Weekend Soccer Preview

Another edition of the Weekend Soccer Preview!
As always, home team listed first, all times Eastern. Click on the league name to see the league table.

Game of the Week (Rankings from Poll)
11:00 ET Sunday (English Premier League)
(7) Arsenal v (T5) Manchester United
This is a massive match of two of the top three teams in what has turned into a three-horse race in the English Premier League. Manchester United is a point off Chelsea in second, while Arsenal is just one back of United in third. Manchester United will likely go with the 4-5-1/4-3-3 once again with Nani (or Park Ji-Sung), Antonio Valencia, and Wayne Rooney up top to offer pace and the high-performing Darren Fletcher-Michael Carrick-Anderson combination behind them in the midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that this is a vitally important match for United so expect them to come out attacking, and if there are goals early it will be a high-flying game that will be a thrill for all fans to watch.
16:00 ET Saturday (Spain’s La Liga)
(T21) Deportivo La Coruna v (4) Real Madrid
Real Madrid sits in 2nd and Deportivo La Coruna in 5th in La Liga, 5 and 15 points respectively behind leaders Barcelona. Deportivo is in a tight battle with Mallorca and Sevilla for 4th place and a Champions League spot as the three are separated by a mere point. Real Madrid will be without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who was given a 2-match ban after he was sent off for elbowing Patrick Mtiliga in the face against Malaga last weekend. That will hamper Madrid’s attempt to win for the first time at Deportivo La Coruna since 91-92, according to club legend Fran who claims, “I think it would be difficult with Cristiano (In Madrid’s team), but if he doesn’t play then the curse will continue; they will go away empty-handed once more. I have faith in Depor.” Madrid will also be without Pepe, top scorer Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Mahamadou Diarra and Fernando Gago.
Prediction: Deportivo La Coruna 2-2 Real Madrid

English Premier League
10:00 ET Saturday
Birmingham v (T11) Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: Birmingham 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham v (18) Aston Villa
Prediction: Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa
Hull City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: Hull City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool v Bolton
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Bolton
West Ham United v Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: West Ham United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Wigan v Everton
Prediction: Wigan 1-2 Everton
12:30 ET Saturday
Burnley v (2) Chelsea
Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Chelsea
8:30 ET Sunday
(T13) Manchester City v Portsmouth
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Portsmouth
11:00 ET Sunday
(7) Arsenal v (T5) Manchester United
Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United

Scottish Premier League
7:30 ET Saturday
Hamilton Academical v Celtic
10:00 ET Saturday
Rangers v Falkirk

Spain’s La Liga
12:00 ET Saturday
Espanyol v Athletic Bilbao
14:00 ET Saturday
Sporting Gijon v (1) Barcelona
16:00 ET Saturday
(T21) Deportivo La Coruna v (4) Real Madrid
11:00 ET Sunday
Villarreal v Osasuna
Xerez v Mallorca
13:00 ET Sunday
Atletico Madrid v Malaga
15:00 ET Sunday
Sevilla FC v (9) Valencia

Italy’s Serie A
14:45 ET Saturday
(T21) Napoli v Genoa
9:00 ET Sunday
(T5) AC Milan v Livorno
(16) AS Roma v Siena
Cagliari v Fiorentina
Parma v (3) Inter Milan
14:45 ET Sunday
Juventus v Lazio

German Bundesliga
14:30 ET Friday
Hamburg SV v VfL Wolfsburg
9:30 ET Saturday
(T11) Bayern Munich v Mainz
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen
(17) Schalke 04 v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Borussia Dortmund
11:30 ET Sunday
(10) Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg

French Ligue 1
13:00 ET Saturday
(8) Bordeaux v Boulogne
Le Mans v Toulouse
Lille v Lens
15:00 ET Saturday
Montpellier v (24) Marseille
11:00 ET Sunday
AJ Auxerre v St. Etienne
15:00 ET Sunday
(25) Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain

Dutch Eredivisie
13:45 ET Saturday
AZ Alkmaar v FC Groningen
14:45 ET Saturday
ADO Den Haag v Heerenveen
6:30 ET Sunday
Feyenoord Rotterdam v (19) Ajax Amsterdam
8:30 ET Sunday
(15) Twente Enschede v Roda JC Kerkrade
Vitetsse Arnhem v (T13) PSV Eindhoven

Portuguese Liga
15:45 ET Friday
(21) Braga v Sporting Lisbon
12:00 ET Saturday
CD Nacional de Madeira v FC Porto
14:15 ET Saturday
(20) Benfica v Guimaraes

Turkish Super League
13:00 ET Friday
Antalyaspor v Besiktas
8:00 ET Sunday
Sivasspor v Fenerbahce
12:00 ET Sunday
Denizlispor v Galatasaray

Greek Super League
9:45 ET Sunday
Panionios v Olympiakos
12:00 ET Sunday
Panathinaikos v AEK Athens

Belgian Jupiler League
14:30 ET Friday
Germinal Beerschot v Anderlecht
14:30 ET Sunday
Standard Liege v KV Kortrijk

African Cup of Nations
In the semi-finals, Egypt embarrassed eight-man Algeria 4-0 and Ghana squeaked by a tough Nigerian team 1-0. Egypt and Ghana will meet up in the finals at 11:00 ET on Sunday.