West Ham vs Man City and UEFA Super Cup headline top live matches to watch on August 5-11, 2022

Top games to watch this week

Friday, August 5

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (English Premier League)

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern (Bundesliga)

Benfica vs Arouca (Primeira Liga)

Lyon vs Ajaccio (Ligue 1)

Saturday, August 6

Fulham vs Liverpool (English Premier League)

Tottenham vs Southampton (English Premier League)

Everton vs Chelsea (English Premier League)

Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)

Porto vs Maritimo (Primeira Liga)

Clermont vs PSG (Ligue 1)

Inter vs Villarreal (Friendly)

Cincinnati vs Philadelphia Union (MLS)

Columbus vs New York City (MLS)

DC United vs New York RB (MLS)

Real Salt Lake vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)

Sunday, August 7

Manchester United vs Brighton (English Premier League)

West Ham vs Man City (English Premier League)

Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)

Sporting Braga vs Sporting CP (Primeira Liga)

Marseille vs Reims (Ligue 1)

San Diego Wave vs Kansas City Current (NWSL)

Chicago Red Stars vs NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL)

Barcelona vs Pumas UNAM (Joan Gamper Trophy)

Tuesday, August 9

Viktoria Plzen vs Sheriff (UEFA Champions League)

PSV vs Monaco (UEFA Champions League)

Rangers vs Union Saint-Gilloise (UEFA Champions League)

Midtjylland vs Benfica (UEFA Champions League)

Flamengo vs Corinthians (Copa Libertadores)

Wednesday, August 10

Real Madrid vs Eintracht Frankfurt (UEFA Super Cup)

Talleres Córdoba vs Vélez Sarsfield (Copa Libertadores)

Palmeiras vs Atlético Mineiro (Copa Libertadores)

MLS All Stars vs Liga MX All Stars (MLS All Star Game)

Germany U20 vs Colombia U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

New Zealand U20 vs Mexico U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Spain U20 vs Brazil U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Costa Rica U20 vs Australia U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Washington Spirit vs Portland Thorns (NWSL)

Thursday, August 11

Estudiantes vs Athletico-PR (Copa Libertadores)

Ghana U20 vs USA U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Japan U20 vs Netherlands U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

France U20 vs Nigeria U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Canada U20 vs Korea Republic U20 (FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup)

Most-watched football games in the United States in July 25-31, 2022

The end of this summer's football activity came with a historic result, especially for women's football fans who witnessed England's UEFA Euro triumph over Germany. Not only did they win the crown, but they were also watched by a bit over a million fans in the United States, considering both the English and Spanish broadcast.

The title clash for the Women's Euro was followed by the roller-coaster ride of a game between Minnesota and Portland, which concluded in an exciting 4-4 draw. With these numbers, the MLS returned to the top three after missing out last week due to several international friendlies.

Speaking of those, one more international clash claimed the third place in this ranking thanks to the clash between Real Madrid and Liga MX's América. The game was watched by over 600,000 fans across the United States, giving testament to the popularity these teams enjoy in this country.

Several top leagues will return to action this weekend, which will give us some interesting matches to keep an eye on. But before that happens, let us have a look at the numbers last week brought us in terms of football games.

What are this week's must-watch games?

The 2022/23 Premier League season kicks off as Palace vs Arsenal and West Ham vs Man City headline Matchweek 1

The Premier League is finally back! The 2022/23 season of the English top-flight kicks off on Friday, with Arsenal visiting Crystal Palace at 3 p.m. (live on USA Network, UNIVERSO, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, fuboTV, Sling TV, and SiriusXM FC) in the opening game. After a brilliant summer transfer window that saw the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join, and a brilliant pre-season, Arteta's men will be aiming for a victorious start to the campaign. However, they will have to overcome their recent hoodoo at Selhurst Park.

That London derby isn't the only interesting game taking place in round one. Chelsea visit Everton in the midst of their turbulent summer while Liverpool take on newly-promoted Fulham. Erik ten Hag makes his Premier League debut with a tricky showdown against Brighton but the clash of the weekend is undoubtedly West Ham vs Man City. This fixture, live on Peacock and SiriusXM FC this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, could see Erling Haaland get his debut as the defending champions look to bounce back from their recent Community Shield defeat.

The Bundesliga also returns as Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich and Dortmund vs Leverkusen kick off the 2022/23 season

The Premier League isn't the only major European top-flight on the brink of returning as the 2022/23 Bundesliga season kicks off on Friday as well, with none other than defending champions Bayern Munich getting things underway. Nagelsmann's side commence the new campaign with a tricky trip to Eintracht Frankfurt, last season's UEFA Europa League winners. With Robert Lewandowski gone and Sadio Mane having arrived, the Bavarians will be in for some adjustment and will make for an exciting watch.

Germany's other top dog Dortmund will also be in for an interesting game, with Edin Terzić's side taking on Leverkusen. BVB finished second last term while Die Werkself were in third, only five points behind. These two will likely be Bayern's biggest nemeses. Catch both showdowns live ESPN+.

Real Madrid vs Frankfurt live this Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup at 3 p.m. ET on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, and fuboTV

While Real Madrid are the reigning kings of Europe, the Spanish giants are yet to claim the UEFA Super Cup, with the UEFA Champions League winners set to face off against the Europa League champions this midweek in an interesting showdown. Standing in Los Blancos' way is Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Rangers on penalties in the Europa League final last season. The Germans will face Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga first before their showdown with Benzema and Co., meaning this will be a tough week for Die Adler.

Club football takes center stage in the women's category, as the domestic tournaments will once again become the reference for good games to keep an eye on this weekend. Nevertheless, fans around the globe must keep an eye on the U-20 FIFA World Cup set to begin in Costa Rica next week, with the presence of former champions and some up and coming teams.

The national team competition will surely give fans something to talk about, but the return of the NWSL and the Mexican top-flight will keep everyone busy before the global tournament begins. Fans will get a glimpse of the players that could become stars in the near future, which will always be interesting for anyone who has fallen in love with this sport.

Without further ado, let's have a look at what the beautiful game will offer in terms of women's football matches.

2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

National team football will get no rest regarding women's football, as the interesting U-20 Women's World Cup is set to begin next week. The competition was scheduled to be played in 2020, but it was re-scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament will be played by sixteen teams, including Japan, Germany, and the USWNT, three teams that have previously won the title in this category.

The groups for this competition were drawn as follows:

Group A - Costa Rica (hosts), Australia, Spain, Brazil

Group B - Germany, Colombia, New Zealand, Mexico

Group C - France, Nigeria, Canada, Korea Republic

Group D - Japan, Netherlands, Ghana, United States

Here are the games that are set to be played in the next seven days.

• Germany U20 vs Colombia U20

• New Zealand U20 vs Mexico U20

• Spain U20 vs Brazil U20

• Costa Rica U20 vs Australia U20

• Ghana U20 vs USA U20

• Japan U20 vs Netherlands U20

• France U20 vs Nigeria U20

• Canada U20 vs Korea Republic U20

2022 NWSL season

The North American competition returns to action with lots of interesting games to watch, starting with one more game featuring the San Diego Wave, who claimed a huge win last week against the Chicago Red Stars, and will try to follow suit with a victory against the Kansas City Current, one of the teams in contention for a spot in the playoffs and which could represent a true challenge for the league leaders. 

Regarding the teams chasing the leaders, the Portland Thorns will be one of the teams with an early kick-off during the weekend when they host the North Carolina Courage, who are the least successful team this season.

Liga MX Femenil: Apertura 2022 season

The Mexican top-flight continues with Guadalajara trying to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament, with five other clubs five points behind them. This week, Chivas will host Toluca in one of the most interesting matches that are set to take place in coming days. Other matches to keep an eye on include León against América and UNAM hosting San Luis.

For more details on games, standings, and news, visit our dedicated women's soccer page at LiveSoccerTV.com.

Biggest stories of the week

Ten Hag slams Cristiano after leaving Old Trafford before full-time during Man Utd friendly

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga sadly continues to drag on, with the latest development being the player's actions during their recently friendly at home to Rayo Vallecano.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has informed the Red Devils of his desire to leave the club this summer, made the headlines after he was pictured leaving Old Trafford early during their clash with the Spanish side. The Portuguese ace was named in the lineup but after being subbed off shortly after the break, the striker decided to depart the stadium prematurely instead of waiting until full-time.

This sparked controversy as fans were unsure whether the iconic striker exhibited a public display of unprofessionalism or whether the 37-year-old had permission from his employers to head out early. We have finally received that answer from the manager himself and it doesn't paint a pretty picture of Ronaldo.

Ten Hag spoke to Viaplay about this matter and admitted that he condemns his players for this "unacceptable" move, all but admitting that Ronaldo did not have the green light from his boss. And even more interestingly, as pointed out in the previous sentence, there were others who followed suit, refusing to wait until the end of the game before heading out of the Theatre of Dreams.

"There were many more who went home. I certainly don't condone this. This is not acceptable. For everyone. I tell them that it's unacceptable. That we are a team, a squad. And that you should stay until the end," was the former Ajax tactician's message.

While clarity has been offered by the manager in regards to this issue, it remains uncertain whether Ronaldo will be a Manchester United player or not come the end of the summer transfer window. The attacker is pushing for an exit in the hope of securing UEFA Champions League football this upcoming season, as Manchester United failed to finish in the top four last term, but no top European side has shown interest in the legend so far.

There have been links with Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Chelsea but all three have turned down the opportunity to sign one of the greatest footballers in history. The Red Devils, meanwhile, are eyeing a move for RB Salzburg sensation Benjamin Šeško but need to find a resolution for the Cristiano debacle first before mounting a bid.

Lionel Messi closes in on Dani Alves' record as PSG secure Trophee des Champions

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi is closing in on Dani Alves' record for the most trophies won by a single individual in history after inspiring his side to a Trophee des Champions win on Sunday. The 35-year-old Argentine forward got on the scoresheet as Les Parisians beat reigning Coupe de France winners Nantes by four goals to nil in Tel Aviv, Israel.

In the absence of Kylian Mbappe, Messi and Neymar showed glimpses of their readiness for the season, holding down the fort and firing PSG to victory. Neymar scored twice, both from dead-ball situations, while Messi got on the scoresheet after rounding the goalkeeper and finishing with his weaker right foot from a tight angle. In between the former Barcelona teammates' feat, Sergio Ramos scored brilliant back-heel goal.

In retrospect, it is a positive start to the Christopher Galtier era at PSG, with the former Lille and Nice manager securing his first title in his first competitive game in charge of  the French giants. His side's talisman, Lionel Messi, will also be particularly fond of the night's victory. The trophy win in Tel Aviv put his career trophy count to 41, indicating that he needs just one more title to tie with former teammate Dani Alves as the most-decorated footballer in history.

The Trophée des Champions is the second trophy won by Messi since completing his switch to Paris from Barcelona last season. The Argentine already has a Ligue 1 title to his name and is targeting UEFA Champions League success with PSG this season.

Napoli president says he won't sign Africans unless they skip AFCON, Koulibaly issues classy response

Despite being an entertaining continental tournament beloved by many fans of the beautiful game, the Africa Cup of Nations remains a contentious competition to some as it is often held during the club season.

For example, the recent edition of AFCON, which was won by Senegal, was staged from January to February earlier this year, meaning some of the best players in the world departed their clubs to represent their national teams. While this is a situation most managers simply cope with, Jurgen Klopp being one after witnessing both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool at the start of this year, Napoli president has angered several fans after taking a hardline stance on this issue.

During an event on Wall Street Italia, Aurelio De Laurentiis opened up about his frustrations with the Africa Cup of Nations, stating that he will not sign another African player for the Serie A giants unless they agree on paper to skip the tournament. 

"I told them lads, don't talk to me about Africans anymore!" the 73-year-old angrily confessed, as per Football Italia.

"I love them, but either they sign something confirming they'll back out of playing the Africa Cup of Nations, or otherwise between that tournament, the World Cup qualifiers in South America, these players are never available!

"We are the idiots who pay salaries only to send them all over the world playing for others."

While De Laurentiis argued that he did not have an issue with African players themselves, this did not spare him from getting criticism from Kalidou Koulibaly, his former center-back. The Chelsea ace, who captained the Lions of Teranga to their recent AFCON glory, slammed the Napoli executive for his lack of respect for African nations but also eloquently stated that the president's opinion is not one that reflects the stance of Koulibaly's beloved ex-club and the city of Naples.

"It's up to him. For me, the most important thing is to respect everybody. I always respect everybody. When I played there I was playing also for Senegal, and I won AFCON when I was playing at Napoli," the 31-year-old is quoted as saying by Football Italia.

"It's true it was a difficult moment for them when we went to AFCON, but we won it and I'm really happy today. We have to respect the national teams also. You cannot speak about an African national team like this, I think. 

"You have to have respect as you have for the other national teams. As captain of Senegal, I think it's not a good way to speak about an African national team, but I respect what he thinks. If he thinks the team can play without African players, it's up to him.

"But I think not everyone in the club has the same idea as him. I know everybody over there, I know the supporters and the supporters don't think like this. 

"It's up to him, but it's not an idea of the society of the city, because the city is really respectful. This is what he thinks, not what the city is thinking or the society is thinking."

Pochettino aims jibe at PSG as he speaks truth about his time with the French side

Losing your job despite winning a title can't be easy, but Mauricio Pochettino's insight on what has gone wrong at PSG over the past few years could be key to understand the kind of pressure he was subject to when he was in charge of the French club.

In an interview with Argentine website Infobae, the former footballer discussed the circumstances that led to his sacking with the club, a moment he used to aim a slight dig at his former employers.

According to Pochettino, the French team's approach of firing coaches if they fail to deliver the UEFA Champions League has not been adequate, especially since they have not cared about any improvements the team has shown under a specific coach, causing the club to start fresh almost every season and making it more complicated to win the ultimate prize.

"It's just that there are teams that trust on a long-term project, such as Manchester City or Liverpool, and that gives you a better chance (to win titles). I have always compared such scenarios. We led PSG to the Ligue 1 title with a 15-point difference, but we lost to Real Madrid and we knew we were in trouble," Pochettino stated.

The coach went on and compared PSG to Manchester City, a team that has never spared no expense while trying to give Guardiola the needed tools to win international titles regardless of their failure to do so.

"(Manchester) City were eliminated by Real Madrid with three goals in five minutes, but next week they bought Haaland and gave the coach a chance to reinvent himself, to look for options to win the Premier League, such as PSG won the French league. It's just that every project is different," Pochettino said.

Then, Pochettino stopped holding back and revealed he knew right from the start that he was going to be fired if he did not deliver the UEFA Champions League title.

"Manchester City have trusted a manager for seven years, but at PSG you have to get there and win immediately. And you have to win the Champions League, not the domestic tournament. It is different and I accepted to do so. When we were hired by PSG we knew we had to win the Champions League if we wanted to keep that job," Pochettino added.

The former Spurs tactician was fired by PSG weeks after being crowned Ligue 1 champions for the tenth time in club history, but just like Thomas Tuchel and other top-caliber coaches, not being able to deliver the top prize in European football was enough to see them leaving the club regardless of the team's performances.

Other key headlines from the world of football

TRANSFER TALK: Juventus reportedly keen on signing Liverpool star

Last season saw Firmino score just five league goals in 20 overall appearances in the Premier League, with 10 of those coming as starts. And with Liverpool having spent big to sign Darwin Nunez, the 30-year-old might be open to a move elsewhere to get his career back on track.

Juventus are one side that have been linked with his services, and Tuttosport claims that the Bianconeri have already tabled a bid of $23.5 million (€23 million/£19.5 million) that the Reds are apparently "considering". However, it is likely that La Vecchia Signora might have to modify their offer in order for the two sides to come to some sort of agreement before the transfer window closes in just over a month's time.

After all, from Liverpool's perspective, they have already seen one major player depart, with Mane moving to Bayern, and while Firmino has not been an outright starter lately, they may decide to hang on to him as a back-up option as the Reds will again be involved in multiple competitions this season.

Miss the World Cup or risk a potential career-ending injury? Pogba makes tough choice for treatment

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has decided on whether he will have surgery on an injured knee with the World Cup just three months away. The 29-year-old France international has opted against missing the mundial and is set to be out of action for five week after choosing an alternative treatment in place of having a surgery.

Pogba was diagnosed with a lesion of the lateral meniscus in his right knee after suffering a sprain in pre-season training in America. The World Cup winner had earlier made an unofficial debut for Juventus in their 2-0 victory over Guadalajara following his return to the club from Manchester United this summer.

Last week, French publication Foot National confirmed the player's plight and revealed that he was set to make the call as to whether or not he will go under the knife to repair the injury. A surgery would have seen him spend the next four months recuperating. Although Juventus' preferred option for the player was the aforementioned, his desire to help France in their World Cup title defense in Qatar has resulted in Pogba choosing other treatments.

Official: Arsenal name their new permanent captain 

Premier League giants Arsenal had been without a permanent captain for quite some time. After former striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the armband back in December, the club opted against naming his successor, with then vice-captain Alexandre Lacazette temporarily assuming the role.

And with the French striker having left over the summer for a return to Lyon, the armband was up for grabs, with fans wondering who their next skipper will be. The north London heavyweights have finally named the man who will officially assume this role, and to no one's surprise, it is none other than Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian ace has quickly become a fan favorite among Gooners after joining the club on a permanent deal last summer, having initially enjoyed a lovely six-month loan spell in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign. In fact, the former Real Madrid playmaker has worn the armband a number of times already, deputizing in this role last season during the absence of both Lacazette and Tierney while captaining Mikel Arteta's side in their brilliant 4-0 pre-season victory over Chelsea.