MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports, Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, will telecast live and exclusive top soccer action from the English Premier League and the Spanish Football league this weekend. The leading sports network will showcase its proprietary properties Premiership Saturday and Super Sunday showcasing top class action from the world’s best football leagues.
On Sunday, Manchester United host archrivals Newcastle United on what is being billed as the game of the week. Newcastle United has never recorded a Premier League victory at Old Trafford, but the fixture has by no means been a walk in the park for Manchester United over the years. In the past, out of three matches, the Red Devils have recorded two victories while drawing once.
And, with Chelsea yet to find their best form, the signs are that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will have to be in top gear all season if they are to end a three-year wait to win the league. At present, Chelsea leads the field with 15 points while Portsmouth and Man United have 13 each.
In other matches, on Saturday, Liverpool takes on the Bolton Wanderers; Arsenal plays with Charlton Athletic while Chelsea is matched against Aston Villa. On Sunday, Portsmouth plays Tottenham Hotspur with the race heating up for the top spot in the League. The Gunners’s coach Wenger, who celebrated 10 years with the club last Thursday, will use all the tricks up his sleeve to improve Arsenal’s current standing of ninth in the table. After their 3-0 win over Sheffield United, all of a sudden Arsenal looked like world beaters again, in stark contrast to the languid displays they produced in their previous home games in the Premiership against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.
In the Primera Liga, reigning double Spanish champions Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga despite being held to a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp by Valencia. They now play Athletic Club Bilbao on Sunday in what is expected to be a ‘walk in the park’ for them. Real Madrid will be looking to build on their midweek success and create some gap between title rivals Barcelona and Valencia.
Catch all the action Live and exclusive on ESPN Star Sports this weekend
English Premier League
| Date | Fixture | Time | Channel |
| 30-Sep-06 | Bolton Wanderers Vs Liverpool (L | 17:10 | ESPN |
| 30-Sep-06 | Charlton Athletic Vs Arsenal (L) | 19:25 | ESPN |
| 30-Sep-06 | Chelsea Vs Aston Villa (L) | 19:25 | STAR Sports |
| 30-Sep-06 | Everton Vs Manchester City (S) | 22:00 | ESPN |
| 01-Oct-06 | Manchester United Vs Newcastle United (L) | 19:24 | ESPN |
| 01-Oct-06 | West Ham United Vs Reading (S) | 23:30 | STAR Sports |
Spanish Football League
| Date | Fixture | Time | Channel |
| 01-Oct-06 | Athletic Club Bilbao Vs Barcelona (L) | 01:25 | ESPN |
| 01-Oct-06 | Real Madrid Vs Atletico Madrid (L) | 21:25 | STAR Sports |
| 02-Oct-06 | Valencia Vs Gimnastic (L) | 00:25 | ESPN |
India Time. Schedule subject to change; L: LIVE. S: Same day delayed. T: Taped