League play continues ahead of the winter break
French Cup action means some rare opportunities to catch USMNT Ligue 1 players for those without access to the league matches through beIN. There are once again injuries that are popping up and impacting what to watch but here’s what we have our eyes on this weekend:
Friday
Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Monchengladbach – 2:30p on ESPN Select: Gio Reyna and Joe Scally will face off against Reyna’s old team on Friday afternoon. BVB are in third place in the Bundesliga and tied on points with second place RB Leipzig but already nine points back of Bayern Munich as the race for the league title seems like it’s nearly finished already though we’re not yet at the midway point in the season. Gio Reyna got his second straight start last weekend but Gladbach fell to Wolfsburg, snapping a five match unbeaten streak. Gladbach are now in eleventh place in the Bundesliga heading into their Friday match.
Saturday
Augsburg v Werder Bremen – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Augsburg fell to Frankfurt 1-0 last weekend after Noahkai Banks had his match tying goal called back due to offsides. Augsburg have had yo-yo results the past five matches, alternating wins and losses, so should be due for a win this weekend as they face Werder Bremen.
Koln v Union Berlin – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Kristoffer Lund came off the bench last weekend and played 17’ as Koln fell to Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 with the second goal coming just after Lund was on the field. Interestingly, Lund came on and played a more advanced role as an injury substitute for winger Said El Mala.
Bournemouth v Burnley – 10a on Peacock: Tyler Adams will be out for 2-3 months due to the MCL injury sustained early in Bournemouth’s 4-4 draw with Manchester United. Bournemouth will take a back seat in the viewing guide until Adams nears a return.
RB Leipzig v Bayer Leverkusen – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen defeated Koln 2-0 last weekend to snap their brief two match loosing streak. They remain in fourth place and can catch second place RB Leipzig in the standings this weekend with a win.
Juventus v Roma – 2:45p on Paramount+: Weston McKennie and Juventus defeated Bologna 1-0 to move to fifth in the Serie A table last weekend. They now host fourth place Roma with a chance to make up more ground though they won’t be able to cover the entire four point gap, even with a win.
Leeds United v Crystal Palace – 3p on USA Network: Brenden Aaronson looks to have fallen into a substitute role for Leeds United, as he hasn’t started in the teams last four matches. Leeds are in seventeenth place, just three points out of relegation and will face off against Chris Richards and fifth place Crystal Palace who fell to Man City 3-0 last weekend.
Sunday
Utrecht v PSV – 6:15a on ESPN Select: The espresso match of the weekend sees Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi and PSV travelling to eighth place Utrecht early Sunday morning. Pepi started his third straight match last Saturday and scored for the third straight match as well while Dest added an assist in the 4-3 victory over Heracles.
Girona v Atletico Madrid – 8a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso was back on the bench for Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Unfortunately Cardoso has just one appearance since late August as he has dealt with injury.
Auxerre v Monaco – 8:45a on FS2: Folarin Balogun’s Monaco will face Auxerre in French Cup action on Sunday morning. Auxerre are a fellow league one side so it’s no weekend off for Monaco in a cup match if they’re looking to advance.
Bourg en Bresse v Olympique Marseille- 8:45a on Fox Soccer Plus: Tim Weah’s Marseille on the other hand will be facing third tier Bourg en Bresse in the French Cup so it wouldn’t be surprising if the squad seems some rotation.
Mainz v St. Pauli – 9:30a on ESPN Select: James Sands and St. Pauli snapped their ten match winless streak with a 2-1 win over Heidenheim last weekend. The victory over Heidenheim pulled the two teams level on eleven points, both within the relegation zone. St. Pauli has a second straight relegation six-pointer as they face last place Mainz on Sunday. They won’t be able to take anything for granted though as Mainz is coming off a midweek victory in Conference League play and the team held Bayern Munich to a draw in league action last week.
Genoa v Atalanta – 2:45p on Paramount+: Yunus Musah saw 24’ minutes off the bench last weekend in Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Cagliari. The minutes equaled Musah’s minutes across his teams last nine matches combined. Atalanta were up 1-0 when Musah would enter the match and Cagliari were able to tie it up nine minutes later but Gianluca Scamacca would score his second goal of the match in the 81st minute as Atalanta would regain the lead and claim all three points.
Category: General Sports
