Soccer Weekend: Chelsea Meet Arsenal in Battle of The Disappointing
By Ty Duffy
The first round of Champions League fixtures is in the metaphorical books, with one wonder strike etched in the collective soccer memory. This weekend, we return to the domestic leagues. Beyond a choice few, it’s not the greatest set of fixtures.
More interesting is the world player’s union, FIFPro, filing a lawsuit against FIFA to overhaul the transfer system. The most significant reform: getting rid of transfer fees. The EPL alone spent more than $1.3 billion in the last window.
Matches To Watch
Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Arsene vs. Jose. The Professor vs. The Special One. Chelsea are off to an abysmal start, with four points from five matches. Arsenal have been a comparatively moderate disappointment. The Gunners are in 4th place with 10 points. But, after declining to sign a striker, they’ve scored only five goals. Will one of these clubs get off their duffs and challenge Man City for the title?
Huge narrative swing midweek. Chelsea stomped Maccabi Haifa 4-0 at home in Champions League. Arsenal fell 2-1 away at Dinamo Zagreb. An away trip to Eastern Europe is tougher than playing an Israeli club at home. But, never let complicating facts get in the way of a narrative swing.
Man City vs. West Ham: Manchester City have been the EPL’s best team, winning all five matches by an 11-0 margin. West Ham, under new, hard rocking manager Slaven Bilic, have been, perhaps, the league’s most surprising team. They are in 5th place, with three wins. They have also scored 11 goals.
Chievo vs. Inter Milan: Italy’s top two teams, after three matches, square off in a title race six-pointer. Inter Milan have won all three matches. Chievo have outscored opponents 8-2. But, the Flying Donkeys are keeping their eye on the prize: avoiding relegation. Not going to pretend that’s enough to rouse normal folk at 6:30am ET on a Sunday, but, as we said it’s a light weekend.
" .@IanWright0 fires back with a joke at @GaryLineker‘s resemblance to the @ChampionsLeague trophy. #UCL http://t.co/cX3FQMwHnx — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) September 16, 2015 "
Full TV Schedule
PREMIER LEAGUE
Chelsea vs. Arsenal [Sat 7:45am – NBCSN]
Swansea vs. Everton [Sat 10:00am – NBCSN]
Man City vs. West Ham [Sat 12:30pm – NBCSN]
Spurs vs. Crystal Palace [Sun 8:30am – USA]
Southampton vs. Manchester United [Sun 11:00am – NBCSN]
Liverpool vs. Norwich [Sun 11:00am – USA]
PRIMERA LIGA
Real Madrid vs. Granada [Sat 10:00am – beIN Sports]
Barcelona vs. Levante [Sun 2:30pm – beIN Sports]
BUNDESLIGA
Mainz 05 vs. Hoffenheim [Fri 2:30pm – FS1]
Darmstadt vs. Bayern Munich [Sat 9:30am – FS1]
Wolfsburg vs. Hertha Berlin [Sat 9:30am – FS2]
Koln vs. Monchengladbach [Sat 9:30am – FSP]
Stuttgart vs. Schalke [Sun 9:30am – FS1]
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen [Sun 11:30am – FS2]
Augsburg vs. Hannover [Sun 11:30am – FSP]
SERIE A
A.C. Milan vs. Palermo [Sat 2:45pm – beIN Sports]
Chievo vs. Inter Milan [Sun 6:30am – beIN Sports]
LIGUE UN
Reims vs. PSG [Sat 11:30am – beIN Sports]
Monaco vs. Lorient [Sun 11:00am – beIN Sports]
[Getty]