EPL on TV this weekend

Yes, Virginia, there are other games on this weekend besides ManU/Chelsea. They're just not as interesting. ManU will be sure to fight tooth and nail for this win... but after they were supposed to do that in midweek against Lille how much can you expect from them? Look for Lampard and Drogba to give Smith and Ferdinand fits.

Otherwise, a very fragile Villa side face a Liverpool side trying to re-establish their form in the EPL. Look for Gerrard and Cisse to overshadow Baros' return against his former club. (Note to Snr Benitez: play Riise in front of Warnock on the left to shut down Milner and disrupt Villa's route into the attack.)

For the umpteenth week in a row, FSC is showing Portsmouth. I'm actually looking forward to the game this time as I picked up Matt Taylor (after his exploits of last weekend, unfortunately) and am expecting him to get the start again on the left side of midfield. I'm interested to see if with his moving left and Vukic back to health if Portsmouth have anything like a recognizable formation. Of course playing Wigan almost guaruntees a dour 1-0 game (0-0 until about 85mins) which dims my enthusiasm a bit.

Speaking of dull, scoreless games, Everton/Boro should be a real treat on Sunday! So hurry back from church in time for your nap. Or will a revitalized Boro meeting a revamped Everton (Arteta on the right, Van der Meyde on the left) make for good viewing?

And don't forget Owen, excuse me, Newcastle v. Birmingham City. Is NUFC for real yet? They'll need 3 points from this game to avoid taking a huge step backwards.

Soccer on Fox Soccer Channel
Day	Date	Competition	Home	Visitor	Kickoff (ET)
Sat.	Oct 29	EPL	Aston Villa	Liverpool	7:30 a.m.
Sat.	Oct 29	EPL	Portsmouth	Wigan Athletic	12 p.m.
Sat.	Oct 29	EPL	Newcastle	Birmingham City	3 p.m.
Sun.	Oct 30	EPL	Everton	Middlesbrough	1 p.m.
Soccer on PPV/CCTV
Day	Date	Competition	Home	Visitor	Kickoff (ET)
Sat.	Oct 29	EPL	Arsenal	Sunderland	10 a.m.
Sun.	Oct 30	EPL	Manchester United	Chelsea	11 a.m.