Happy Sick Day America, It's Soccer Time!
Liberate yourself from the shackles of work and go watch football. This call for action and a heck of a lot more in Sports Burst’s caucus of calamity.
By Tim Stannard (@stannardsports)
1) Neymar’s past, present and future in focus in Barcelona’s D-Day
During Monday’s Tax Day, Big Government, The Establishment, The One Percent, The Man – and other stuff with capital letters - had its fun holding you up by your financial heels and shaking you upside-down so there was nothing left in your pockets but bits of old tissue.
Brothers and sisters, it’s time to dig out your giant Flavor Flav clock and Fight the Power. Today’s the day to invent that sudden dental emergency, pretend to take your suddenly sick children out of school, deliberately kick a concrete post, feign to faint, or get an attack of the vapors like a Victorian lady. Anything to get out of the workplace and in front of some kind of device that shows moving pictures, hooked up to the appropriate cable platform that has been legally paid for. beIN SPORTS are not made of money, you know! And Ray Hudson needs some new shoes.
It’s La Liga time with all three Primera powers that are in the title race in action on Wednesday, starting with Barcelona trying avoid a fourth league defeat in a row up in Deportivo. Luis Enrique was in a feisty mood on Tuesday, saying that he thrives on the pressure. Let’s see if his players do to and if Neymar and Jordi Alba have made up after some nasty words between each other on the pitch in the Valencia defeat.
Despite Neymar’s dip in form, anger management issues and inability to renew his deal, Barcelona VP Jordi Mestre says he is quite sure the Brazilian will not be leaving Barcelona. Mestre also says that the club has written to the Brazilian FA requesting that Neymar does not play in both summer tournaments this year, with the Olympics being Barcelona’s preference. However, as the Copa America is a FIFA-sanctioned tournament as opposed to Rio 2016, the Catalan club may not have a say in the matter.
You can find out how Barcelona and Neymar get in by tuning into beIN SPORTS Español from 1.55PM ET with English commentary on SAP.
2) Gareth Bale’s un-fairway to miss Villarreal clash and Atletico’s date with destiny
The big question in the Real Madrid world with the visit of Villarreal on the horizon is whether or not Gareth Bale picked up his back injury, which sees the player out of action on Wednesday, playing 36 holes of golf on Sunday, while visiting the Spanish Open. Coach Zizou says he doesn’t know, or he isn’t telling. Either way, it gives James Rodriguez another chance to get back into Zidane’s good books. That humdinger is also on beIN SPORTS Español from 3.55 ET PM. Straight after the Barcelona game, in actual fact. Almost as if it was planned.
But let’s not forget Atletico Madrid, jammed in the middle of those games at 2.45PM ET on beIN SPORTS CONNECT. Out of the three, the Rojiblancos probably have the toughest test up against the hard-as-nails Athletic Bilbao, who will be missing the injured Ariz Aduriz to make life a little bit easier, at least. But as Diego Simeone intoned on Tuesday, Atletico’s destiny is their hands, and no-one else’s. Although Barca and Madrid losing would be handy. Catch all the highlights and all the reaction from our reporters on the ground, and analysts at their desks on the XTRA from 10PM ET.
3) Juventus looks to pull clear after Napoli bully Bologna
Heck, even the Italians are in on the midweek action as well. Napoli kicked matters off in some style on Tuesday with a 6-0 win over Bologna to move within six points of Juventus. But that gap is expected to snap right back to nine again with the Old Lady at home to a fairly hapless Lazio. You can catch that clash and all the goals from the other seven games taking place at the same time on Multicalcio Midweek Mayhem from 2.40PM ET on beIN SPORTS. But the Serie A day gets going from 12.25PM ET with Sampdoria looking to rid the ghosts of relegation with an away win at Sassuolo.
4) Latecomers to Champions League clash in EPL action
And look at that. The English are putting down their tea and scones to play some football, too. It’s the Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton, and Manchester United still trying to sneak into the Champions League spots at home to Crystal Palace, although West Ham are eying the same prize in a home clash against Watford. Highlights on the XTRA of course at 10PM ET.
5) Celtic boss starts long goodbye as Neuer sticks with Bayern
Just when the Scottish Premier League was going to get interesting again with the return of Rangers, the Celtic boss, Ronny Deila has said that he will be leaving Parkhead at the end of the season, after realizing what fun could be in store for the Norwegian after losing a Scottish Cup clash against their Old Firm rivals on Sunday.
No-one was expecting Manuel Neuer to be leaving Bayern Munich. So it’s no real surprise that the German goalkeeper has signed a new deal to 2021.