ALABAMA - This week in soccer, two major international tournaments kick off with the AFC Asian Cup taking place in Qatar, while the African Cup of Nations returns to the Ivory Coast. A couple of Latin American soccer leagues also make their return, with Liga MX's Clausura 2024 and Costa Rica's Primera División both kicking off on Friday Jan. 12.
On Friday, Liga MX is back with the start of the Clausura 2024. Defending champions Club América will start their quest towards a second straight title with a visit to Tijuana on Saturday Jan. 13. Chivas will face Santos on Saturday in what will be Fernando Gago's debut as a coach for the 'Tapatíos'.
Elsewhere, Italian English and Spanish teams will return to cup competitions. The Carabao Cup will play the first leg of its two semifinal ties, with Chelsea visiting Middlesbrough and Liverpool making a trip to London as Arsenal will host them at the Emirates Stadium. Four Spanish clubs will decide the new Supercopa de España champion, with the final taking place on Sunday Jan. 14, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Before further ado, here's all you need to know for this week's soccer schedule:
Monday Jan. 8
FA Cup Third Round: Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United (ESPN+)
Tuesday Jan. 9
Carabao Cup Semifinals: Middlesbrough vs Chelsea (ESPN+)
Coppa Italia Quarterfinals: Fiorentina vs Bologna (Paramount+)
Wednesday Jan. 10
Carabao Cup Semifinals: Liverpool vs Fulham (ESPN+)
Spanish Supercopa Semifinals: Derbi Madrileño - Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid (ESPN Deportes, ESPN 2 and ESPN+)
Coppa Italia Quarterfinals: Derby della Capitale - Lazio vs Roma (Paramount+)
Coppa Italia Quarterfinals: AC Milan vs Atalanta (Paramount+)
Thursday Jan. 11
Spanish Supercopa Semifinals: FC Barcelona vs Osasuna (ESPN Deportes, ESPN 2 and ESPN+)
Coppa Italia Quarterfinals: Juventus vs Frosinone (Paramount+)
Friday Jan. 12
AFC Asian Cup starts: Qatar will face Lebanon at Lusail Stadium, the same venue where Argentina was crowned world champion in 2022. Originally scheduled to be played in China, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup was postponed until January 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Qatar's involvement in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
LaLiga
Sevilla vs Alavés (ESPN+)
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich vs Hoffenheim (ESPN Deportes, ESPN2 and ESPN+)
Ligue 1
Marseille vs Strasbourg
Primera Division Costa Rica
The current CONCACAF Central American Cup champions, Alajuelense, will be the team in charge to get things going for the Clausura 2024 tournament in Costa Rica. Alajuelense seeks its first league title since 2020.
Alajuelense vs Sporting San José
Liga MX is back!
Querétaro and Toluca will get the Clausura 2024 started in Liga MX. The Friday slate will count with two games on TUDN, including Atlético San Luis' trip to Mazatlán,
Querétaro vs Toluca (TUDN USA)
Mazatlán vs Atlético San Luis (TUDN USA)
La redonda está lista para rodar. ⚽️
— Liga BBVA MX (@LigaBBVAMX) January 5, 2024
#Voit #Tempest #SinLimites #LigaBBVAMX #Soccer #Futbol #FIFA #Clausura2024 #SoccerSkills pic.twitter.com/CzVpKU5ajj
Saturday Jan. 13
The other big tournament in January, the African Cup of Nations, is scheduled to start on Saturday Jan. 13 as hosts Ivory Coast face Guinea-Bissau. Just like the AFC Asian Cup, this year's AFCON, originally scheduled for 2023, had to be postponed due to adverse summer weather concerns in Ivory Coast.
The last time a host nation ended up winning the title was during the 2006 edition, with Egypt defeating Ivory Coast in the final. Most matches can be watched in the U.S. on beIN Sports.
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire! 📍
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 7, 2024
The official ball of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 is enjoying the beauty of the city ⚽️🫶 pic.twitter.com/F62v7ufEbQ
Premier League
West London Derby - Chelsea vs Fulham (USA, NBC Universo)
Newcastle vs Manchester City (NBC, Peacock, NBC Universo)
LaLiga
Las Palmas vs Villarreal (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Mallorca vs Celta (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Derbi Vasco - Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Betis vs Granada (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Bundesliga
The German first division returns after almost one month of rest during the December holidays. Bayer Leverkusen remain unbeaten and top of the Bundesliga, with a 4-point advantage over Bayern Munich, who has won each of the last 11 Bundesliga titles.
FC Augsburg vs Bayer Leverkusen (ESPN+)
FC Cologne vs 1. FC Heidenheim (ESPN+)
Mainz vs Wolfsburg (ESPN+)
RB Leipzig vs Eintracht Frakfurt (ESPN+)
SC Freigburg vs 1. FC Union Berlin (ESPN+)
SV Darmstadt 98 vs Borussia Dortmund (ESPN+)
Serie A
Genoa vs Torino (Paramount+)
Napoli vs Salernitana (Paramount+)
Hellas Verona vs Empoli (Paramount+)
Monza vs Inter Milan (Paramount+)
Ligue 1
AS Monaco vs Stade de Reims
Sata Rennais vs Nice
Liga MX
Cruz Azul vs Pachuca (TUDN USA)
Chivas v Santos Laguna (Telemundo)
Rayados vs Puebla (TUDN USA)
Tijuana vs Club América (TUDN USA)
Eredivisie
PSV vs Excelsior (ESPN+)
Sunday Jan. 14
Premier League
Manchester United vs Spurs
Everton vs Aston Villa
LaLiga
Almería vs Girona (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Cádiz vs Valencia (ESPN Deportes, ESPN+)
Serie A
AC Milan vs Roma (Paramount+)
Fiorentina vs Udinese (Paramount+)
Cagliari vs Bologna (Paramount+)
Lazio vs Lecce (Paramount+)
Ligue 1
Lens vs PSG
Liga MX
Pumas vs FC Juárez (TUDN USA)
Necaxa vs Atlas (TUDN USA)
Eredivisie
Feyenoord vs NEC Nijmegen (ESPN+)
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