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)
The Houston Astros wrapped up yet another series win this week, this time taking two of three from the struggling Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Despite missing several key players and a bullpen that wasn’t fully available, the Astros continued their recent run of success, pushing their record to 52-35.
Manager Joe Espada appeared to be playing the long game in the rubber match on Thursday. After Houston rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, Espada stuck with reliever Jordan Weems instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. That decision, while frustrating to some fans hoping for the sweep, underscored the team’s cautious approach to workload management as they navigate a long season.
One bright spot continues to be rookie Cam Smith, who delivered again in the clutch with a two-run triple in the seventh inning on Thursday. Smith has been Houston’s most dependable bat with runners on base and is quickly settling into the cleanup role—a rarity for a first-year player but one he’s earned with his poise and production.
Astros cleanup hitter RBIs this season:
Cam Smith: 10 RBIs in 7 games
All others: 28 RBIs in 80 games
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) July 3, 2025
Off the field, the biggest storyline continues to be Yordan Alvarez’s injury. After reports surfaced that the slugger had experienced a setback in his return from a fractured hand, the team clarified that the issue is inflammation, not the fracture itself. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez received injections to address the irritation and is expected to rest for now. Encouragingly, the Astros say the fracture is no longer a concern, and while there’s still no definitive timeline for his return, the overall tone from the club was optimistic.
The transparency around Alvarez’s situation is part of a larger shift. After being criticized in recent seasons for vague injury updates, the Astros have begun issuing daily availability reports. It’s a move that signals the front office is trying to regain some trust with the media and fans after a stretch of frustrating ambiguity around player health.
Now, the Astros head to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with the defending champion Dodgers. Friday’s opener will feature Lance McCullers Jr. making just his second start since returning from the injured list. McCullers gave up eight runs in his return against the Cubs and will be under the spotlight as he looks to settle back into form. Control will be the key, as walks have long been McCullers’ Achilles’ heel.
Saturday sets the stage for one of the most anticipated pitching matchups of the season: Framber Valdez versus Shohei Ohtani. With both teams fighting for positioning in their respective divisions, this weekend in LA should serve as a measuring stick—and perhaps a postseason preview.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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