Slim Pickins Lesser Footy Open Thread

Welcome back, though the FA Cup semis (nae exactly raging, MOAR LIEK a quarter-chubb, just enough to make you glad you wore jeans).

As such, ALL the Prem action on Saturday is in the 10:00 window (Daylight Savings Times are back in alignment).  Palace and Newcastle are the featured match (NBCSN), while you get the similarly meh Leicester/Huddersfield (ded) and Cherries/Burnley (could still die) on NBC Gold.  Anyway, the Cherries often play entertaining matches.  Give it a spin.

Sunday Funday only has one offering, but it is quality.  Suddenly flying Everton host the up-and-down Arsenal crew (9:00, NBCSN).  You could say it is a Hippo/Horatio Derby of sorts, which will have to do until #BFIB face the Bombers in the World Series.  Yeah, I am semi-predicting this, wanna fight about it?  Anyway, this should be a highly entertaining match, something I wouldn’t have said a month ago.  Confidence is a fickle thing in sport, but the Toffees have it, Goodison is finally roaring more than moaning…but the Gooners also need this in the crowded race for Champions League spots.  Yes, deffo worth setting one’s alarm.

As to the FA Cup, it is perhaps the easiest leg of Man City’s desired quadruple (League Cup already done and dusted).  Hopefully, stupid fucking Saints will take a point off the Shite Friday night, and make leg 3 an easier road.  City take on Brighton & Hove at 12:30 on Saturday (ESPN+), and I expect to see the Mancs locked and loaded.  No upset bet potential, I’m afraid.  Wolves and Moose Hornets are the Sunday offering (11:00, ESPN+), and that’s an absolute coinflip.  Should be fun.

Unless the Mancs win out in FA Cup play, the race for 7th is irrelevant.  The Cup winner would take the final Europa place, leaving no more room at the inn.  Not really sure such an early start of the season would really favour Wolves or Everton (the most likely 7th finishers), but it’s still a goal for the players.

Elsewhere in Europe, Juve draw AC Milan as Saturday’ best (11:50, ESPN+), and Inter v. Atalanta (I hear yew callllllin’) also seems pretty interesting in Serie A (11:55 Sun, ESPN News).  Our Young Boys try to swallow up Thun at Wankdorf (10:00 Sun) though one can only guess at their motivation.

Wait, that leaves out an absolutely titanic Nazi clash, with 1st position Borussia Dortmund visiting 2nd place Bayern (12:30, Fox).  That’s right, a rare Big Fox sighting, with the winner almost surely winning the Bundesliga.  Don’t miss it.

Lastly, Barca host Atleti, in a powerhouse La Liga clash (2:30, BeIn).  I will let my more knowledgeable Lesser Footy brethren weigh in on that one.