Gijón 4-0 to top the table after Jornada 1. &nbsp;José Jurado, in what turned out to be his farewell match for the club, scored the opening goal in the eleventh minute, and after he came off in the 78th minute for Simão Sabrosa, the crowd at the Vicente Calderón gave Jurado a standing ovation because they knew he would be leaving. &nbsp;He finalized a deal the following day to join Schalke 04 for €13 million, joining Christoph Metzelder and Raúl from Real Madrid to the Gelsenkirchen outfit.
The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Sept. 11
Valencia vs. Racing de Santander – 11:45 on DirecTV channel 477
FC Barcelona vs. Hércules – 11:55 AM on Gol TV HD
Real Madrid vs. Osasuna – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Athletic Bilbao vs. Atlético Madrid – 3:55 PM on Gol TV HD
Sept. 12
Sporting Gijón vs. Mallorca – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 477
Real Zaragoza vs. Málaga – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Villarreal vs. Espanyol – 12:55 PM on Gol TV HD
Sevilla vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Sept. 13
Almería vs. Real Sociedad – 2:55 PM on DirecTV channel 477
Unfortunately, the Getafe – Levante match at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez will not be shown on US TV.
UEFA Champions League
The group stage of the UEFA Champions League proper commences in this coming midweek, and Spain will only have three participants at this point of the competition for the first time since 2006. &nbsp;Barcelona will host Panathinaikos on Tuesday night in a match that will see Panathinaikos play conservatively and on the counter-attack. &nbsp;Surpise Turkish Süper Lig champions Bursaspor will welcome a new-look Valencia that no longer has David Villa, David Silva, or Carlos Marchena among others but has brought in Mehmet Topal from Galatasaray, the 24-year-old defensive midfielder that&nbsp;has played against Bursaspor in his time in Istanbul, and a&nbsp;new strike force in Roberto Soldado and Aritz Aduriz.
Wednesday evening pits two of the most successful teams in UEFA Champions League/European Cup history as nine-time winners Real Madrid hosts four-time winners Ajax at the Santiago Bernabéu. &nbsp;Both teams will want to recapture past glories as neither has been relevant in this competition for a few years. &nbsp;Real Madrid has not advanced past the first knockout round since 2004, and Ajax has not been in the group stage of the Champions League since 2006 and has not earned their way to the quarterfinals since 2003.
Sept. 14
FC Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español and DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)
Bursaspor vs. Valencia – 2:30 PM on DirecTV channel 484 (484-1 for HD)
Sept. 15
Real Madrid vs. Ajax – 2:30 PM on Fox Sports en Español (delayed at 5:00 PM on Fox Soccer Channel HD)
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League also commences in the midweek, and title holders Atlético Madrid will fly to the Greek coast in Thessaloniki to face Aris Salonika and La Liga veteran coach Héctor Cúper, whose last job in Spain was with Real Betis in the 2007-08 season when he was sacked in December of that season.
In one of the most engaging matches of the opening group stage fixtures, Sevilla hosts Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. &nbsp;After the humiliation of taking the parachute to the Europa League at the hands of Sporting Braga in the UEFA Champions League playoff round, Sevilla enters a competition where they have been quite successful, winning consecutive UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007. &nbsp;Manager Antonio Álvarez’s leash has become shorter and shorter, and any negative results in the next month or two could lead to his immediate firing.
Note: DirecTV has not set their schedule for the first collection of group stage matches, but as soon as they do, this column will be updated as soon as possible.
Sept. 16
Aris Salonika vs. Atlético Madrid – 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 481 (481-1 for HD)
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Villarreal – 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 483 (483-1 for HD)
Getafe vs. Odense – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 487 (487-1 for HD)
Sevilla vs. Paris Saint-Germain – 3:00 PM on Gol TV HD

La Liga Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Jornada 2: Sept. 11 &#8211; Sept. 16

La Liga Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Jornada 2: Sept. 11 - Sept. 16 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Preview and U.S. T.V. Listings for Jornada 2: Sept. 11 – Sept. 16

Fox <div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2542" src="/files/2010/06/foxfoxfox-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300"></figure></div>Sports have extended their exclusive rights to the Serie A through 2012. Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer&nbsp;Plus and Fox Sports en Español today announced the joint renewal of exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to Italy’s Serie A for the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons. This is a great announcement for Italian footbal because the Italian Serie A has fallen behind the Premiership and La Liga. Not only will this help promote the Serie A in America, but it will also help promote soccer in America.
Through this deal, Fox Soccer Channel will include up to three live matches each weekend in high definition, one on saturdays and two on sundays. Not only this, but Fox Soccer Channel will be showing midweek fixtures when scheduled, and all of these matches with extensive english coverage. Fox Soccer Plus have also gotten one exclusive Saturday and one exclusive Sunday English language window per week, in high definition. And finally Fox Sports en Español features exclusive Spanish language broadcasts of a minimum of three live matches each week during the Serie A.
With all this, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer&nbsp;Plus combined will air about 187 games in high definition per season, Fox Sports en Español also has access to 187 matches per season. All three networks will also retain the rights to weekly 30-minute Serie A preview and review shows. In addition, a selection of live and on-demand Serie A matches will be streamed each week through Fox Soccer Channel’s broadband video service Foxsoccer.tv. So thanks to Fox Sports, we’ll be seeing plenty of Serie A next season in glorious high definition where available.
This is a fantastic announcement which will hopefully boost fans of the Serie A in America, hopefully raising the profile of the league compared to La Liga and The Premiership. Fox have strategically done this right after the 2010 South Africa World Cup, many people will have just seen a fantastic display of soccer at the World Cup and will be craving for more. Hopefully all those people who saw the World Cup will also begin to pay more attention to Serie A and other leagues from around the world.

Fox Soccer Channel Renew Serie A rights

Fox Soccer Channel Renew Serie A rights - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_3250" style="width: 482px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/04/Plaça-Catalunya3.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3250" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3250" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/04/Plaça-Catalunya3.jpg" alt="" width="472" height="214"></figure></div></a>The Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona&apos;s city center links old Barcelona with modern Barcelona.</div>
La Liga heads down the home stretch with five matches remaining, and Jornada 34 is littered with matches between the top and the bottom of the table.
FC Barcelona hosts Xerez at the Camp Nou in the early Saturday kickoff, and both teams are running opposite of their position in the standings.&nbsp; Despite propping the ladder and laying six points away from relegation safety, Xerez has only lost one of their last seven contests, and they are playing with a vigor and desperation that has inspired a group of players that seemed resigned to dropping to the Segunda División as late as a couple of months ago.
As for Barcelona, Espanyol frustrated them in El Derbi Barceloní 0-0 last weekend, and then Inter Milan struck them with an unexpected upper-cut on Tuesday with a 3-1 upending of the current European champions.&nbsp;&nbsp; Normally, the discussion about a Barcelona – Xerez matchup would center on how wide the final margin would be in favor of Barça, but the excellent form of Xerez combined with the “stumbling” and possibly unfocused Blaugrana side with the second leg of the Champions League semifinal in mid-week should create an intriguing juxtaposition between two drastically different teams.

Barcelona’s championship rivals Real Madrid travel to Aragon and encounter a Real Zaragoza team that needs to earn a few more points to disassociate themselves from the relegation fight.&nbsp; Los Blancos took advantage of Barcelona’s slip at Espanyol when they defeated Valencia 2-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, and they sit one point behind the Catalans, prowling the landscape like a hungry wolf spying on its prey.&nbsp; They cannot take Zaragoza lightly, however, because they have shared the points with Zaragoza in their last three matches at La Romareda, and if Real does not win their final five matches, any hope of snagging La Liga from Barcelona will be in vain.
Real Zaragoza comes into their match with Real Madrid in decent form, losing only one of their last five, including two draws against Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca and a 3-0 drubbing of Valencia.&nbsp; Six points away from the magic forty point tally, José Aurelio Gay and his band of winter signings have turned Zaragoza’s fortunes around in the second half of the season.&nbsp; Zaragoza gave a late scare to Barcelona at La Romareda in March, nearly overcoming a 0-3 deficit, and adding their anger from their 6-0 humiliation at Madrid earlier in the season, revenge will be in the forefront in the minds of the Zaragoza players on Saturday night.
Of all the teams in the relegation scrap, Málaga has done the least to ascend from the fight.&nbsp; Winless in their last six matches, they visit the fortress known as the ONO Estadi on Sunday afternoon to meet a confident Mallorca side.&nbsp; Mallorca continues to battle Sevilla for the final Champions League spot, and their fourteen for sixteen haul at home has been the surprise package of La Liga this season.&nbsp; With Tenerife playing an Atlético Madrid team that could care less about their five remaining La Liga fixtures, Málaga will likely find themselves in the bottom three unless they can pull a monumental upset in Mallorca.
The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Note: ESPN 360 has rebranded itself as ESPN3.
Apr. 24
FC Barcelona vs. Xerez – 11:55 AM on Gol TV
Real Zaragoza vs. Real Madrid – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Valencia vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 3:55 PM on Gol TV
Apr. 25
Almería vs. Espanyol – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456
Mallorca vs. Málaga – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457
Racing de Santander vs. Villarreal – 10:55 AM on Gol TV
Atlético Madrid vs. Tenerife – 12:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Getafe vs. Sevilla – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3
Apr. 26
Osasuna vs. Athletic Bilbao – 2:55 PM on DirecTV channel 456
Unfortunately, the crucial bottom of the table clash between Sporting Gijón and Real Valladolid at El Molinón will not be shown on US TV.
UEFA Champions League
Barcelona finds itself requiring a multi-goal win over Inter Milan to advance to the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid on May 22.&nbsp; José Mourinho’s team made Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández look pedestrian, and Inter took advantage of Barça’s normally efficient and effective back four.
As per usual after a loss, Barça had plenty to say about the referee and their opposition after the match.&nbsp; This trait mars a truly historical team, who does not need to fall into this blame game nearly every time they fail to win.&nbsp; Pedro Rodríguez complained how referee Olegário Benquerença interrupted the match with too many fouls, Sergio Busquets claimed that Barcelona dominated the match despite the scoreline, and the leader of the excuses, Xavi, reportedly shouted at Mourinho how Inter’s win was partly due to Benquerença’s bias for Mourinho since they are both Portuguese.
Excuses aside, Barcelona will feel confident inviting their Italian adversaries to the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.&nbsp; Even though they will expect Mourinho to keep the match at 0-0 for its entirety, the power of the Culés in the massive 98,000 stadium and Barça’s constant offensive pressure will test Inter Milan’s nerve and resolve to its outstretched ends.&nbsp; The fate of Serie A in the Champions League for future years rests on Internazionale.
The German Bundesliga is on Serie A’s tail in the UEFA league coefficient, and with Bayern Munich and Hamburg fighting for European finals in the Champions League and the Europa League, the Bundesliga has a decent chance of replacing Serie A as the third-ranked league in Europe, thus earning four Champions League berths.&nbsp; Serie A will lose one of their Champions League places if the league falls in the ranking to fourth, so not only the Inter die-hards of the Curva Nord will support Inter but all of Italy.
Apr. 27
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Bayern Munich – 2:30 PM on FSN HD and Fox Sports en Español (Lyon 0 – 1 Bayern Munich after the first leg)
Apr. 28
FC Barcelona vs. Inter Milan – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español (Barcelona 1 – 3 Inter Milan after the first leg)
UEFA Europa League
Atlético Madrid threw in the towel in La Liga many weeks ago, so their focus gazed upon their domestic and European cup exploits.&nbsp; Atleti will face Sevilla in the final of the Copa del Rey, and through the first leg of the Europa League semifinal, they hold a tenuous 1-0 lead over Liverpool as they travel to Anfield on Thursday evening.
The volcanic ash spewing out from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland forced Liverpool to recreate their own version of the Steve Martin and John Candy comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to reach Madrid, and while the Reds made no excuses about their journey to the Spanish capital, their ponderous and lethargic performance against Atlético Madrid would suggest that their travels directly affected their play.
Luckily for Liverpool, Atlético could not capitalize on most of their chances.&nbsp; Los Colchoneros felt the absence of Sergio Agüero due to suspension, as even Diego Forlán’s goal was a product of a mishit from a few yards away.&nbsp; Former Atlético players Maxi Rodríguez and native son Fernando Torres were unable to play for Liverpool, the former cup-tied and the latter due to knee problems, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard created little inspiration as the match flew by with little consequence at either end of the pitch.
How typical for Atlético Madrid.&nbsp; If they had won by two or more goals, it would have denied their fans, Los Colchoneros, to self-loathe and pessimistically look to the future.&nbsp; Bottle the angst of the pre-2004 Boston Red Sox fans and the “lovable loser” moniker of the Chicago Cubs fans, shake it up with fury, and the football piety of Atlético Madrid supporters fizzes out.&nbsp; And they would not want it any other way.
Apr. 29
Liverpool vs. Atlético Madrid – 2:55 PM on Gol TV (Liverpool 0 – 1 Atlético Madrid after the first leg)
Fulham vs. Hamburg – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 461 (461-1 for HD) (8:00 PM on delay on Gol TV) (Fulham 0 – 0 Hamburg after the first leg)

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 34: Apr. 24 &#8211; Apr. 29

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 34: Apr. 24 - Apr. 29 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 34: Apr. 24 – Apr. 29

<div id="attachment_3043" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/03/Bellver-Castle.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3043" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3043" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/03/Bellver-Castle.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375"></figure></div></a>The Bellver Castle in Palma de Mallorca is the only circular style castle in Spain.</div>
After a mid-week round of fixtures, there is no rest for the weary as another slate of weekend matches comes much more quickly than they would earlier in the year.&nbsp; This last quarter of the year becomes a war of attrition, and those who consistently stay fit will reap the benefits as they take advantage of those squads that cannot keep their core players on the pitch.
Mallorca’s latest foe to challenge their home superiority comes in the form of FC Barcelona.&nbsp; Los Barralets will not fear their closest neighbors, as the Blaugrana stands between them and three vital points in the islanders’ aspirations for European football.&nbsp; Pep Guardiola will not let his team wander their minds toward its trip to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday.&nbsp; Again in the position to post their results before Real Madrid, Barça will want to add more pressure to Los Blancos when Real Madrid plays in the late Sunday kickoff.

In that late Sunday kickoff, Real Madrid will host Atlético Madrid in El Derbi madrileño.&nbsp; Recently, the rivalry has been in name only, as Atlético Madrid has not defeated Real Madrid in over ten years.&nbsp; In one of those statistical oddities, since Los Colchoneros returned to the top flight in 2002, they forced a draw at the Santiago Bernabéu in every other year.&nbsp; If the pattern persists, then Atlético should lose on Sunday, but this Atleti team has defied any logical reasoning or explanation this season.
While Atlético Madrid also has a Europa League match against Valencia on Thursday, they will not look ahead to that match when the preceding game is against their eternal enemies.&nbsp; If they were facing a Real Valladolid or some other team at the bottom end of the table, Atlético Madrid would have likely waned in their concentration, but the double incentive of defeating their arch rivals as well as knocking them from the top of the table will give them an extra impetus to be the only team to conquer both Barcelona and Real Madrid this season.
At the other end of the league, Xerez invites Real Valladolid to El Chapín in a pivotal relegation six-pointer.&nbsp; Valladolid has only won once in 2010, but that win came two weeks ago against Deportivo La Coruña.&nbsp; With their 0-0 draw against Espanyol on Wednesday night, Valladolid currently rides a two-match unbeaten streak, a significant event for this team.&nbsp; Only two points from safety, La Pucela could salvage a putrid season by starting with a triumph over Xerez.
Xerez has earned eight points in their last five matches, only three less than they gathered in their first twenty-three games.&nbsp; Momo and Mario Bermejo, who scored twenty-nine goals between them in the Segunda División last season, are finally delivering the goals for Xerez in the top-flight, and their goalkeeper Renan, who is on loan from Valencia, has kept them from conceding many more goals.&nbsp; Seven points behind Real Zaragoza for relegation survival with ten matches remaining is not the largest hill to climb, and while Xerez does not control their own destiny, the execrable play of the clubs ahead of them gives Xerez more than a strand of hope of pulling off the impossible.
The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Mar. 27
Mallorca vs. FC Barcelona – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Real Zaragoza vs. Valencia – 4:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Mar. 28
Espanyol vs. Sporting Gijón – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456
Osasuna vs. Almería – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457
Xerez vs. Real Valladolid – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Deportivo La Coruña vs. Getafe – 10:55 AM on Gol TV
Villarreal vs. Sevilla – 12:55 PM on Gol TV
Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid – 2:55 PM on Gol TV
Mar. 29
Athletic Bilbao vs. Racing Santander – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456
Unfortunately, the Málaga – Tenerife matchup at La Romareda will not be shown on US TV.
UEFA Champions League
Barcelona and Arsenal were drawn to face each other in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and this rematch of the 2006 Champions League final pits two teams that thrive on maintaining possession and forcing their opposition to chase them around for the whole match.&nbsp; The interesting question will be which team will hold the majority of possession and what that ratio will be.
If Barcelona has any weakness, they sometimes have trouble breaking down highly organized and disciplined defenses, e.g., Rubin Kazan, Chelsea, and Osasuna.&nbsp; Arsenal’s defensive philosophy definitely does not fall into that category.&nbsp; Arsenal expects to hold the edge in possession in every match they play, but chances are that Barça will win that battle.&nbsp; If Arsenal can adjust to this and work more on the counter-attack, even at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, the north London club has a great opportunity to knock out the current European champions, but if Arsène Wenger sticks to his philosophy and tries to out-Barça Barcelona, expect a two-legged rout.
Mar. 30
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United – 2:30 PM on FSN HD and Fox Sports en Español
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Bordeaux – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel
Mar. 31
Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español
Inter Milan vs. CSKA Moskva – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Plus (5:00 on delay on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español)
UEFA Europa League
With three different countries each having two teams in the final eight of the Europa League, there was a better than fifty percent chance that a matchup between two teams from the same country would occur.&nbsp; While the two English and two German teams avoided each other in the quarterfinal, there will be an all-Spanish affair in one of the quarterfinals between Atlético Madrid and Valencia.
Both coaches lamented facing each other at this stage of the tournament, but Unai Emery and Quique Sánchez Flores agreed that this meeting benefited La Liga because there will definitely be one Spanish team in the semifinals.
Valencia has been the more consistent team all year, and they have David Villa leading the line, the best and most dangerous player between the two teams.&nbsp; In their two meetings in La Liga, however, Atlético Madrid had the upper hand.&nbsp; In the first match, Valencia gave up a stoppage time equalizer to Maxi Rodríguez, and Los Colchoneros earned a point at the Mestalla.&nbsp; In the second meeting, Atleti thrashed Los Che 4-1, which included a straight red card for Carlos Marchena because he imitated his of goalkeeper César Sanchez by slapping the ball away from Sergio Kun Agüero in the penalty box.
The edge in this matchup actually goes to Atlético Madrid because of their cup pedigree this year.&nbsp; They have made the final of the Copa del Rey along with reaching the quarterfinals of the Europa League, and they seem to focus and play better when they face tougher competition.&nbsp; Against the likes of Málaga, Almería, and other teams at the bottom half of La Liga, Atlético almost acts as though those matches are not important enough to give their full effort.&nbsp; Against an upper echelon team like Valencia in a knockout situation, Los Rojiblancos will likely rise to the occasion, and Valencia needs to match this intensity if they want to reach the semifinals of the Europa League.
Apr. 1
Fulham vs. Wolfsburg – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 463 (463-1 for HD)
Standard Liège vs. Hamburg – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 464 (464-1 for HD)
Liverpool vs. Benfica – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 462 (462-1 for HD) (8:00 PM on delay on Gol TV)
Atlético Madrid vs. Valencia – 2:55 PM on Gol TV

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 29: Mar. 27 &#8211; Apr. 1

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 29: Mar. 27 - Apr. 1 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 29: Mar. 27 – Apr. 1

<div id="attachment_2816" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/02/El-Teide.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2816" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2816" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/02/El-Teide.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="335"></figure></div></a>Snow-capped El Teide in Tenerife, the highest point in Spain and the highest point in the Atlantic Ocean.</div>
The obvious surprising result of the previous round was Atlético Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona to hand the Catalunyan champions their first loss in La Liga this season.&nbsp; If analyzed deeper, however, Barça’s defeat at the hands of Los Colchoneros becomes less of a shocker.
Historically, Atleti had a respectable record against Barcelona in Madrid, the boys from the capital play to the level of their competition (which frustrates their fans when they get blown out by lower clubs like Málaga and Recreativo Huelva), and Barcelona was ravaged by injuries and suspensions to the point where Josep Guardiola employed winger Jeffren Suárez at right back. The blaugrana were never going to march through the whole season without a loss, and losing at place where they always struggled would be better than falling to a team they own.
Real Madrid cares not a single iota about Barça’s injury problems, as their less than impressive performance against Xerez still profited a 0-3 road victory.&nbsp; They climbed to within two points of their eternal rivals, but in the late Sunday kickoff, Los Blancos face a Villarreal club that is hard to predict.&nbsp; Much like Atlético Madrid this season, the Yellow Submarine plays with a sublime nature in one game, as they did against Barcelona at the beginning of 2010, and in another match, the Villarreal “B” team, who currently lies sixth in the Segunda División, deserves to be playing in the top flight over the senior team.
The most important match of the weekend in terms of final placement will occur on the island of Mallorca.&nbsp; Mallorca hopes to extended their 100% home record in La Liga when they host Sevilla in the late Saturday kickoff.&nbsp; Both continue to tussle for the final Champions League spot, and with Sevilla winning their first meeting in September 2-0, Mallorca needs to win by a higher margin to overtake Sevilla in the tiebreaker should they be equal on points at the end of the season.&nbsp; Unlike in some leagues, where goal difference over the whole season is the first criterium in settling a tie in points, La Liga uses the head-to-head tiebreaker to determine who lies ahead in the table.
The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Feb. 20
Deportivo La Coruña vs. Xerez – 11:55 AM on Gol TV
FC Barcelona vs. Racing Santander – 1:55 PM on Gol TV
Mallorca vs. Sevilla – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Feb. 21
Athletic Bilbao vs. Tenerife – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456
Málaga vs. Espanyol – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457
Real Zaragoza vs. Sporting Gijón – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 458
Almería vs. Atlético Madrid – 12:55 PM on Gol TV
Real Madrid vs. Villarreal – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Feb. 22
Valencia vs. Getafe – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Unfortunately, the Osasuna – Real Valladolid match at El Reyno de Navarra will not be shown on US TV.
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid’s performance against Lyon on Tuesday was not poor, but give credit to the Ligue 1 side, who tactically and strategically played the match to perfection.&nbsp; Real maintained possession more than 60% of the time, but the chances they created were few and far between, whereas Lyon had many fewer opportunities, but those they fashioned were of high quality, highlighted by Jean Makoun’s Champions League goal of the week, a thirty-yard missile to the top left corner of the goal.
The other two Spanish teams left in the competition, Barcelona and Sevilla, will kickoff their first legs in the Round of 16 next week.&nbsp; They will be considered heavy favorites to advance into the next round against Stuttgart and CSKA Moskva, respectively.&nbsp; Stuttgart steadily improved from a disastrous start to the season, but defeating Barcelona over two legs may be a chore they are not ready to handle at this point.&nbsp; As for CSKA Moskva, they have not played a competitive match since the Russian Premier League season ended in late November.&nbsp; Sevilla has no idea what kind of team they will face at the Luzhniki Stadium, and CSKA may not know either.&nbsp; On paper, this looks to be the least appetizing of the four Champions League ties, but the uncertainty of both teams may lead to the tightest of the four matches.
Feb. 23
Olympiakos vs. Girondins de Bordeaux – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel (5:00 PM on delay on Setanta Sports)
Stuttgart vs. FC Barcelona – 2:30 PM on FSN HD and Fox Sports en Español
Feb. 24
CSKA Moskva vs. Sevilla – 12:15 PM on Setanta Sports (5:00 PM on delay on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español)
Inter Milan vs. Chelsea – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español
UEFA Europa League
A mediocre week for all of the Spanish teams in European competitions, the four La Liga teams in the Europa League face deficits coming into their second legs next Thursday.&nbsp; Athletic Bilbao surged in the second half of their match against Anderlecht and should have taken a league to Belgium, but a lack of finishing touch by Fernando Llorente and company forces the Basques to score in Brussels in order to advance to the next round.
Atlético Madrid played the most complete football of the Spanish teams in Europe this week, but when David de Gea was forced to leave the game due to injury, Sergio Asenjo, the deposed number one goalkeeper, came in and gave the shaky performance that caused him to be benched.&nbsp; Hesitation cost him at his near post, as he conceded an acute-angled equalizer to Abdul Kader Keita late in the match.&nbsp; As they head into “Hell,” as the Galatasaray supporters call the Ali Sami Yen Stadium, there is good news for Atlético fans in that David de Gea may be available for the second leg on Thursday, although he will likely be out for their domestic match against Almería.
Valencia and Villarreal were also average, but these two teams may be the ones that have the best chance to overturn their ties.&nbsp; For Valencia, they return to the Mestalla with a mere one-goal deficit.&nbsp; While they do not have a stellar home record in La Liga, they have not lost in four home matches in the Europa League, and they have the ability to score in bunches.&nbsp; As for Villarreal, their inconsistency can benefit them when they travel to the Volkswagen Arena.&nbsp; Wolfsburg has only won three out of eleven matches at home in the Bundesliga, and Villarreal has the experience of playing in contentious road European ties.
Feb. 25
Anderlecht vs. Athletic Bilbao – 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 467 (467-1 for HD) (Anderlecht 1-1 Athletic Bilbao after the first leg)
Galatasaray vs. Atlético Madrid – 1:00 PM on Gol TV (Galatasaray 1-1 Atlético Madrid after the first leg)
Valencia vs. Club Brugge – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 465 (465-1 for HD) (Valencia 0-1 Club Brugge after the first leg)
Wolfsburg vs. Villarreal – 3:00 PM on DirecTV channel 463 (463-1 for HD) (Wolfsburg 2-2 Villarreal after the first leg)

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 23: Feb. 20 &#8211; Feb. 22

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 23: Feb. 20 - Feb. 22 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Preview and US TV Listings for Jornada 23: Feb. 20 – Feb. 22

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/televisa-logo.png" alt="televisa-logo.PNG" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>Just when you thought there weren’t enough room for another soccer network, <a href="http://www.televisa.com/index_eng.html" target="_blank">Televisa</a> will soon be launching Planeta Futbol. The new network, for Spanish-speaking countries, will feature the Premier League, Mexican tournament matches and La Liga.
Planeta Futbol will be available through foreign cable and satellite providers. According to <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989638.html?categoryid=14&amp;cs=1" target="_blank">Variety</a>, “[The network] will almost certainly include entrance into U.S. markets, where the most obvious competition lies with the Spanish-language Fox Sports en Espanol and the Fox Soccer Channel. Planteta Futbol would essentially merge these two concepts into one.”
Fox Sports en Espanol, Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV will want to keep a close eye on Televisa. The Mexican firm is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world.

Televisa Launches New Soccer Network, Planeta Futbol

Televisa Launches New Soccer Network, Planeta Futbol - World Soccer Talk

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