Weekly football conversation since 2009, with Graham Sibley, Jan Bilton and Terry Duffelen. Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or your podcatcher of choice.

Weekend TV Preview: 2 - 4 December



Friday 2 December

16.45 Euro 2012 Draw, BBC2
If our own Euro 2012 draw wasn't exciting enough for you, here's UEFA doing their best to match us for professionalism.
19.30 Fleetwood Town v Yeovil Town, FA Cup 2nd Round, ESPN/ESPN HD
Fleetwood pulled off the biggest shock of Round 1 with a 2-0 win over Wycombe - with only 10 men for most of the match. They're on cracking form in all competitions at the moment and as such have an excellent chance of adding The Glovers to their list of scalps.
19.45 Crystal Palace v Derby County, Championship, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Only one story to speak of here - Palace's momentous League Cup win over Man United during the week. Dougie Freedman and his men deserve their place in the semis (if not the Final itself) purely by showing how much they valued the competition which Lord Ferg and Co. clearly don't. Anyway, this is a league match, but that shouldn't alter the fact that Palace are easily capable of extending Derby's poor run of form. Unless they're all knackered and injured, of course.

Saturday 3 December

12.45 Newcastle United v Chelsea, Premier League, Sky Sports 2/HD2/3D
All the talk of AVB needing to win this game to keep his job is preposterous. It'll be the next one against Valencia he has to win.
17.00 Sporting v Real Madrid, La Liga, Sky Sports 4/HD4
A win for Real will be their 14th on-the-trot, thereby leaving them one short of a record set in the 1960/61 season. Gijon's last home win against Real was 17 (DIECISIETE) years ago, so expect another cakewalk here.
17.20 Bristol City v Middlesborough, Championship, Sky Sports 2/HD2
It's a sign of how bad The Robins' start to the season was that they're still only fifth from bottom despite taking ten points from the last twelve. A recent 2-0 win over Southampton shows they've turned a corner to some extent, and the visit of Boro should make for excellent teatime viewing.
17.30 Aston Villa v Man Utd, Premier League, ESPN/ESPN HD
Emile Heskey looks set to make his 500th Premier League appearance in this one, thereby putting him in an exclusive club with only five other players... but who are they? This isn't a quiz - we genuinely don't know. Go on, tell us?
19.00 Barcelona v Levante, La Liga, Sky Sports 4/HD4
When Levante's table-topping run came to an end, they went on a three-game losing streak, but they got their act together by beating Gijon 4-0 last Sunday. Though this match may be another step backwards for them, a draw would conceivably give them sustainance before the visit of Sevilla next week.
19.45 Inter v Udinese, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
Inter started the long walk back to respectfulness last time out with a win over Siena. Udinese, however, beat them 3-1 at the Stadio Friuli back in January.
21.00 Valencia v Espanyol, La Liga, Sky Sports 4/HD4
Espanyol have managed a total of just one goal in their last three La Liga games. Sadly for them, Valencia are eating teams like Espanyol for breakfast right now.
22.10 Colon v Racing Club, Argentinian Apertura, Premier Sports
You'd expect to find Colon somewhere near the bottom, but they're actually fifth in the Primera Division table, just two places behind their opponents. ('The Football Fairground Book of Colon Gags' is on sale from 16 December.)

Sunday 4 December

11.30 Feyenoord v PSV Eindhoven, Eredivisie, ESPN/ESPN HD
The last time these two teams met, Feyenoord won 3-1, thereby going some way to eradicate the humiliation of Ajax's 10-0 win when they faced each other in October 2010. PSV are on fine form, however, and can even look forward to a the knock-out stages of the Europa League having topped Group C this week.
12.30 AFC Totton v Bristol Rovers, FA Cup 2nd Round, ITV1/ITV1 HD
Little chance of Totton banging in eight like they did in the last round against Bradford Park Avenue, but a win is certainly possible in front of a home crowd against at Bristol Rovers side struggling for consistency.
12.45 Dundee United v Celtic, SPL, Sky Sports 1/HD1
No real contest here, despite Celtic's 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid during the week. The Bhoys are now only four points behind Rangers in the table and look to be restoring the Glasgow stranglehold having given Motherwell the elbow recently.
16.00 Wolves v Sunderland, Premier League, Sky Sports 1/HD1
At time of writing, we're not sure whether Martin O'Neill has actually been instated as the new Sunderland manager. If he has actually accepted a job offer for a change, The Sound of Football podcast will need to write some new material, that's for sure.
17.00 Sutton United v Notts County, FA Cup 2nd Round, ESPN/ESPN HD
County visited Gander Green Lane a couple of years ago and made off with a 1-0 First Round win. Whatever the result this time, Sutton stand to make a pretty penny out of their Second Round Cup outing and provide them with the means to develop the club further in the foreseeable future.
19.00 Mallorca v Athletic Bilbao, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Other than a surprise slip-up against Granada last week, Bilbao are doing rather well at the moment. Certainly better than Mallorca who already look like they'll soon be involved in a relegation battle.
19.45 Parma v Palermo, Serie A, ESPN/ESPN HD
Both teams are on a seemingly endless win-loss repeating cycle at the moment. Palermo, however, have to win this to stay in touch with the top four, while Parma need to win to stay on the coat-tails of Palermo.
20.30 Granada v Zaragoza, La Liga, Sky Sports 1/HD1
Both teams are in the bottom five. Granada have won one at home all season, Zaragoza none away from home. Avoid.
22.10 Boca Juniors v Banfield, Argentinian Apertura, Premier Sports
Top v Bottom! Twenty-five points separate these two teams, yet they've played out a draw in each of their last two games. Stranger things have happened...

Chris O

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