Champions League, Premier League, extra: February viewing information

Now’s when the rubber meets the street. After a January loaded with (typically pleasant) cup ties, countless switch rumors (most of which went nowhere), and plenty of chilly rain, February raises the stakes fairly considerably in Europe.

The UEFA competitions return — the respective first legs of the Champions League spherical of 16 come in the midst of the month — and from England (first-place Liverpool at third-place Arsenal) to Germany (second-place Bayern Munich at first-place Bayer Leverkusen) to Spain (first-place Girona at second-place Actual Madrid) to Italy (second-place Juventus at first-place Inter), we have plenty of huge league matches popping up in a brief period of time. And if that is not sufficient, the chaotic-as-ever Africa Cup of Nations is reaching the ultimate rounds as nicely.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & extra (U.S.)

It is lots, so let’s stroll by 5(ish) matches to trace in every main nation/competitors.

UEFA competitions

The Champions League certainly returns, and the spherical of 24 for the Europa League and the Europa Convention League get underway on Feb. 15 as nicely. Clearly, you need to take note of all eight UCL round-of-16 matches, however some may be extra attention-grabbing than others.

Manchester Metropolis are the general match favorites and will deal with Copenhagen with relative ease, however two secondary favorites — Actual Madrid and Bayern — might discover issues awkward with street exams. RB Leipzig have been everywhere in the map in 2023-24 and have to recuperate from some dismal current type however boast loads of upside; Lazio, in the meantime, have taken 13 factors from their previous 5 league matches to rise to inside two factors of a top-four spot. Bayern have not actually seen fifth gear shortly both.

The second set of Champions League matches, on Feb. 20 and 21, options perhaps essentially the most fascinating R16 ties — Atletico-Inter and Barca-Napoli — plus, in Porto, one other probability for an underdog to make an early house assertion. There’s a lot to trace right here, however you in all probability did not want me to inform you that.

England

This coming Sunday comes one of many largest remaining matches of the Premier League marketing campaign. The computer systems and oddsmakers think about the EPL title race a two-teamer between Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool — Opta’s energy scores give the previous a 59% probability on the title, the latter a 37% probability, and the opposite 18 groups within the league a mixed 5% probability. Arsenal’s odds took a serious nosedive with the Gunners’ back-to-back December losses to West Ham and Fulham, however they nonetheless path Liverpool by solely 5 factors and have time to both insert themselves again into the race or, with matches towards Liverpool and Metropolis (Mar. 30) remaining, determine who will get to win.

Liverpool enter February with a shot at lifting 4 trophies in Jürgen Klopp’s remaining 4 months as supervisor, however the image might change considerably by March. The Feb. 4 journey to the Emirates Stadium may have a huge effect on the Reds’ EPL title odds, and in 4 days late within the month they will play within the EFL Cup remaining towards Chelsea and within the FA Cup fifth spherical towards Watford or Southampton. They will be favored in each matches, however this will probably be a fairly defining month within the remaining chapter of the Klopp-Liverpool story.

– O’Hanlon: This is who Liverpool ought to rent after Klopp (E+)

And naturally, let’s not neglect everybody’s new favourite membership, Maidstone United. The Stones took down second-division Ipswich City final weekend to grow to be the primary sixth-division membership to achieve the fifth spherical for the reason that Seventies, they usually’ll face one other second-division aspect, both Wednesday or Coventry, on the finish of the month.

Germany

The primary 10 days of the month are huge in Deutschland. First, we have the final two quarterfinals of what has been a very chaotic DFB-Pokal. Two second-division groups – Fortuna Dusseldorf (which defeated St. Pauli by way of penalties on Tuesday) and both Kaiserslautern or Hertha Berlin (they play Wednesday, stay on ESPN+) — are already assured semifinal bids, and the one two top-of-the-first-division groups left within the area, first-place Leverkusen and third-place Stuttgart, play one another subsequent week.

In the meantime, third-division Saarbrucken, who’ve already taken down Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, attempt to hold their miraculous run going towards a Gladbach crew that’s worse than Bayern and Eintracht. Main “magic of the cup” vibes in Germany.

Simply 4 days after internet hosting Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen will play an excellent greater match, and it actually may be the most important remaining match of the Bundesliga marketing campaign. Bayern come to city at present trailing the Werkself by simply two factors, and though the German giants do must face bogey crew Gladbach this coming weekend, it is honest to say that if Leverkusen need to stay on the entrance foot within the title race, they want a consequence on this one fairly badly.

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Which means they will must play higher than they’ve for the reason that league’s restart — they wanted late magic to safe tight wins over Augsburg and RB Leipzig, they usually got here up empty within the magic division in a 0-0 draw with Gladbach final weekend. They have been simply scraping by with a number of key gamers taking part within the Africa Cup of Nations, and though that is wrapping up, star scorer Victor Boniface is out for just a few extra weeks with damage. They missed him vastly final weekend.

Spain

Granted, Barcelona and Actual Madrid are all the time the first focuses of consideration in Spain, however February belongs to Girona and Atletico Madrid. Together with a Feb. 3 match towards Actual Sociedad, Girona will face three of the highest six groups within the LaLiga desk this month. They’re at present in first, some extent forward of Actual Madrid (who’ve a sport in hand), however Opta’s energy scores aren’t but shopping for what the Gironistes are promoting. They provide Actual Madrid a 93% probability of taking the title. But when Girona come up massive this month, the chances may have no alternative however to shift a good quantity towards the underdogs.

– Stream LaLiga all season lengthy on ESPN+

Atleti, in the meantime, are in an attention-grabbing spot. They’ve misplaced to Barcelona, Athletic Membership and Girona over the previous two months, which has left them in a precarious place, clinging to a top-four place by simply two factors over Athletic (and tied with a flailing Barca). However a Copa del Rey win over Actual Madrid has positioned them because the favorites in that competitors — they’ve lifted that trophy simply as soon as since 1996, taking down Actual Madrid in additional time within the 2013 remaining — and whereas they’re the underdogs within the Champions League spherical of 16 towards Inter, it is not the least manageable draw conceivable.

By the tip of February, this season may very well be pushing aside both precarious or triumphant vibes.

Italy

Liverpool vs. Arsenal is big, however it won’t even be the most important match this coming Sunday. Juventus, unbeaten since September and unburdened by European play, have climbed to inside one level of Inter within the Serie A race, although Inter additionally have not misplaced in league play since September. The Nerazzurri do have a sport in hand, however a loss on Sunday might considerably change the calculus.

In the meantime, the race for fourth place is sort of equally gripping. Granted, Italy has stable odds of claiming a fifth bid in subsequent 12 months’s Champions League, however it’s nonetheless solely 4 for now, and the hole between fourth-place Atalanta and Tenth-place Torino is simply 5 factors. Lazio and Roma are each rebounding from poor begins; Fiorentina and Bologna nonetheless have time to bounce again after a poor January for each; and someway Napoli, caught in hangover mode for months, stay solely 5 factors exterior the highest 4.

Have a look at it this fashion: Serie A might need extra plot twists remaining than some other main European league.

Elsewhere in Europe

We’re missing for gripping title races exterior of Europe’s 4 largest leagues. PSG lead Good by six factors in France; PSV lead Feyenoord by 12 within the Netherlands; and, though they’ve didn’t seal the deal earlier than, Union Saint-Gilloise at present boast an eight-point lead over Anderlecht in Belgium.

Granted, PSG’s type stays an attention-grabbing subject due to the way it may translate to Champions League play — a check towards fifth-place Lille may very well be telling forward of the spherical of 16 — however essentially the most attention-grabbing February match in France may be between seventh-place Marseille and Sixteenth-place Lyon. It is one of the crucial heated derbies in Europe (too heated, truly), and it means much more than standard for each groups. Lyon are nonetheless struggling to get their head above water of their relegation scrap; after successful three straight in league play, they allowed three targets in losses to Le Havre and to Rennes. Marseille, in the meantime, sit 5 factors exterior of the highest 4 after three consecutive league attracts.

PSV play their very own always-heated rivalry match this Saturday, visiting the Johan Cruyff Area to face an Ajax crew that lastly has its act collectively. After a dreadful begin, they’ve taken 29 factors from their previous 11 league matches to rise again to fifth within the Eredivisie, simply 4 factors behind third-place Twente. PSV’s league lead is protected, however they may hand Ajax an enormous setback on Saturday.

We do have a few attention-grabbing league races to observe. Sporting CP lead Benfica by only one level in Portugal (and Porto by 4), though not one of the prime three play one another in February. And in Austria, three-time defending champion RB Salzburg lead Sturm Graz by solely two factors. A loss on Feb. 9 would make issues awfully attention-grabbing.

Girls’s membership soccer

February would not supply the identical Champions League stakes on the ladies’s aspect — the group stage wraps up this week, and the quarterfinals do not begin till mid-March — however that is fantastic. There’s a lot to trace within the home races.

PSG desperately want a win in Lyon to have any hope of a title race in France, as Lyon have gained all 13 of their league matches by a mixed 51-6 to carry what appears like a commanding lead (although PSG have dropped solely 5 factors). In Germany, Wolfsburg lead Bayern by one level and Eintracht Frankfurt by 5 on the halfway level, whereas in England, one match previous the halfway level, Chelsea maintain a three-point benefit over Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal.

In Spain, we by no means get an precise title race — Barcelona have gained their 14 league matches by a mixed 65-3 — however Actual Madrid (33 factors), Madrid CFF (31), Levante (31), and Atletico Madrid (30) are in a heated battle for second, at the very least. That makes Levante vs. Madrid fairly massive.

Worldwide soccer

• Feb. 2-3: AFCON and Asian Cup quarterfinals

• Feb. 6: Asian Cup semifinals

• Feb. 7: AFCON semifinals

• Feb. 10: Asian Cup remaining

• Feb. 11: AFCON remaining

January’s two out-of-window worldwide tournaments are reaching their closing phases, they usually’ve been extremely gratifying in case you like mess.

Heading into the Africa Cup of Nations, the betting favorites had been Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt. Of these six, solely Morocco and Senegal gained their teams. Algeria completed final and didn’t advance, and Ivory Coast, the match hosts, completed third of their group after a dreadful 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea. They fired their coach thereafter and certified for the spherical of 16 solely when Ghana blew a two-goal result in Mozambique in stoppage time of their remaining group stage sport. In fact, they then proceeded to beat defending champions Senegal in penalties, making it the seventh straight AFCON that the reigning champs failed to achieve even the quarterfinals.

With Egypt falling to DR Congo in penalties, we’re taking a look at these quarterfinal pairings, and extremely, none of those groups reached the quarterfinals within the final AFCON again in 2021:

What occurs subsequent is anybody’s guess.

It has been a bit extra orderly in Qatar, the place the betting favorites all superior to the knockouts within the Asian Cup. A second-place end of their group, nevertheless, meant South Korea needed to face Saudi Arabia within the spherical of 16; though they prevailed on penalties, they opened the door for some attention-grabbing quarterfinal matchups. They will face one other relative favourite, Australia, in a single quarterfinal whereas underdogs Jordan and Tajikistan meet in one other.

A good quarterfinal draw may make Qatar the favourite at this level?

February’s slate

Out of pure curiosity, I wished to put out the matches above in chronological order, simply to get a really feel for the month forward. Twenty of February’s 29 days are accounted for with at the very least one match, and that does not even embrace the 2 Thursdays with Europa and Convention League motion. Buckle up.

Feb. 2: Asian Cup and AFCON quarterfinals

Feb. 3: PSV Eindhoven at Ajax, Asian Cup and AFCON quarterfinals

Feb. 4: Liverpool at Arsenal, Atletico Madrid at Actual Madrid, Juventus at Inter Milan, Lazio at Atalanta, Marseille at Lyon, Gent at Anderlecht

Feb. 6: VfB Stuttgart at Bayer Leverkusen (DFB Pokal), Actual Sociedad at Mallorca (Copa del Rey), Asian Cup semifinals

Feb. 7: Borussia Monchengladbach at Saarbrucken (DFB Pokal), Athletic Membership at Atletico Madrid (Copa del Rey), AFCON semifinals

Feb. 9: Freiburg at Borussia Dortmund, Sturm Graz at Salzburg

Feb. 10: Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen, Girona at Actual Madrid, Inter Milan at Roma, PSG (W) at Lyon (W), Asian Cup finals

Feb. 11: Manchester United at Aston Villa, Napoli at AC Milan, Lille at PSG, Eintracht Frankfurt (W) at Wolfsburg (W), AFCON finals

Feb. 13: Actual Madrid at RB Leipzig (Champions League)

Feb. 14: Bayern Munich at Lazio (Champions League)

Feb. 16: Manchester Metropolis (W) at Chelsea (W)

Feb. 17: Manchester United (W) at Arsenal (W)

Feb. 18: Girona at Athletic Membership, Levante (W) at Madrid CFF (W)

Feb. 20: Atletico Madrid at Inter Milan (Champions League)

Feb. 21: Arsenal at Porto (Champions League), Barcelona at Napoli (Champions League)

Feb. 24: Newcastle United at Arsenal, RB Leipzig at Bayern Munich

Feb. 25: Liverpool vs. Chelsea (EFL Cup remaining)

Feb. 27: Mallorca at Actual Sociedad (Copa del Rey)

Feb. 28: Atalanta at Inter Milan, Maidstone United at Sheffield Wednesday/Coventry Metropolis (FA Cup)

Feb. 29: Atletico Madrid at Athletic Membership (Copa del Rey)