THE SOCCER REPORT
Chelsea-Bayern, Napoli-Barcelona, Lyon-Juve, Real Madrid-Man City on UCL menu, El Clasico on Sunday
Feb 25, 2020, 7:40 am
Finale Istanbul is the Official Match Ball for the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League knockout stages. Photo: adidas
Plenty of big name clubs will highlight this week's action in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona face off in the sport's premier rivalry and the 25th season of Major League Soccer gets underway. In the Serie A, matches were postponed over the weekend due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy.
Here is the week in soccer:
International Club competitions
UEFA Champions League
Round of 16 - First Leg
- Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
- Dortmund 2-1 PSG
- Atalanta 4-1 Valencia
- Tottenham 0-1 RB Leipzig
Concacaf Champions League
Round of 16 - First Leg
- Portmore United 1-2 Cruz Azul
- Motagua 1-1 Atlanta United
- Leon 2-0 LAFC
- Deportivo Saprissa 2-2 Montreal Impact
- Alianza 2-1 Tigres UANL
- Communicaciones 1-1 Club America
- AD San Carlos 3-5 NYCFC
- Olimpia 2-2 Seattle Sounders FC
English Premier League
Liverpool set another new #PL record https://t.co/mBlgJ2pUMO— Premier League (@Premier League) 1582600144.0
Top six: 1. Liverpool (79), 2. Man City (57), 3. Leicester City (50), 4. Chelsea (44), 5. Manchester United (41), 6. Tottenham (40)
Bottom three (relegation): 18. West Ham (24), 19. Watford (24), 20. Norwich City (18)
Scoring leader: 17 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) / Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Assists leader: 16 - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Spanish La Liga
Three goals in one half. Lionel Messi working his magic 🎩 ✨ https://t.co/etl4FY0m1Y— ESPN FC (@ESPN FC) 1582386629.0
Top six: 1. FC Barcelona (55), 2. Real Madrid (53), 3. Atletico Madrid (43), 4. Sevilla (43), 5. Getafe (42), 6. Real Sociedad (40)
Bottom three: 18. Mallorca (22), 19. Leganes (19), 20. Espanyol (19)
Scoring leader: 18 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Assists leader: 12 - Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
German Bundesliga
Just another weekend for Erling Haaland 🤩 He now has 12 goals in 8 official matches for Dortmund. https://t.co/aXnvAuTJRD— ESPN FC (@ESPN FC) 1582387580.0
Top six: 1. Bayern Munich (49), 2. RB Leipzig (48), 3. Dortmund (45), 4. Monchengladbach (43), 5. Bayer Leverkusen (43), 6. Schalke 04 (36)
Bottom three: 16. Fortuna (20), 17. Werder Bremen (17), 18. Paderborn (16)
Scoring leader: 25 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Assists leader: 14 - Jadon Sancho (Dortmund) / Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Italian Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored in 11 straight matches -- equaling the Serie A record 😤 https://t.co/tcwqrbaccB— ESPN FC (@ESPN FC) 1582393568.0
Top six: 1. Juventus (60), 2. Lazio (59), 3. Inter Milan (54), 4. Atalanta (45), 5. Roma (42), 6. Napoli (36)
Bottom three: 18. Genoa (22), 19. Brescia (16), 20. SPAL (15)
Scoring leader: 27 - Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Assists leader: 11 - Luis Alberto (Lazio)
French Ligue 1
Top four: 1. PSG (65), 2. Marseille (52), 3. Rennes (44), 4. Lille (43)
Bottom three: 18. Nimes (27), 19. Amiens (22), 20. Toulouse (13)
Scoring leader: 16 - Kylian Mbappe (PSG) / Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)
Assists leader: 14 - Angel Di Maria (PSG)
Liga MX
Clausura 2020
Top eight: 1. Club America (16), 2. Leon (15), 3. Pumas UNAM (14), 4. Cruz Azul (13), 5. Queretaro (12), 6. Atletico San Luis (12), 7. Juarez (11), 8. Santos Laguna (11)
Scoring leader: 5 - Angel Mena (Leon) / Ariel Nahuelpan (Queretaro) / Jonathan Rodriguez (Cruz Azul)
TV listings (All Times CT):
For full info on soccer TV listings and streaming services in the United States, visit worldsoccertalk.com
Tuesday, February 25
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich (TNT, Galavision)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Napoli vs. FC Barcelona (UniMas / TUDN, B/R Live)
6:30 p.m. - [Copa Sudamericana] River Plate vs. Deportivo Cali (beIN Sports)
7:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Atlanta United vs. Motagua (FS1, TUDN)
9:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Cruz Azul vs. Portmore United (FS2, TUDN)
Wednesday, February 26
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Real Madrid vs. Manchester City (TNT, UniMas, TUDN)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Champions League] Lyon vs. Juventus (Galavision, B/R Live)
5:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] NYCFC vs. AD San Carlos (FS2, TUDN)
7:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Montreal lmpact vs. Deportivo Saprissa (FS2)
7:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Tigres UANL vs. Alianza (TUDN)
Thursday, February 27
12:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Espanyol vs. Wolves (UniMas, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Manchester United vs. Brugge (UniMas, B/R Live)
2:00 p.m. - [UEFA Europa League] Arsenal vs. Olympiakos (TUDN, B/R Live)
9:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] LAFC vs. Club Leon (FS1, TUDN)
9:00 p.m. - [Concacaf Champions League] Seattle Sounders FC vs. Olimpia (FS2)
Friday, February 28
1:30 p.m. - [Bundesliga] Dusseldorf vs. Hertha Berlin (FS2, FOX Deportes)
2:00 p.m. - [Premier League] Norwich vs. Leicester City (NBC Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Sociedad vs. Valladolid (beIN Sports)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Monarcas Morelia vs. Cruz Azul (TUDN)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Club Tijuana vs. Puebla (FOX Deportes)
Saturday, February 29
6:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Brighton vs. Crystal Palace (NBC Sports)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Hoffenheim vs. Bayern Munich, (FS1, UniMas, TUDN)
8:30 a.m. - [Bundesliga] Dortmund vs. Freiburg (FS2, FOX Deportes)
9:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Bournemouth vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports)
9:00 a.m. - [La Liga] Valencia vs. Real Betis (beIN Sports)
11:30 a.m. - [Premier League] Watford vs. Liverpool (NBC Sports)
2:30 p.m. - [MLS] Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy (Univision)
5:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Pachuca vs. Queretaro (TUDN, ESPN Deportes)
7:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] America vs. Necaxa (Univision)
9:00 p.m. - [Liga MX] Tigres UANL vs. Pumas UNAM (Univision)
Sunday, March 1
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Everton vs. Man United(NBC Sports)
8:00 a.m. - [Premier League] Tottenham vs. Wovles (NBC Sports Gold)
10:30 a.m. - [English League Cup Final] Manchester City vs. Aston Villa (NBC Sports)
2:00 p.m. - [La Liga] Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona (beIN Sports)
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National media insider sounds off on why Texans deserve more respect
Jun 12, 2025, 3:59 pm
The Houston Astros (37-30) aim to close out their series against the Chicago White Sox (23-45) on a high note Thursday night at Daikin Park. The three-game set is currently tied 1-1, and with a chance to secure their 11th series win at home, the Astros will send left-hander Framber Valdez to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
Valdez (6-4, 3.07 ERA) has quietly been one of the most consistent arms in the American League. Known for his heavy sinker and ground-ball inducing style, he enters the night with a stellar 1.06 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. With the Astros bullpen having absorbed some heavy usage earlier this week, Valdez will be counted on to give Houston quality length.
Opposing him will be right-hander Davis Martin (2-6, 3.62 ERA), who has pitched better than his win-loss record suggests. Martin has maintained a 1.21 WHIP and will try to quiet an Astros lineup that broke out for 10 runs in Wednesday’s win.
Houston’s offense has been led lately by Jeremy Peña, who is batting .439 over his last 10 games with five doubles, two homers, and six RBIs. Isaac Paredes continues to be a steady power threat, leading the team with 14 home runs and a .468 slugging percentage. José Altuve, fresh off his 2,300th career hit, adds veteran stability to the top of the order.
The Astros are 23-13 at home this season and have gone 6-4 over their last 10 games. When they avoid giving up home runs, they win — as shown by their 20-4 record in games where they keep the ball in the yard. That will be a key Thursday against a White Sox team that’s light on power but capable of grinding out runs when they out-hit opponents (16-9 when doing so).
Chicago, meanwhile, has struggled mightily on the road, going just 7-27 away from Guaranteed Rate Field. Still, they’ve had unexpected success against the Astros this season, winning three of the first five matchups. Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman have been among the few bright spots in a lineup that’s hit just .227 over its last 10 games and been outscored by six runs.
With the series on the line and the division-leading Astros looking to stay hot, Thursday night offers a chance to assert their edge with a trusted ace on the hill and momentum building in the lineup.
Here's a preview of the Astros lineup for the finale!
For the series.
⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/WsXWQV4ZkI
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2025
Christian Walker remains in the five spot after his big night in Game 2. Victor Caratini will be the DH hitting seventh behind Jake Meyers. Jose Altuve is shifting back to left field, with Jacob Melton getting the night off. And Brendan Rodgers will hit last and play second base.
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