Avoiding the Drop

These Champions League weeks just kinda sneak up on you, don’t they? One minute, you’re trick-or-treating, wondering who’s playing in the MLS playoffs; the next, you’re in your office on Tuesday remembering that you forgot to set your DVR.

That’s why we’re here, folks. We’re paid to supposed to know these kinds of things, and then we use that wisdom to help you to prepare the day before, when you can actually do something about it. You’ve probably already figured out which matches you want to see; what you’ve probably not figured out yet is when they’re on TV.

After the jump, then, are the schedules. As before, I’ll include the first running of the game, followed by the first replay on Fox Soccer Channel; games not being aired by Fox Soccer will be in red.

DAY #1 (TUESDAY, 11/3/09)

Atlético Madrid vs. Chelsea: FSC (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST)
Manchester United vs. CSKA Moscow: Setanta (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/3/09, 5:00 PM EST)
AC Milan vs. Real Madrid: Fox Sports en Español/Fox Sports Network (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/3/09, 7:00 PM EST)
Bayern München vs. Bordeaux: DirecTV (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/4/09, 1:00 AM EST)
Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus: DirecTV (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/4/09, 10:00 AM EST)
Marseille vs. FC Zürich: DirecTV (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST)
Apoel Nicosia vs. FC Porto: DirecTV (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST)
Besiktas vs. VfL Wolfsburg: DirecTV (11/3/09, 2:45 PM EST)

I’m not sure why that Zurich game isn’t being shown, honestly; Zurich are obviously a minnow, but they’re a minnow that did manage to beat AC Milan. Both that match and Besiktas vs. Wolfsburg are WAY more interesting than, say, Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus. Of course, the flip side of that is that I’ll be lucky to watch two of these games, and under no viewing plan would either of those be in my top two…so I guess this is whining just for the sake of whining.

DAY #2 (WEDNESDAY, 11/4/09)

Rubin Kazan vs. Barcelona: Fox Sports en Español/FSC (11/4/09, 12:30 PM EST), FSC (11/4/09, 7:00 PM EST)
Lyon vs. Liverpool: Fox Sports en Español/FSC (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/4/09, 9:00 PM EST)
Arsenal vs. AZ Alkmaar: Setanta (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/4/09, 5:00 PM EST)
Sevilla vs. VfB Stuttgart: DirecTV (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST), FSC (11/5/09, 11:00 AM EST)
Dynamo Kiev vs. Inter Milan: DirecTV (11/4/09, 2:45 EST)
Fiorentina vs. Debrecen: DirecTV (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST)
Standard Liege vs. Olympiakos: DirecTV (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST)
Unirea Urziceni vs. Rangers: DirecTV (11/4/09, 2:45 PM EST)

Now again, the red matches aren’t being shown. This is kind of a pity, actually, and it’s a theme that’s run through Fox Soccer’s Champions League coverage: Tuesday’s matches have great coverage, while Wednesday’s matches are a little…spotty. Part of that probably has to do with the start time; however, I see no reason to air both the Rubin Kazan-Barcelona match or the Lyon-Liverpool match twice on Wednesday, which is how it’s set up right now. This is especially true when Dynamo Kiev-Inter is going on; Inter haven’t won a Champions League match in like eight straight tries, and pressure’s starting to mount on Mourinho.

Or, since you already HAVE the Sevilla-Stuttgart match, show that instead of replaying the same stuff you already showed earlier in the day. Neither of the doubly-aired matches is likely to be compelling (unless Rubin Kazan is better than I’m thinking they are and can upset Barcelona twice, or unless Liverpool crap out of Europe in an especially dramatic way); you could easily replace one of them with the match that’s not being shown until the next morning.

Either way, though, that’s the schedule we’ve got. Come on back tonight when you get home so you can set your DVR accordingly!