USMNT midweek viewing guide: Strong opposition

Midweek action is upon us once more, with Joe Scally vs Bayern in the DFB Pokal this week’s headliner. No Champions League, but there’s lots of action to choose from, with a full slate of domestic bliss on Wednesday night.

Let’s get into it!

Tuesday

• Venezia v Salernitana, 12:30p on Paramount+: Venezia are holding onto the 16th spot in Serie A, and they have a great chance for 3 points as they face bottom side Salernitana at home. Gianluca Busio is available following a minor injury Saturday. Tanner Tessmann also saw the field in a 22’ sub appearance Saturday, his first game in over a month. He displayed his passing range and comfort on the ball in the final minutes vs Sassuolo.
• Babelsberg v RB Leipzig, 12:30p on ESPN3, fuboTV, Sling TV: Tyler Adams and Jesse Marsch take on a Regionalliga opponent (fourth tier) in the DFB Pokal.
• Hoffenheim v Holstein Kiel, 12:30p: Chris Richards and Hoffenheim host a second-tier side in the DFB Pokal.
• Alavés v Elche, 1p on ESPN+: Matt Miazga and Alavés got their second win of the season vs Cádiz on Saturday, bringing them up to 18th in La Liga.
• ASWH v Heracles, 2p: Luca de la Torre’s fancy feet and Heracles are on the road in the KNVB Cup.
• LAFC v Seattle Sounders, 10:30p on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV, Sling TV: Cristian Roldan and Josh Atencio enter the Banc, as we continue to await Jordan Morris’ return.

Also in action:

• SC Weiz v Austria Klagenfurt, 8:30: Thomas Roberts made his first league appearance for Klagenfurt Saturday, playing 5 minutes. His other 54 minutes with the club came in their last cup match on September 22. This third-round cup match should be an opportunity for more minutes.
• KKS Kalisz v Raków Częstochowa, 12p: Ben Lederman is back from injury, after missing nearly 3 full months. He’s started Raków’s last two; they sit second in Poland, 3 points off the top.
• Borussia Dortmund v Ingolstadt, 2p on ESPN3, fuboTV, Sling TV: Gio Reyna is expected to miss this match DFB Pokal match, but BVB’s second-tier opponent could feature two American attackers young enough to play in this year’s canceled U-20 World Cup: Jalen Hawkins and Justin Butler.
• Gillingham v West Ham U21, 2p: Charlie Kelman has gone 90’ in both Gillingham’s EFL Trophy games so far.
• Chelsea v Southampton, 2:45p on ESPN+: Christian Pulisic is back in individual training, but not expected to be available for this EFL Cup match at Stamford Bridge.
• Arsenal v Leeds United, 2:45p on ESPN+: Folarin Balogun played 7’ for the Gunners in their last EFL Cup game; they host Leeds at the Emirates.

Wednesday

• Juventus v Sassuolo, 12:30p on Paramount+: Weston McKennie and McKennie have business to take care of at home in Serie A.
• Mallorca v Sevilla, 1p on ESPN+: Matthew Hoppe has seen playing time hard to come by of late for Mallorca; they will be the underdogs in this one, even at home.
• Rayo Vallecano v FC Barcelona, 1p on ESPN+: Will the Sergiño Dest at right wing experiment continue in this away match in La Liga?
• St. Pölten v RB Salzburg, 1p: Uly Llanez and second-tier St. Pölten the kings of Austrian football in this cup match, with Salzburg featuring Brenden Aaronson and Bryan Okoh.
• Real Betis v Valencia, 2p on ESPN+: Yunus Musah could see El Tri rivals Diego Lainez and Andres Guardado in this La Liga clash.
• West Ham v Manchester City, 2:45p on ESPN+: Zack Steffen could be in net for City as they travel to London Stadium in the EFL Cup.
• Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich, 2:45p on ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, fuboTV, Sling TV: Joe Scally fared well against Bayern in his Bundesliga debut earlier this fall, a 1-1 draw at home. The two sides meet at Borussia-Park again, this time in the DFB Pokal. Malik Tillman could also play a role for the Bavarians.
• Nice v Marseille, 3p beIN Sports, FuboTV, Sling TV, Fanatiz: Konrad de la Fuente will continue his chance-creation tour of France, this time at Nice in the league.
• FC Dallas v Real Salt Lake, 8p on ESPN+, fcdallas.com: Ricardo Pepi, Jesus Ferreira, Paxton Pomykal, and Justin Che welcome RSL to Toyota Stadium.

Also in action:

• Nordsjælland v Odense, 12p: Emmanuel Sabbi and OB travel to face Jonathan Amon’s club, the latter hasn’t played in a full calendar year due to injury.
• Malmö FF v AIK, 1p on ESPN+: Romain Gall played 45’ for Malmö on Thursday, his first minutes of any kind since July. Will he feature in their league action here, as well?
• Lugano v Young Boys, 1p: Jordan Pefok and Young Boys go on the road for this round of 16 cup tie.
• RFC Seraing v St. Truiden, 2p: Chris Durkin and St. Truiden on the road in the Belgian cup.
• Winkel Sport v Genk, 2p: Mark McKenzie and Genk traveling for the cup round of 32 in Belgium.
• Cagliari v AS Roma, 2:45p on Paramount+: Bryan Reynolds is being widely rumored to leave Roma in January; they face Cagliari in the league.
• Club Brugge v Deinze, 2:45p: Owen Otasowie has yet to play for Brugge, dressing for just 2 of 12 possibel games. They face Deinze in the cup round of 32.
• Hibernian v Celtic, 2:45p on CBS Sports Network, fuboTV: Cameron Carter-Vickers travel to Hibs (Chris Mueller’s side come January) for a league match in the Scottish Premiership.
• Rangers v Aberdeen, 2:45p: Christian Ramirez gets a trip to Ibrox Stadium as Aberdeen face Rangers.
• New England Revolution v Colorado Rapids, 7p on ESPN+: Matt Turner welcomes Kellyn Acosta into Gillette Stadium, after just hoisting the Supporters’ Shield with the Revs.
• Atlanta United v Inter Miami, 7:30p on ESPN+, fuboTV, Sling TV: Miles Robinson and George Bello face Robbie Robinson at the Benz.
• Columbus Crew v Orlando City, 7:30p on ESPN+: Gyasi Zardes is likely to miss this one due to injury, so Daryl Dike fills the role of dynamic American center-forward.
• DC United v New York Red Bulls, 7:30p on ESPN+, fuboTV, dcunited.com: Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes face the Red Bulls. Caden Clark has played in just 3 of 8 for New York with only 81 total minutes in that span.
• FC Cincinnati v Nashville SC, 7:30p on ESPN+, fccincinnati.com, nashvillesc.com: Walker Zimmerman travels to TQL Stadium.
• NYCFC v Chicago Fire, 7:30p on WGN, YES, ESPN+, fuboTV, Sling TV, chicagofirefc.com: James Sands and Keaton Parks face MLS’ newest shot-stopping maestro: Gaga Slonina.
• Toronto FC v Philadelphia Union, 7:30p on ESPN+, philadelphiaunion.com: The crowd of Philadelphia youngsters take on some former elder statesmen of the USMNT at BMO Field.
• Forge FC v CF Montréal, 7:30p: Djordje Mihailovic and Montreal face a CPL side in the Canadian Championship semifinal.
• Sporting KC v LA Galaxy, 10:30p on FS1, fuboTV, Sling TV: Tim Melia and Sporting face Sebastian Lletget and the Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park.
• Portland Timbers v San Jose Earthquakes, 10p on ESPN+, fuboTV: Cade Cowell and Jackson Yueill make the trip to Providence Park.

Thursday

• Aalborg Freja v Brøndby, 12p: Christian Cappis and Brøndby feature in the Danish cup.
• Westerlo v Antwerp, 2:45p: Sam Vines recently returned from injury for Antwerp; this game is a round of 32 cup tie.

Also in action:

• Antalyaspor v Diyarbakir, 11a: Haji Wright and Antalyaspor have Turkish cup action.
• Alessandria v Frosinone, 12p: Andrija Novakovich and Frosinone are on the road in Serie B.

That’s it! Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s see who impresses this week!