Weekend TV Preview: 12 - 13 September 2009

(All times - UK)

Saturday 12 September

12.15 Motherwell v Rangers, Scottish Premier League, Sky Sports 3/HD3
Three games in and both sides have yet to taste the bitterness of defeat. Rangers go into this with a 100% record and haven't lost any of their the last 24 games against Motherwell.

17.30 Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester Utd, Barclays Premier League, ESPN/HD
What has been a traditional three point banker for Manchester United has only yielded two draws on their most recent trips to White Hart Lane. With Tottenham still holding a 100% record alongside Chelsea and Manchester City they might even fancy taking a win here. Should make for very interesting viewing, especially in light of the 5-2 at Old Trafford earlier this year.

19.00 Espanyol v Real Madrid, La Liga, Sky Sports Xtra
An early trip to Barcelona to face the city's other club but for Real that doesn't really make it any easier. Despite winning here at the end of last season, they had lost three out their previous four trips to Espanyol.

19.45 Lazio v Juventus, Serie A, ESPN
Two wins from two for both sides so something certainly has to give. Juve's most recent win against Roma (which led to the resignation of Luciano Spalletti) was far more convincing than their opener and with Diego they could have Europe's signing of the summer. Lazio have ground out both their wins, last time coming from a goal down and finishing with 10 men against Chievo.

21.00 Sevilla v Zaragoza, La Liga, Sky Sports Xtra
Another chance for those who watched the recent Argentina v Brazil match to see Luis Fabiano in action. Since the end of last season he's scored eight goals in seven matches for Brazil - but that's the same as he scored in the whole of last season for Sevilla... mind you he did get a haul of 24 from 30 the season before.

Sunday 13 September

03.30 LA Galaxy v FC Dallas, MLS, ESPN
Galaxy should seal their play-off spot with a win here and are still in a very decent shout for the Supporters Shield (no, I'm not 100% sure how it all works). Dallas have lost their last four games on the road and are pretty much already in whatever a summer league's version of flip-flops are.

11.00 Dinamo Moscow v Spartak Moscow, Russian Premier League, ESPN
Both teams come into this on the back of 3-0 drubbings from table-toppers Rubin Kazan. Spartak, currently four points behind in second place, will need a win if they are to remain in touching distance. For 7th placed Dinamo, the best they can hope for is a Europa League spot in a congested chasing pack.

12.00 Birmingham City v Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Ah, the larks and knock-about fun of a West Midlands derby. Errors and controversary will abound. Unmissable.

14.00 Inter v Parma, Serie A, ESPN
Parma should be confident coming into this one, putting in good performances in both of their games so far this campaign; and will be certainly over-joyed if they can match fellow new boys Bari's draw here on the opening day. Inter followed that lacklustre start with a demolition of Milan, a performance that said more about what Leonardo has to learn about management than what Inter have to offer this season.

14.05 Cardiff City v Newcastle Utd, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Well Newcastle have certainly knuckled down and got their heads together for what they hope to be a short stay in the Championship - four wins out of five and it looks like Toon could be breezing back up. However, Newcastle fans whose memory doesn't go as far back as the Eighties will do well to know that the second tier has a wonderful habit of throwing in results out of nowhere - case in point: Cardiff's defeat last time out to Doncaster.

16.00 Fulham v Everton, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
David Moyes will be hoping that the Lescott unpleasantness has been banished and that his new signings can give Everton the season everyone suspected they would have. The Toffees won here in May breaking a sequence of home wins in this tie stretching back to 1966.

16.30 FC Koln v Schalke 04, Bundesliga, ESPN
The fixture computer wasn't kind to Koln this season: their first eight fixtures threw up three Ruhr derbies and ties against the champions and Bayern. They've only managed a point from their first four games but might hope to register their first win if Schalke are in the same form that saw them lose to Freiburg at home.

18.00 Valladolid v Valencia, La Liga, Sky Sports Red Button (1st half)/Sky Sports 1/HD1 (2nd half)
Valldolid escaped a breathtaking relegation battle at the end of last season with a draw at Betis (condemning them the drop). Valencia got a good win against a ten man Sevilla in the opening week and will certainly be looking for maximum points here too.

19.45 Genoa v Napoli, Serie A, ESPN
Genoa sit with Sampdoria and the aforementioned Juve and Lazio all with maximum points from two games. A tough game to call and probably the pick of the three Italian games on offer this weekend.