Soccer lovers across Ghana look forward to extended action from the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, with matches scheduled to run from Friday 17 to Monday 20 September 2021 on the true home of football in Africa DStv and GOtv. For an offering of range and depth of action that no other rival the ‘Unbeatable Football’ on SuperSport!
The pick of matches from the Premier League for this round sees Tottenham Hotspur play host to Chelsea in North London on Sunday 19 September. Spurs and the Blues are heated rivals and this clash is set to provide an explosive end to the weekend’s action.
Tottenham have enjoyed a better-than-expected start to the season under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but the challenge of facing Chelsea a club with the genuine ambition of winning the Premier League title this term will require an even higher level of performance.
“That’s the beginning of everything. Always said the shape, organisation, being solid and compact because we have talent,” said Espirito Santo. “Being consistent is what we are focused on and we have to keep ongoing. Let’s keep on working, we still have a long way and a lot of aspects to improve on.”
The round opens on Friday night with Newcastle United hosting Leeds United at St. James Park, while the early clash on Saturday afternoon sees Wolverhampton Wanderers hosting Brentford. It’s then the turn of heavyweights Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal to face South, Crystal Palace and Burnley respectively, before Everton’s progress under Rafael Benitez is put to the test with a trip to Birmingham to face Aston Villa.
“From the beginning, the team has shown very good spirit and desire and organisation,” said Benitez.”We are improving and, hopefully, we can continue improving, if the players keep working in this way. The fans are enjoying it because we are fighting – the away fans push and support the team every way they can.”
Sunday, aside from the derby between Spurs and Chelsea, will also see Leicester City tested away to Brighton & Hove Albion, while Manchester United will tackle West Ham United and former manager David Moyes at the London Stadium.
The Hammers will hope for a better playing surface this time around, after struggling with the pitch at their home ground for a 2-2- draw with Crystal Palace prior to the international break.
“I’ve not enjoyed the quality of the pitch at all. It’s not good enough and below Premier League standard, that’s for sure,” said Moyes, who would love to underline the promise shown by his team with a win over the Red Devils.
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The key La Liga fixture to watch out for this weekend’s round of matches comes from the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, as champions Atletico Madrid face Athletic Bilbao. The Basque side nearly derailed the Rojiblancos’ title charge when the teams last met in April, as goals from Alex Berenguer and Inigo Martinez secured a 2-1 home win.
Diego Simeone’s side will need to be wary of a repeat result against Los Leones, as they look to stay in the driving seat for a first back-to-back championship success since way back in the early 1950s.
“We have shown good solidity and hard work from the players since the start of the season,” said Simeone. “These are the pillars of the success we have enjoyed, but for more victories, we have to maintain this high standard. It will not be easy, but I trust in the hunger of my team.”
Barcelona, meanwhile, will chase a home win over Granada at the Camp Nou. Manager Ronald Koeman has praised his side for the fighting spirit they have shown thus far in the 2021-22 season: “Our game with the ball has not been so good, but psychologically it has been very important to win,” explained the Dutchman. “We know at times we will have to suffer and play well to win the games.”
Real Madrid will face a potential banana skin away to Valencia, who famously beat Los Blanco 4-1 when the teams last met at Estadio de Mestalla, though manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident in his side’s ability to tough out a victory on the road.
“I think we can still play with more intensity,” said Ancelotti. “We’ve had a positive start to the season, but we can still improve. I’m quite satisfied so far. I think we can be more intense in defence.”
La Liga this weekend will also feature Real Sociedad looking to knock Sevilla off their stride with a meeting at San Sebastian, though manager Imanol Alguacil admits that balancing his side’s domestic commitments with their upcoming UEFA Europa League group stage campaign against Monaco, PSV and Sturm Graz will be “tough”.
The headline game from Italy’s top-flight Serie A in this round sees Juventus host AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, a match which could prove key in the title race. The fixture not only sees a meeting of two of the league’s best and most historically significant sides but also has added spice in that Bianconeri manager Massimiliano Allegri will be coming up against a former team of his.
With the ‘Old Lady’ now shorn of the services of Cristiano Ronaldo, Allegri has called for unity from the squad as they look to return Juve to the top of Serie A: “Cristiano spent three years at Juventus, he scored goals, which he is very good at, he’s an extraordinary player, but we cannot think about Ronaldo from now on,” said the experienced tactician.
“I have a fine squad; we simply must realise that we can’t just dominate every match. We need to come together and this will help us for the future.”
Elsewhere, Roma have made headlines with their early-season form under Jose Mourinho and will back themselves to claim all three points when they travel to face Verona, while champions Internazionale will feel the same for their game at home to Bologna.
“We take nothing for granted, but I am happy with the effort and form we have shown so far,” said Nerazzurri manager Simone Inzaghi. “The season is too long, it is too early to talk about defending the title. Now we must focus on picking up points in Serie A and making sure that we do ourselves proud in the Champions League, with a very difficult group facing us.”
Napoli will face a trip to the Dacia Arena to take on Udinese, with manager Luciano Spalletti praising Italian national team star Lorenzo Insigne for his versatility in attack in recent games, helping to cover the suspension of Victor Osimhen (who will now be available again).
“I am intrigued by Insigne and his ability to cover many different roles. When he went deeper, Elmas and Fabian Ruiz had to push up and attack the space,” explained the Neapolitans’ boss. “Insigne isn’t like Mertens, who has the quality to run into the space, whereas Lorenzo’s brand is to get it on his feet, turn and run.”
Don’t miss the New Football Season on SuperSport on DStv and GOtv. Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream matches on the DStv App.
Premier League broadcast details, 17-19 September 2021:
- All times GMT
Friday 17 September
- 7:00pm: Newcastle United v Leeds United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
Saturday 18 September
- 11:30am: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brentford – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
- 2:00pm: Burnley v Arsenal – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
- 2:00pm: Liverpool v Crystal Palace – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
- 2:00pm: Manchester City v Southampton – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football
- 2:00pm: Norwich City v Watford – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 2
- 4:30pm: Aston Villa v Everton – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
Sunday 19 September
- 1:00pm: Brighton & Hove Albion v Leicester City – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
- 1:00pm: West Ham United v Manchester United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
- 3:30pm: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
La Liga broadcast details, 17-20 September 2021
- All times GMT
Friday 17 September
- 7:00pm: Celta Vigo v Cadiz – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Saturday 18 September
- 12:00pm: Rayo Vallecano v Getafe – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 2:15pm: Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 4:30pm: Elche v Levante – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 7:00pm: Alaves v Osasuna – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Sunday 19 September
- 12:00pm: Mallorca v Villarreal – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 2:15pm: Real Sociedad v Sevilla – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 4:30pm: Real Betis v Espanyol – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
- 7:00pm: Valencia v Real Madrid – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Monday 20 September
- 7:00pm: Barcelona v Granada – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Serie A broadcast details, 17-20 September 2021
- All times GMT
Friday 17 September
- 6:45pm: Sassuolo v Torino – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Saturday 18 September
- 1:00pm: Genoa v Fiorentina – LIVE on SuperSport Football
- 4:00pm: Internazionale v Bologna – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
- 6:45pm: Salernitana v Atalanta – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday 19 September
- 10:30am: Empoli v Sampdoria – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
- 1:00pm: Venezia v Spezia – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
- 4:00pm: Lazio v Cagliari – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
- 4:00pm: Verona v Roma – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
- 6:45pm: Juventus v AC Milan – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Monday 20 September
- 6:45pm: Udinese v Napoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1