SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv can 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 December 2021.
The top pick from this round of Premier League action is the meeting of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in North London on the evening of Sunday 19 December. Tottenham are still finding their identity and a new way of playing under manager Antonio Conte, while Liverpool are very much the finished product under Jurgen Klopp and looking to keep up their drive for the title.
“Tottenham has world class club structures. The team must be up to it. Today there is a gap between investments made by the company and sporting results. We have to fill it,” said Conte. “The team is young and has a lot of room for improvement, but the competition is fierce with the four giants Chelsea, City, Liverpool, United, and then Arsenal, West Ham, Everton.”
Another key clash on Sunday sees Everton host Leicester City at Goodison Park, with both teams looking to spark some momentum heading into the New Year after indifferent first halves of the 2021-22 season.
“We can understand the frustration of the fans but we are also frustrated,” said Toffees boss Rafael Benitez. “If we consider what we did at the beginning of the season, we saw enough quality to know we can be doing much better. When we have everyone available, I am confident we will do it again.”
The round opens on Saturday afternoon with Manchester United hosting Brighton & Hove Albion, as the Red Devils look to make progress under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, while the early-evening kick-offs are headlined by Watford hosting Crystal Palace in a clash which will feature African stars such as Emmanuel Dennis, Ismaila Sarr and Wilfried Zaha.
Saturday’s late game is also a potential thriller, as Leeds United welcome Arsenal to Elland Road and look to claim a major scalp, while title-chasers Manchester City and Chelsea will have to wait for Sunday afternoon for their away clashes against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
SuperSport is also the only place to get English commentary on the legendary La Liga, where the top match for this round is the clash between Sevilla and Atletico Madrid at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Sevilla are looking to remain relevant in the title race – or at least stay in a good position to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League – while Atletico must keep up a strong pace if they are to have a realistic prospect of retaining their crown.
“We have always had challenges. I am optimistic, always, I am, and I will never change,” said Atletico manager Diego Simeone. “There are many games left in the season, many twists and turns for us to navigate, but also for other teams to deal with. We will focus on our own journey and ensure that we are in the race near the end of the season.”
One of the main threats to Atletico’s hopes of a title defence is cross-town rivals Real Madrid, who have found their groove under manager Carlo Ancelotti and look very much capable of claiming a record-extending 35th La Liga championship. They will be in action at home to Cadiz and very much favoured to add three points to their tally.
“We must think about the things we have to do. We’re used to playing every three days. The players who played have to recover properly and those that didn’t play have to be ready,” said Ancelotti, who has constantly tinkered with his line-ups to ensure fitness and freshness.
Barcelona’s development under manager Xavi Hernandez will have a further test when they welcome Elche to the Camp Nou, while the meeting of Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis at San Mames Barria promises to be a spicy affair, with the Verdiblancos having shown great progress this term under manager Manuel Pellegrini.
“We have the capacity to do even more than we have so far this season, but we must retain a humble and hard-working attitude,” said Pellegrini. “The winter break is almost here and I want everyone to push as hard as possible.”
This set of Serie A fixtures is headlined by the meeting of AC Milan and Napoli at the San Siro Stadium on the evening of Sunday 19 December. This match is very much a six-pointer in Italy’s title race this season, with both the Rossoneri and the Neapolitans establishing themselves as top contenders to take the Scudetto honours for 2021-22.
Napoli have been hit by the loss of Nigerian star Victor Osimhen to long-term injury, but Dries Mertens has stepped into the breach to provide an alternative kind of attacking potency. “Mertens brings that quality to the finishing, but it would be reductive just to praise him. The whole team was wonderful, it had been a long time since we had this possession football with short, quick passes,” said manager Luciano Spalletti.
Another fascinating clash will take place in Bergamo on Saturday afternoon, as the attack-minded Atalanta take on Jose Mourinho’s Roma. La Dea have recovered from their shoddy start to the campaign and have climbed back into the upper reaches of the table – defeating the Giallorossi would send a message that they should not be written off for top honours.
“Many things were said about Atalanta at the start of this season,” said manager Gian Piero Gasperini. “There were some games that didn’t go our way or the points we deserved, but I never saw Atalanta struggling.”
Later the same day, Juventus will look to claim three points away to Bologna, with the Turin giants having reset their ambitions under manager Massimiliano Allegri. “We need a general path to improve the individual players and the team. We can’t look at the past,” said the Bianconeri boss.
The weekend’s action in Italy also sees Lazio face Genoa in Roma on Friday evening; Internazionale will be away to Salernitana later the same night; and the clash between Fiorentina and Sassuolo on Sunday afternoon could be a thriller between two stylish teams that err very much on the attacking side of the scale.
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Premier League broadcast details, 18-19 December 2021
All times CAT
Saturday 18 December
14:30: Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
17:00: Goal Rush – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League
17:00: Aston Villa v Burnley – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport Maximo 1
17:00: Southampton v Brentford – LIVE on SuperSport OTT3
17:00: Watford v Crystal Palace – LIVE on SuperSport Motorsport and SuperSport OTT2
17:00: West Ham United v Norwich City – LIVE on SuperSport OTT4, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
19:30: Leeds United v Arsenal – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday 19 December
14:00: Everton v Leicester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
16:00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport Maximo 1
16:15: Newcastle United v Manchester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
18:30: Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
La Liga broadcast details, 17-20 December 2021
All times CAT
Friday 17 December
22:00: Celta Vigo v Espanyol – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Saturday 18 December
15:00: Rayo Vallecano v Alaves – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Real Sociedad v Villarreal – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Barcelona v Elche – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Sevilla v Atletico Madrid – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Sunday 19 December
15:00: Granada v Mallorca – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Athletic Bilbao v Real Betis – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Getafe v Osasuna – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Real Madrid v Cadiz – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Monday 20 December
22:00: Levante v Valencia – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Serie A broadcast details, 17-19 December 2021
All times CAT
Friday 17 December
19:30: Lazio v Genoa – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Salernitana v Internazionale – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Saturday 18 December
16:00: Atalanta v Roma – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Bologna v Juventus – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Cagliari v Udinese – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday 19 December
13:30: Fiorentina v Sassuolo – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
16:00: Spezia v Empoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Sampdoria v Venezia – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
19:00: Torino v Verona – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: AC Milan v Napoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
