There’s a big game down in Italy on Saturday, but there’s only one headliner for this weekend. It’s El Clásico, Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu, the biggest game in club football outside the late stages of the Champions League.

This one is box office each and every time, even if we’ve descended somewhat from the interstellar days of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. We’ll make do with Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Jude Bellingham, and whoever wins out here will take pole position in the Spanish title race. With Atlético Madrid fading somewhat, this is a campaign that could well end with both these teams taking 90+ points — or, as this week’s guest suggests, perhaps they both have more weaknesses than you might think.

Here to help us get our bearings ahead of kickoff on Sunday (11:15am ET / 3:15pm UK) is Dan Hilton of The Barcelona Podcast.

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Club football is back and so is Germany’s biggest game. It’s BAYERN MUNICH vs BORUSSIA DORTMUND in Der Klassiker.

The Bavarian hosts have returned to their formidable best with 11 wins from 11 matches across all competitions this season. Bayern have scored 25 goals in six Bundesliga matches, with Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, and Michael Olisé firing on all cylinders. They are once again among the favorites to win the Champions League.

On the other side, the last couple of years weren’t up to Dortmund’s standards domestically as they fell away from what they’ll feel is their rightful place as Bayern’s main challengers. But they now look to have reclaimed that spot from Bayer Leverkusen and are unbeaten in the league, though they’ve relied more on stout defense than explosive attack.

This one’s shaping up well, and joining us to preview the match is the commentary team who will deliver it to American viewers on ESPN at 12:30pm ET on Saturday: Derek Rae and Stewart Robson, who also happen to be the in-game commentators for EA Sports FC 26 — and many previous iterations of the famous franchise formerly known as FIFA!

We got into how they record play-by-play for video-game matches that haven’t happened yet, their travels together across Germany (and shared taste for bratwurst), and much more...

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It’s the second international break of the young club season, so we’re continuing our tour around the continents to see who’s doing what in World Cup qualifying. This week we head over to the Confederation of African Football to see who’s on their way to North America next summer, plus:

• How the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams rights a historical wrong with respect to how many tickets African nations get every four years.

• The wonderful story of Cape Verde, population half a million, who are on the verge of qualifying for their first world cup.

• Why the continent’s traditional powers like Nigeria and Cameroon are struggling to qualify.

• Why the power base of the continent is moving north to Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, thanks in part to changes to FIFA rules and the North African diaspora in Europe.

• The controversy around South Africa’s qualifying campaign and why they are the most rapidly improving team on the continent.

Here to break it all down is Maher Mezahi, an African football journalist based in Algiers who hosts the African Five-a-Side podcast:

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Monaco and Nice are not the biggest clubs in the South of France — that’s Marseille — but they maintain a testy feud that carries the cultural differences between the two towns. The Principality of Monaco is fiercely independent from France but plays in Ligue 1 alongside Nice, a gorgeous but (somewhat) less glitzy destination than the champagne-and-caviar precincts of the Monégasques.

AS Monaco has a rich footballing tradition in recent decades, from the Arsène Wenger days (and those of Thierry Henry and George Weah) to more recent times, when the club has been a kind of finishing school for elite talent like Kylian Mbappé and Bernardo Silva. OGC Nice has not enjoyed the same success recently, and yet engenders fierce support rooted in deep tradition that Monaco can’t always match: the Stade Louis II, where this weekend’s match will be played, has inconsistent attendance in a town where football isn’t always paramount.

Meanwhile, both clubs are seeing varying levels of fan revolt over poor results and msigivings about how they’re run — not least Nice, where fans are even more disenchanted with Sir Jim Ratcliffe than Manchester United supporters. That combined with a rebellion against French footballing authorities has spurred a boycott among Nice ultras, who will not be attending this match or enjoying their traditional mass scooter procession across the 20-or-so kilometers from Nice to Monaco.

Joining us to break it all down is Jonathan Johnson, a Paris-based French football expert.

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It’s the Madrid derby this Saturday as Atlético host Real Madrid at the Metropolitano, and ahead of the big game we’re getting into some La Liga history. There’s a thrilling story of how two Racing Santander players defied Generalissimo Franco’s fascist regime, a look at the man largely in Santiago Bernabéu’s shadow who did so much to make Real Madrid what it is today, and the tale of how a flying Atléti winger became a Nazi spy.

Each of those is a chapter of Once Upon a Time in La Liga, a new book out this month. Author Brendan Madden joins the show to share them, talk about his path from data journalist to football storyteller, and of course talk about how the current versions of Atléti and Los Blancos are looking coming into this weekend’s marquee fixture.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the book: https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/once-upon-time-la-liga

And if you like what you hear in this episode, leave us a rating and review! It helps spread the good word about The Football Weekend.

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It's the Merseyside derby this weekend, and we get into that feud a bit with this week's guest. After all, Stephen Warnock came up through the Liverpool academy and has been to Anfield and Goodison Park umpteen times (and to Everton's brand new Hill Dickson Stadium once). But that’s not the marquee match of the round. Neither is Man United-Chelsea.

The big one is ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER CITY at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and it could tell us a lot about whether the Premier League is about to see a two-horse title race, a three-way, or even a foursome if Chelsea get involved. It will certainly have a different feel from those recent seasons where Pep Guardiola got the better of his ex-pupil Mikel Arteta, however, because Arsenal come into this one as firm favorites.

Beyond all that, Warnock also talks about a couple of his more idiosyncratic managers back in his playing days, Big Sam Allardyce and Neil Warnock. He also remembers sharing a flank with streets-won't-forget Barclaysman Morten Gamst Pedersen, and these are the kind of behind-the-scenes stories you'll find — along with some expert insight into the fitness and recovery side of things — on his new podcast, Strain on the Game.

Check that out, but first: Have a listen here, leave a review if you enjoy yourself, and check out more sharp conversations and on-the-ground reporting at The Football Weekend.com.

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The 2026 World Cup in North America is less than a year away, and while the club season has now kicked off in earnest, we'll have a number of international breaks before the big show. Each one is an opportunity to take stock of the various national teams across (nearly) every continent and see who’s on their way to the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer.

We’ll take those opportunities with a series of shows in those windows where club football is on hiatus, and joining up for the inaugural edition is Felipe Cárdenas, senior writer for The Athletic covering national teams across North and South America.

We got into the U.S. Men’s National Team, Mauricio Pochettino’s performance, and the controversy around this summer’s Gold Cup; Lionel Messi’s last ride with Argentina and his chance to add a line to his resumé that could really settle all debates; Carlo Ancelotti’s bid to put the icing on his own cake with Brazil; Chile and Colombia’s struggles; Bolivia’s 13,000-foot home field advantage; and how Mexico and Canada are setting up as hosts.

(And to come clean: I mispronounced Felipe’s last name in the intro! Ignore my “ñ.” We learn.)

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The violence, the sectarianism, the proxy war linked to The Troubles in Northern Ireland and what it means to be Scottish — all of it is tied up in the Old Firm, Celtic vs Rangers, Glasgow’s white-hot derby. A particularly ugly Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park even saw alcohol banned from Scottish football stadiums.

But what about the commercial side?

Because from the beginning, all concerned have recognized the financial opportunity generated by Scotland’s greatest rivalry. “The Old Firm” name may well come from a cartoon that satirized the whole thing as a joint business enterprise, and fans have rebelled against the two clubs and the authorities for reasons financial. Some local companies, like Tennent’s brewers, have even chosen to sponsor both Celtic and Rangers simultaneously — because to choose just one could mean financial ruin. After all, both sides are more than happy to stage a boycott.

The 447th Old Firm derby was played Sunday, as early as possible to (theoretically) keep the number of pints consumed beforehand to a minimum. Rangers have won 171 of those meetings, Celtic 170. Last year, ahead of the first Old Firm of 2024/25, Chris McLaughlin of the BBC Scotland joined the show to run through the rich and tempestuous history of this very particular derby match.

Get more on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAGSb8lq12g&pp=2AYB

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Here's a proper Big Match Preview, and it’s a big guest to help us do it. Andrew Mangan is the proprietor at Arseblog, the preeminent fan chronicle of Arsenal Football Club, and he joins us to look at the true doozy ahead this weekend. The Gunners will head north to Anfield on Sunday to face Liverpool in the first proper title clash of the Premier League season.

It comes on the back of a very active transfer window for both sides, and we got into that along with the rich history between the two clubs and why they differ in some fundamental way — as far as heritage and culture — from big-money upstarts Chelsea and Manchester City. Plus, Andrew offers his view as an Irishman on the Irish thread that runs through both of these clubs.

Fair warning that this is a meeting of two devout Arsenal partisans, but there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy along the way!

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Liverpool will travel to St. James’ Park to round out Matchweek Two in the Premier League, and in another time it might merely be a rematch of last season’s League Cup final, or just a meeting of two major institutions of English football who’ve never particularly liked each other.

But this one has a different kind of electrical charge, because the defending champion Reds are trying to pry Newcastle’s star striker, Alexander Isak, out of a black-and-white jersey. The forward is agitating for the move, and the Magpie faithful are not happy about any of it. The Swede isn’t likely to feature, but he’ll be looming over it all, and it’s sure to be a tumultuous atmosphere on Tyneside.

That’s just a small part of what we got into with this week’s guest: Clive Tyldesley, the legendary commentator for CBS Sports and Paramount+ who’s been calling the biggest games in European football for decades. Along the way, he’s seen a whole lot, and his vast experience and the wisdom thereof is now pouring into a new project: his blog here on Substack, where he weighs in on football’s current affairs with wit and insight.

He joins the show to talk Isak, Liverpool, the Club World Cup, why Sergio Busquets is the greatest walking footballer ever, and the state of the game he loves. Get more from Clive in your inbox each week:

https://ctyldesley.substack.com/

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When Robbie Earle left Port Vale for Wimbledon in 1991, he knew he was joining a cast of characters. John Fashanu, Vinnie Jones, Jason Euelle, Andy Clarke, Efan Ekoku and many more major personalities came together to make the ‘90s Dons one of the more charismatic sides in Premier League history.

They welcomed Earle to the crew as only they could: By stripping him naked during a team run through a public park and leaving him with just a traffic cone “to cover the most embarrassing bits.”

He quickly accepted the price of initiation into the Crazy Gang and enjoyed a nine-year stint in the English top flight with the Dons. He made 244 appearances and scored 59 goals from midfield. Nowadays, you can find him on your TV here in the States pretty much every weekend. That includes this one, because the Premier League kicks off later today on NBC Sports and Peacock.

Robbie first came by The Football Weekend ahead of a spring 2024 title clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, and he returned to preview Championship Sunday later that season.

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“Anfield is not the same anymore,” commentary legend Clive Tyldesley wrote on Substack in March, because “our relationship with our football heroes has changed…It’s now up to them to give us something to get excited about.”

But when I asked Liverpool fan and prodigious observer of the game Laurence McKenna whether he agreed with that diagnosis, he offered a different one: It’s not the tourist fans making their pilgrimage to Anfield who’ve dented the famous atmosphere, and it’s not necessarily some growing sense among those in attendance that they’ll cheer when they’re entertained. It’s the ticket resale platforms, Laurence said, who are all too willing to fill up the home sections with away fans and change the makeup of the collective Anfield organism.

For more on the deep history and changing dynamics of Liverpool’s famous stadium, check our Cathedrals feature:

https://www.thefootballweekend.com/p/liverpool-anfield-champions-league-night

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During Copa América last summer, Alexis Guerreros of The Cooligans podcast and Morning Footy on CBS Sports Golazo came by the Weekend to preview the Round of 16, and the standup comedian made a sharp point about Lionel Messi’s “elasticity” and his stunning physical resilience after all the kicks and hard tackles he’s taken in a long and storied career.

That’s just one reason that the little Argentine is the greatest there ever was, and from there we dove into a discussion of what a privilege it is to witness this man play. Nowadays, when you’re lucky enough to be there in the stadium, you can feel that everybody around you knows it, too: this is Michael Jordan, this is Wayne Gretzky, and we’re running out of time to bear witness to a genuine sporting phenomenon.

Get more Classic moments from The Football Weekend:

"Go, Go USA!" Ian Darke on His Massive Contribution to American Football Lore

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At the end of the 2023/24 season, Jon Champion joined the show just before calling the FA Cup final for ESPN. He’s also a Premier League commentator for NBC, and he’s been to all kinds of grounds across England and beyond over his decades in the game.

So what are his favorite stadiums?

Champion has a natural predilection for old places with all their layers, one laid atop another until there’s a tasty cake of architectural, cultural, and sporting history to devour. He had kind words for Fulham’s Craven Cottage, and — earlier in the episode — for Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road.

But his greatest praise was for Goodison Park, Everton’s grand old cathedral, and he had some fabulous stories about the treacherous route to the commentary gantry at the 1892 ground and the dire consequences thereof for an old colleague of his, Gerald Sinstadt.

Champion’s words here were so stirring that he inspired The Weekend’s trip to Merseyside last season.

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On the eve of Copa América last summer, former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Stu Holden came by the show to preview a competition that he would soon crisscross the country covering for FOX Sports.

The tournament did not go well for the USA, and then-head coach Gregg Berhalter lost his job on the back of it. But it was also a great opportunity to take stock of the young Americans plying their trade for some of Europe’s biggest clubs: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards and more.

Holden spoke on the biases that American footballers have faced in Europe and his own pride in challenging those perceptions as a Premier League player with Bolton Wanderers a generation ago. But he also threw down a challenge to the high-flyers of the present, and a year later, his takes on many of the Americans abroad look rock-solid.

Pulisic continued to thrive at AC Milan last season, Richards and Robinson went from strength to strength in England, and Reyna — among others — never cleared Holden’s bar to become a key asset for his employer. (In fact, Reyna’s time at Borussia Dortmund appears to be over.) As Holden put it, these guys need to do more than just be at these clubs if the USMNT is to do something major next summer at the 2026 World Cup.

Get more Classic moments from The Football Weekend:

"Go, Go USA!" Ian Darke on His Call for Landon Donovan's 2010 World Cup goal

Kasey Keller's Millwall Adventures

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World Cup 2010 in South Africa, Group C. The United States Men’s National Team is headed for an early exit, unable to secure the points needed to escape a group shared with England, Slovenia, and Algeria. The clock is ticking down on an abysmal game of football in which the Americans did little to demonstrate they belonged in the knockout rounds. The incessant drone of vuvuzelas is like a hive of angry bees chasing the world’s preeminent superpower off one of the world’s great stages.

And then goalkeeper Tim Howard launched the ball forward with a half-field throw to Landon Donovan. The #10 carried it into the final third and played Jozy Altidore into the Algerian box, where he fed Clint Dempsey with a low cross. The Texan’s strike was blocked, but the rebound fell to Donovan, and the rest is history: “Go, go, USA!”

Those were the words of Ian Darke, the ESPN commentator who came by the show in December before he called Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid for the network. We’ll have more from Ian’s La Liga adventures soon, but what better time to look back on World Cup glories than the heady days of July?

Get more Classic moments from The Football Weekend:

Kasey Keller's Millwall Adventures

Boyhood Liverpool Fan Stephen Warnock Lived the Dream But Has Regrets

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Carl Anka’s Premier League time machine...

The Athletic staff writer covers Manchester United and joined the podcast ahead of the derby with Man City in April, but we also surveyed the wider landscape of England’s top flight. Carl is one of today’s great tactical minds, and he explored how Nottingham Forest thrived last season, whether their blistering counterattacking style was a philosophical rebuttal of Pep Guardiola’s City, and whether teams that normally dominate possession should consider giving it up at times when facing a counterpuncher of Forest’s caliber.

With the new Premier League season just a month away, it’s time to take stock of the future.

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Born in Ormskirk, England, 20 minutes north of Liverpool, it was always Stephen Warnock’s dream to pull on the red shirt at Anfield. He joined the Liverpool Football Club academy and worked his way up the ranks until he broke into the first team. Having stood on the Kop singing, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” he walked out on the pitch singing it with a tear in his eye. He lived the dream of every football fan and made 40 appearances for his club, but he says now that he has regrets.

Nowadays, Warnock is a co-commentator and pundit for NBC in the United States and Sky Sports (and more) in the U.K. He came by The Football Weekend ahead of last season’s famous last derby at Goodison Park, the 2-2 draw with two red cards where James Tarkowski’s wonderstrike in the 98th minute felt like it won the game for Everton by tying it. Warnock has his own Goodison story as a young Liverpool fan who got himself onto the pitch.

MORE:

Has Anfield lost its formidable atmosphere?

What Everton will leave behind at Goodison Park

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Welcome to The Football Weekend Classics series, where we’ll be sharing some of the best moments from the podcast all summer long. First up: Kasey Keller’s Millwall stories.

The goalkeeper from Olympia, Washington played for the U.S. Men’s National Team at four World Cups, but he was also one of the first Americans to really cut it in Europe. His first move after college in 1992 was to head out to South London to play in The Den. A Scottish professor tried to explain to him the gravity of this development before he went, but now, after 175 appearances — and a regular series of pitch invasions — Keller knows better than most the ferocious intensity of Millwall’s world.

It all came to a head when they were closing the famous old stadium and moving to The New Den, when fans rushed the field and stripped the players — including Keller — of everything they had on. In the end, he could only escape the pitch by running at full pelt and kicking somebody in the chest when they jumped into his path.

For the full interview with Kasey, check the original podcast.

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The Champions League final is upon us, the thrilling crescendo of the club football season. With no major tournament on the horizon this summer — and no, the Club World Cup does not count — this is the last big match for a while. There’s an announcement along those lines towards the end of this week’s show, but more importantly, we’ve got Rob Green on.

The former England national team goalkeeper will call this game for CBS and Paramount+ at 3pm ET on Saturday alongside Clive Tyldesley, who was kind enough to join us before last year’s edition of this marquee fixture. Now Rob stops by to trace how INTER MILAN got here having survived a spectacular FC Barcelona side in the semifinal and major disappointments on multiple fronts as the club chased a treble. Then there’s PSG, the club reborn as a young and hungry force of nature. And of course, we get Mr. Green’s thoughts on the two unbelievable goalkeepers on show here in what could be a major moment for his tribe.

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And as always, for kickoff times and storylines on all the other matches worth your time this weekend, check TheFootballWeekend.com.

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