Weekend TV Preview: 21 - 23 January

Friday 21 January

16.25 Uzbekistan v Jordan, Asian Cup, British Eurosport 2
Wins over Qatar and Kuwait saw Uzbekistan safely to the top of Group A in the Asian Cup and into the last eight. There they'll face Jordan, who finished behind an ominously comfortable Japan side only on goal difference in Group B.

19.45 Hamburger SV v Eintracht Frankfurt, Bundesliga, ESPN/ESPN HD
A win for Hamburg would take them past Freiburg into sixth, at least temporarily. However, the same is true of visitors Eintracht, who are just a point behind HSV. In August, goals in the last half hour from Joris Mathijsen, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paolo Guerrero saw Hamburg come from behind to beat the Eagles 3-1.

Saturday 22 January

12.45 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool, Premier League, Sky Sports 2/HD2
Stephen Ward's prodded finish at Anfield spoiled Roy Hodgson's festive period and Wolves will be desperate for another three points against Liverpool when the Reds visit the Black Country on Saturday lunchtime. Only West Ham United are below Wolves in the Premier League table but a win for the hosts would take them 15th to set the pace for the weekend.

12.45 Hearts v Rangers, Scottish Premier League, Sky Sports 4/HD4
It's not looking so bad for Celtic the noo, and Kenny Miller's impending move to Turkey will please them no end. So too would a draw between their bitter rivals and Hearts, whose daring proximity will irk the Glasgow clubs.

16.25 Iran v South Korea, Asian Cup, British Eurosport 2
Jeju United's Koo Ja-Chool scored in all three of South Korea's Group C matches as the Taegeuk Warriors finished behind Australia. Their quarter-final opponents are Iran, who took maximum points from an easy Group D line-up.

17.20 Scunthorpe United v Burnley, Championship, Sky Sports 2/HD2
New boss Eddie Howe gets life oop north underway with a clash of the clarets against Scunthorpe United. Howe takes over Burnley in 10th place with the playoffs certainly in sight. Scunthorpe have lost four out of four in all competitions since the turn of the year and occupy 23rd place.

17.30 Aston Villa v Manchester City, Premier League, ESPN/ESPN HD
With rivals United and Birmingham meeting earlier in the day, these two go head to head with plenty at stake. City will be looking to keep pace with the leaders, who could be any one of them, United and Arsenal by the time the referee blows the final whistle at Villa Park.

19.00 Barcelona v Racing Santander, La Liga, Sky Sports 4/HD4
Wednesday's mostly meaningless loss to Real Betis was Barcelona's first defeat in living memory, but doesn't take away from the fact that they host Racing this weekend on the back of a 13-match winning streak. Pep Guardiola's side are now four points clear of Real Madrid, who are in the kind of remarkable form needed just to keep up.

19.45 Roma v Cagliari, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
A last-minute own goal at Cesena earned three points for Claudio Ranieri's Roma to put them in fourth place and just five points behind leaders Milan, although both Milan and Inter have played since then. Cagliari have settled nicely in mid-table thanks in part to a 3-1 win over Palermo last weekend. Alessandro Matri's goal was his first in six matches.

21.00 Valencia v Malaga, La Liga, Sky Sports 4/HD4
Valencia have drawn more matches this season than any other team in the top half of La Liga, but will be in the hunt for three points when lowly Malaga come to town on Saturday evening. Los Che have won their last four consecutive first division games, last losing at the Bernabeu in early December.

Sunday 23 January

11.30 Udinese v Inter Milan, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
Four wins on the bounce have dragged Inter right back up into the Champions League spots, and they're now just six points behind leaders Milan. The Sunday lunchtime kick-off in Serie A sees the Nerazzurri face Udinese, who have their own designs on European qualification and are poised nicely in eighth place.

13.15 QPR v Coventry City, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Championship leaders QPR have seen their lead whittled down to three points thanks to a three-game winless run. Their visitors for Sunday lunch are decidedly mid-table and haven't won a league game since December 4th. QPR visited the Ricoh to win a Christmas Bank Holiday clash with two second half goals.

14.00 Sampdoria v Juventus, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
Despite defeating Bari last weekend, the Bianconeri remain outside Serie A's top four ahead of their visit to Genoa to play Sampdoria. It was their first win in four and ended a run that looks to have made any title fight an uphill struggle. Samp have lost four of their last five in all competitions.

16.00 Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion, Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
The bottom half of the Premier League is tighter than a chicken's behind, and when West Brom face Blackburn on Sunday they could be a lot closer to the bottom of it than they are now. Rovers have improved their home form and have won four of their last six league games at Ewood Park after a sticky spell in September and October.

16.30 Hoffenheim v St Pauli, Bundesliga, ESPN/ESPN HD
The famous St Pauli play Germany's previous big news when they face Hoffenheim on Sunday. The hosts haven't won since the middle of November, but St Pauli are just two points above Koln in the relegation playoff spot. Stuttgart are also within three points of the Hamburg side but play Dortmund on Saturday.

18.00 Real Madrid v Mallorca, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
If you don't want to watch Andy Gray waffling on, hit the red button and watch the first 30 minutes of Real Madrid's clash with Mallorca in Spain. Real, having lost only to Barcelona (twice) in the league in the last year, dropped points against Almeria last weekend and then had to watch on as Barcelona defeated Malaga.

19.45 AC Milan v Cesena, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
Roma, Inter, Milan - it's been a tough week for Cesena! It was no surprise that the Seahorses took no points in the first two games of this tough run, and a second San Siro fixture in four days is a mighty task. The Rossoneri, however, have struggled to kill teams off of late.

20.00 Villarreal v Real Sociedad, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Your final football fix of the weekend comes from La Liga, where high-flying Villarreal look to avenge their opening day defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad. Just as well, then, that they haven't lost at home in the league this season.

Chris N