Three of soccer’s grandest club rivalries take center stage during "Clash of the Giants" week as Chelsea hosts Manchester United Tuesday, March 1, Juventus faces AC Milan in the Serie A on Saturday, March 5, then Liverpool receives Manchester United on Sunday, March 6.
The first-annual "Clash of the Giants" week on Fox Soccer will feature ten of the world’s 12 most valuable soccer clubs, and showcase key live clashes alongside replays of some of the most famed matches in club soccer history.
Fox Soccer analyst and former U.S. national team player Kyle Martino said, " ‘Clash of the Giants’ week has surpassed Shark Week as my favorite week of TV. Watching these great giants of world soccer battle on the greatest international soccer stage, the Premier League and Serie A is the zenith of sport. Every year this is the week that proves to be the turning point in a top teams journey to the title."
Our team of analysts went over all 21 matches on offer this coming week, and picked their favorites for you.
Former England international Warren Barton pegged Tuesday’s Chelsea-Manchester United clash as the live game that cannot be missed. "It jumps out at you. The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is massive, but as a game, this is the one for me."
Martino chose the following Sunday’s matchup, saying that, "the Liverpool -Manchester United game is the one to look forward to. I’m excited to watch this Liverpool team on the rise, and they have an opportunity with this game to solidify their turnaround under Kenny Dalglish. This could be the day that sees them complete a 180º turnaround, and that’s why it’s such a great match-up."
Former U.S. national team star Eric Wynalda pegged Monday’s AC Milan-Napoli match as a critical meeting in Serie A. "In the grand scheme of things, sometimes games like this get overlooked. This one shouldn’t be: it has massive implications on who will walk away with the title. A Napoli win could make things very difficult for Milan, but I think AC Milan will take this one handily, 3-1 in fact. They win this game, they’ll win the title."
Fox Soccer viewers can vote on which game they’d like to see replayed on Friday March 4th at 8 p.m. ET. Starting Sunday, fans can go online here at foxsoccer.com and vote to watch one of the following matches: the Chelsea-Liverpool Premier League match from Feb. 6, 2011, the 1971 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Liverpool, and the 1994 FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
Barton’s advice for viewers is to pick the 1971 FA Cup final match between Arsenal and Liverpool, which Arsenal would go on to win in extra time. "I grew up two miles away from Highbury and as a kid I was an Arsenal fan. I remember Charlie George scoring the winning goal and lying on the floor. That was a memorable celebration and a memorable moment for any Arsenal fan."
Martino chose the 1994 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Chelsea. "United already had the league won, and watching them doing the double against a class team like Chelsea was wonderful. My idol as a kid was Eric Cantona - I watched his highlight tape so often I burned it out! - so seeing him score twice in that game was special for me."
Wynalda tipped the Chelsea-Liverpool game from this past February. "Unfortunately, in some ways this game was all about Fernando Torres after his big-money transfer, and his lackluster performance just added fuel to the fire. But this game also showed that under Kenny Dalglish Liverpool has become an entirely different team."
Fox will also be presenting a selection of archive matches that showcases the best of Serie A, the Champions League, England’s Premier League and the F.A. Cup.
Barton remembers the famous Manchester derby game in the 1996 F.A. Cup like it was yesterday. "Eric Cantona won that penalty [for United,] which was so controversial, then that famous celebration. That game set the stage for him and things to come."
And Martino says that the 2002 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea was a watershed moment for the sport. "I remember that game so well, and it was probably one of the best advertisements for this game in America. I remember I had buddies, who were not soccer fans, become fans of the sports after seeing that game. And Dennis Bergkamp was a soccer god to me. I’ll watch any of his games, any time!"
Wynalda remembered the 2001 Charity Shield match between Liverpool and Manchester United, a game in which a young Ruud van Nistelrooy scored his first goal. "Sometimes we set the bar so high for players, and create expectations that aren’t achievable. What was great about Ruud was that every single week the guy got better and better, and for me, always answered his critics. This game is where it all started."
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and the Barclay's Premier League.
