Weekend TV Preview: November 14th - 16th

(All times UK)

Friday 14 November

19.30 Hannover v Bochum, Bundesliga, Setanta Sports 1
Is it too early to call this a basement battle? Probably not. Keep a look out for former Brum and Chelsea Striker Mikael Forssell and the exciting Jan Schlaudraff for Hannover.

Saturday 15 November

12.45 Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool, Premier League, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Megson's team are on the up, Rafa's mob have had a bit of a wobble. An engaging encounter is on the cards with Torres almost certain to start.

17.20 Doncaster Rovers v Ipswich Town, Championship, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Donnie will need to keep the Ipswich attack locked up if they are to avoid a real cuffing.

17.30 West Brom v Chelsea, Premier League, Setanta Sports 1
It's all starting to unravel for the Albion. Tony Mowbray is to be admired for his purist stance but the supporters will worry that he does not have the squad to pull off a relegation scrap. They could really use Kevin Phillips back to snaffle some goals late doors. Hard to see beyond a Chelsea win.

19.00 Valladolid v Real Madrid, La Liga, Sky Sports Xtra
Real's midweek exit of the Copa del Rey at the hands of Segunda B (Spain's third tier) side Real Union has been making all the headlines in Spain. More worrying for Real is the loss of Ruud van Nistelrooy for the remainder of the season after knee surgery. Valladolid's low league position is down to their hopeless away form. At home they are a different prospect and will make life tough for Bernd Schuster's men.

20.00 Lille v St Etienne, Ligue 1, Setanta Sports 2
Sarah Cracknell: must stay at least 100 yards away from.

21.00 Valencia v Sporting Gijon, La Liga, Sky Sports Xtra
Gijon's return to the top flight looks like being a white knuckle ride - having lost their first five games of the season they then registered four wins on the spin. Shouldn't really be a problem for the home team.

Sunday 16 November

11.30 Ajax v PSV, Eredivisie, Setanta Sports 2
The Big One. A must watch for aficionados of the European game and a chance for Ajax to test their championship credentials.

13.30 Everton v Middlesbrough, Premier League, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Tough to call this fixture given the fluidity of the League right now. If Tuncay turns up it could end 3-3. If not, then we could be in for another edition of the Louis Saha Show.

14.00 Hamilton v Celtic, Scottish Premier League, Setanta Sports 1
The dream is over for the Accies. As is this preview.

16.00 Hull City v Manchester City, Premier League, Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Tasty fixture this. By common consent Hull were denied by the Bolton keeper last week. City on the other hand are struggling. By rights this should be a home win. However, defeats leads to loss of confidence so it's difficult to know how Hull will react to three on the spin. All of which means the neutral is treated to another unpredictable game in front of an impassioned and hopefully full KC Stadium.

18.00 Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna, La Liga, Sky Sports Interactive & Sky Sports 1 (2nd half only)
Two teams in desperate form looking for a good result to start their seasons. The Cup has been one "Rey" of sunshine (geddit!) as both teams progressed this week, with Osasuna registering their first win in over six months.

20.00 Recreativo v Barcelona, La Liga, Sky Sports 1
Recreativo's last win was on the opening day of the season, the same day as Barcelona's only defeat. Barca are in devastating form in the league, scoring 15 goals in their last three games and on a run of eight straight wins.

20.00 Lyon v Bordeaux, Ligue 1, Setanta Sports 1
"Le Grande Un" is how this is probably being touted. Top hosts third (Marseille currently hold the "Lucky Pierre" position between them). Bordeaux are good value for money but they'll need to improve on their away form if they are seriously going to challenge Lyon.