What to Watch this Week: Friday, September 27 to Monday, September 30, 2024
It’s already the end of September! Time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s certainly the case when following the soccer action across the biggest leagues in the world. Hopefully my recommendations can help you find the best of the best to watch!
Note that times are listed in Eastern and Pacific standard times and broadcasting/streaming information applies to the United States.
The Good
Alaves 2–1 Sevilla
With 10 points in their first 6 games, Alaves are looking decent this season. Sevilla continue to struggle but Dodi Lukebakio’s goal was impressive.
Juventus 0–0 Napoli
Two strong teams locked horns but couldn’t take the chances to come out winners in Antonio Conte’s return to Turin. Juventus will be the happier to take the point given stamina issues from their midweek UCL commitment. Napoli have to take advantage going forward since they aren’t in European football this season.
Real Madrid 4–1 Espanyol
Don’t let the scoreline fool you: Real Madrid got Espanyol’s best effort and the visitor got a shock 1–0 lead. Los Blancos flipped a switch and played some dazzling football to turn things around from there and keep pace with Barcelona for the title race.
Columbus Crew 4–3 Orlando City
Columbus may have led all the way but Orlando put up a good fight and contributed to a 7 goal thriller.
Las Vegas Lights 2–1 Sacramento Republic
Las Vegas Lights took care of business against a formidable, and potentially future playoff, opponent to solidify their position in the standings.
Leverkusen 4–3 Wolfsburg
You’ll never believe it: Bayer Leverkusen scored a game-winner in second half added time! We’ve seen this movie before, but neutrals stay grabbing the popcorn every time. Another classic!
Manchester City 2–2 Arsenal
John Stones rescued a point as Arsenal overcame adversity in a controversial sending-off (once again this season) getting a 2–1 lead in the first half. The two title contending titans remain locked into the race for the trophy, which is the best part for neutrals.
Inter Milan 1–2 AC Milan
A well executed free kick delivery from Tijjani Reijnders set up Mattia Gabbia’s headed goal to decide the Milan Derby. That should kick start AC Milan’s season!
Atalanta 2–3 Como
I normally write these articles on Tuesdays, which ended up working out as this game originally scheduled for Monday was postponed until Tuesday. In any case, Como was able to come into Atalanta’s stadium under tough conditions and get a crucial victory to breathe life into their campaign.
The Bad
West Ham 0–3 Chelsea
Once against West Ham, congratulations on winning the transfer window. But so far what has it really gotten you?
The Mixed Bag
Cagliari 0–2 Empoli
Credit to Empoli for going unbeaten in their first five Serie A fixtures in their club history. Empoli look like a club worth watching, but the same can’t be said for Cagliari.
Bremen 0–5 Bayern
Bayern Munich have scored 20 goals in their last 3 games. That’s cool, but that’s about it in terms of neutral intrigue.
This was a pretty solid week. Whether you agree or disagree, please let me know!
Friday, September 27
12 pm P/3 pm E Real Valladolid (17th/5 pts) vs Mallorca (11th/8 pts) ESPN+
With Dortmund and AC Milan at home against inferior opposition, the default option is Real Valladolid vs Mallorca in terms of an even matchup. Real Valladolid will look to bounce back from a 2–1 loss to Sevilla but Mallorca beat Sevilla’s crosstown rivals Real Betis by that same scoreline. Portuguese midfield engine Samu was at the heart of that Mallorca effort.
Saturday, September 28
6:30 am P/9:30 am E Gladbach (14th/3 pts) vs Union Berlin (6th/8 pts) ESPN+
Julian Weigl’s Borussia Monchengladbach will welcome Union Berlin to Borussia Park albeit with the home side’s offense struggling. Union Berlin’s steady rise atop the German football food chain peaked in 2022–23 with a 4th place Bundesliga finish. They crashed down to 15th in 2023–24, but are looking more the part of the European challenging outfit from two seasons ago. Jeong Woo-yeong coming off injured last time out will be a blow to Union, but the resurgence of former USA international Jordan Pefok is coming at a great time.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E Bayern (1st/12 pts) vs Leverkusen (2nd/9 pts) ESPN+
We got a heavyweight fight in the Premier League last weekend. Now it’s the Bundesliga’s turn! Bayer Leverkusen answered the bell for people wanting anyone but Bayern to finally with a Bundesliga title. After 11 consecutive seasons as Bundesliga champions, Bayern’s reign may have come to an end, but they are seeking vengeance. Harry Kane and company are scoring goals in video game fashion. Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface will be needed in a potential goalfest.
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E Bologna (13th/6 pts) vs Atalanta (9th/6 pts) Paramount+
The two Italian clubs that enjoy crashing the party of Italy’s elite clubs go head-to-head in this fixture. The conveyor belt of young attacking talent in Bologna didn’t end with Joshua Zirkzee as 20-year-old Santiago Castro shined in their away victory over Monza. Atalanta’s attackers such as Charles de Ketelaere will hope for a better showing here, but with one less day of rest due to their matchup against Como being weather delayed.
4:30 pm P/7:30 pm E New York Red Bulls (4th/44 pts) vs New York City (7th/41 pts) Apple TV MLS Season Pass
Lewis Morgan and Emil Forsberg vs Santiago Rodriguez and Hannes Wolf set the stage for a thrilling prospect in this Hudson River Derby. If either New York club is hoping for MLS Cup glory, they’ll likely have to go through the other to make it happen. They could meet in the playoffs, but this matchup should still have a playoff atmosphere.
7:30 pm P/10:30 pm E Seattle Sounders (6th/47 pts) vs Houston Dynamo (5th/48 pts) Apple TV MLS Season Pass
From the East Coast to the West Coast, Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo will have similar importance in clarifying the playoff picture in the final stages of the MLS Regular Season. Seattle Sounders under Sigi Schmid and featuring mainstays like Jordan Morris can never be written off in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, it’s been a while since the Houston Dynamo have been viewed as legitimate playoff threats. A midfield powered by Adalberto Carrasquilla even with Hector Herrera sidelined until mid October with a hamstring injury is the main reason why H-Town is in the mix.
Sunday, September 29
6 am P/9 am E Roma (10th/6 pts) vs Venezia (17th/4 pts) Paramount+
Roma is under new management as Daniele De Rossi failed to make the grade, so in comes Ivan Juric to get the Giallorossi playing at a higher level. The early signs are promising as Juric led his side to a 3–0 win over Udinese, with the only negative being captain Lorenzo Pellegrini picking up an injury. Gianluca Busio and Joel Pohjanpalo’s goals powered Venezia to a 2–0 win over Genoa as Venezia will be in for a difficult season to stay up. They come in good form and should give Roma a challenge.
8:30 am P/11:30 am E Man Utd (11th/7 pts) vs Tottenham (10th/7 pts) Telemundo/USA
Time for the contenders to rise and the pretenders to fall. The pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag and Ange Postecoglu, as well as several of their key players such as Marcus Rashford and Dejan Kulusevski to raise their game. If Tottenham come into Old Trafford, a venue once feared but now one consistently breached by visitors, and beat Manchester United, it’ll confirm that the Red Devils still have a long way to go.
12 pm P/3 pm E Atletico Madrid (4th/12 pts) vs Real Madrid (2nd/14 pts) ESPN+
Familiar heroes such as Antoine Griezmann, Koke, and Jose Giménez have been the focal point of Diego Simeone’s side’s bright start to the season. You could argue a similar case for Carlo Ancelotti’s set up as Vinicius Junior is now a mainstay for Los Blancos, but young players such as Endrick and new arrival Kylian Mbappe (although it was announced Wednesday he’ll be sidelined for 3 weeks) are frequently impressing as well. This is the biggest game of the weekend, and that’s no small feat considering Bayern and Leverkusen square off the day before.
5:30 pm P/8:30 pm E Sacramento Republic (3rd/44 pts) vs New Mexico United (1st/57 pts) ESPN2/ESPN+
With all due respect to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (1 point ahead of the Sacramento Republic but having played a game more), this matchup features the two best clubs in the USL Championship’s Western Conference. New Mexico United’s status is undisputed with their 12 point lead at the top. Winger Florian Valot and midfielder Tommy McCabe are some of the key figures in the Land of Enchantment. As for Sacramento Republic, their talisman Kieran Phillips is capable of scoring even with a single chance. This potential Western Conference Final preview is one you won’t want to miss.
Monday, September 30th
12 pm P/3 pm E Villarreal (5th/21 pts) vs Las Palmas (20th/2 pts) ESPN+
The Yellow Submarine’s next mission is to take care of business in this trap game against Las Palmas. Villarreal have done well this season besides a tough 5–1 loss to Barcelona, but hey, many teams will experience a similar result against a La Liga title contender. This season is about getting Villarreal back to Europe, possibly the Champions League, and the likes of Alex Baena and Yeremi Pino on the wings can make it happen. Nicolas Pepe is also reviving his career on the Spanish southeast coast. Las Palmas are fighting hard for their first win of the season and if their compact shape makes life easier for Jasper Cillessen in goal, they could steal a result.
Midweek Lightning Round (All Games on Paramount+)
Champions League
Tuesday, October 1st
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Stuttgart vs Sparta Prague
12 pm P/3 pm E Arsenal vs Paris Saint-Germain
Wednesday, October 2nd
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta
12 pm P/3 pm E Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich
Thursday, October 3rd
Europa League
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Lazio vs Nice
12 pm P/3 pm E Porto vs Manchester United
Conference League
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Legia Warsaw vs Real Betis
12 pm P/3 pm E Chelsea vs Gent
I hope you enjoyed these previews and recommendations, and I look forward to watching them and talking to you about these games! Reach out on Twitter @IvanOrnelas2 and instagram at ivanthewriter95.
