Man United vs Liverpool, Milan Derby headline top live matches to watch on January 22-28, 2021

Konula: TV Schedules, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, FA Cup, Coppa Italia, La Liga, Serie A, English Premier League

Man United vs Liverpool, Southampton vs Arsenal, Inter Milan vs AC Milan, Schalke vs Bayern Munich, and Tottenham vs Liverpool are just a few of the must-watch games to make our list.

Domestic cups dominate this week's schedule, with Milan Derby in the Coppa Italia and Man United vs Liverpool in the FA Cup headed our way

Soccer fans usually wait till the weekend for exciting matches, but this week is different, with several exciting games being scheduled for Friday, January 22. One of the standout fixtures is Borussia M'gladbach vs Dortmund as Die Fohlen look to make up ground in the table when they host Haaland and Co. PSG, who are in a three-way battle with Lille and Lyon for the Ligue 1 title, kick off Matchday 21 in the French top-flight by welcoming 11th-placed Montpellier while FIFA Women's World Cup champions USWNT return to the pitch for their second game of 2021, taking on Colombia in an international friendly at 7 PM ET live on ESPN 2.

Over to club soccer, several of Europe's top teams will be in action over the weekend, with the focus over the next seven days being on domestic cup competitions. From Saturday to Monday, England's heavyweights will be in action in the FA Cup, starting off with defending champions Arsenal and their away show vs Southampton. ESPN+ will broadcast this game live for fans in the USA as the Gunners kick off round 4 with their trip to St. Mary's Stadium having won five of their last six fixtures.

The likes of Man City, Chelsea, and Tottenham will be facing lower-league sides Cheltenham Town, Luton Town, and Wycombe Wanderers, respectively. The Citizens and Spurs head into their fixtures on the back of EPL wins while Lampard's men will be keen on returning to form after a disappointing 2-0 loss to Leicester in the English top-flight.

All eyes will be on Sunday's highly-anticipated showdown between Man United and Liverpool. England's two biggest clubs will lock horns at Old Trafford at 12 PM ET live on ESPN+, with a spot in the FA Cup last 16 being at stake. These two teams faced off in the Premier League not too long ago, with the Merseyside giants failing to break down the Red Devils at Anfield. It will be interesting to see how this fixture plays out given that Klopp's side are the away team this time around. Salah and Co. head into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley and on the back of a five-game winless run in the league. Solskjaer's side, on the other hand, are top of the league, boasting a 13-match unbeaten streak (W10, D3). Do not miss this showdown.

Burnley handed Liverpool a surprise 1-0 defeat, bringing an end to their 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield

Burnley, Liverpool, Anfield, English Premier League

The Coppa Italia will commence over the midweek, with two games in particular standing out. Juventus, fresh off their 2-0 Supercoppa Italia victory over Napoli, will host SPAL in the quarter-final. However, the box-office fixture is Inter Milan vs AC Milan as Conte's men prepare to reignite their rivalry with the Serie A leaders. The last time these two Milan giants faced off, the Rossoneri emerged triumphant, winning 2-1 thanks to a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Elsewhere, Atalanta and Lazio will battle it out for a spot in the semis.

AC Milan vs Atalanta, Tottenham vs Liverpool the standout league fixtures set to take place throughout the next seven days

There will be several thrilling league fixtures in Europe throughout the next seven days despite the aforementioned cup action. The focus will be on the Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga this weekend, with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich – they face Schalke on Sunday live on ESPN+ – taking to the field in their respective top-flights.

The Rossoneri will take on Atalanta live on ESPN+, Fanatiz USA, and Rai Italia Nord America in what should be a tough test for the league leaders. Inter Milan, who are now only three points behind their city rivals, face Udinese with the hope of catching up with Zlatan and Co. should the table-toppers slip up in their tricky fixture. Juventus, having recently lifted the Supercoppa Italiana, will host Bologna with the sole aim of returning to winning ways in Serie A.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will be in action over the weekend, with Los Blancos facing Deportivo Alaves on Saturday. Zidane's men head into this clash on the back of their embarrassing Copa del Rey defeat to Alcoyano, thus stretching their winless run to three games. The Catalan giants, on the other hand, enjoyed a 2-0 victory in the King's Cup but are still reeling from their 3-2 Supercopa de Espana final defeat to Athletic Club. Lionel Messi was sent off in that fixture, his first-ever red card in club football, and will thus miss this match due to a two-match ban. Spanish top-flight leaders Atletico will be in action in the final game on Sunday, taking on Valencia live on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports in what should be an interesting encounter.

Real Madrid will be without Zidane in the dugout after the French boss tested positive for COVID-19

Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid, COVID-19, La Liga

The Premier League campaign will resume during the midweek, with the Crystal Palace vs West Ham United and Newcastle vs Leeds simultaneous 2 PM kick-offs ushering in Matchweek 20. Man City will be visiting West Brom at 3:15 PM ET on Tuesday as they strive to continue their impressive winning streak while Arsenal will be making the trip to St Mary's Stadium once again, locking horns with Southampton for the second time in the span of four days.

League leaders Man United host a struggling and relegation-battling Shefield while Chelsea welcome Wolves to the Stamford Bridge having won only twice in their last eight league fixtures. All eyes will be on Thursday's showdown between Tottenham and Liverpool, with UNIVERSO, NBC Sports, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo airing this game for fans in the United States. The Merseyside giants have failed to win their last five league matches and have thus lost tremendous ground in their title defense. Having been top of the league not too long ago, Klopp's men now sit in fourth, boasting a mere point advantage over Spurs despite playing a game extra. Victory over the Reds would take Spurs into the top four and would be sweet revenge for the heartbreaking 2-1 defeat they suffered at Anfield.

Top matches in women's soccer

The FA Women's Super League will carry on as usual, with third-placed Arsenal gearing up for an interesting derby against West Ham. The Gunners, who are three points behind joint leaders Chelsea and Man United, kick off the upcoming round and will be keen on a win over their London rivals. Fellow north London side Tottenham will also be in action, locking horns with fifth-placed Everton on Sunday. Both games will be broadcast live on NBC Sports.

Key headlines from the word of football

Cristiano becomes the all-time leading goalscorer in football history

Juventus' 2-0 win over Napoli was a sweet game for Cristiano. Not only did it see the Portuguese ace add another title to his trophy cabinet, but the 35-year-old also made history once more, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in football history. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted the opening goal, his 760th strike, to clinch this amazing feat.

Cristiano officially surpassed Josef Bican as football's all-time leading scorer

Cristiano Ronaldo, 760 goals, Juventus, Napoli, Supercoppa Italiana

Messi slapped with two-match ban after Supercopa de Espana red card

After picking up his first-ever red card in a Barcelona shirt, Lionel Messi was subsequently slapped with a two-game ban. This ruled him out of their Copa del Rey encounter with Cornella and their league clash with Elche. Ironically, the Argentine will make his return in the upcoming top-flight encounter with Athletic Club.

Messi slapped with a two-match ban. Was his punishment too lenient?

Lionel Messi, Ban, Supercopa de Espana, Athletic Club, Barcelona