Live Sports: Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, French Ligue 1, Sri Lanka Premier League Cricket, MLB, AFL & Little League World Series
This weekend, ESPN has live and exclusive televised coverage from the opening day of the Barclays Premier League season, as Newcastle United host Tottenham Hotspur, the first of 23 live games on ESPN this season. New Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas will be aiming to steer his side to Champions League qualification, aided by new signings Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen.
Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions Celtic travel to newly-promoted Ross County on Saturday lunchtime on ESPN. This is Ross’s first season in the top flight, after losing only one league game on their way to the First Division title.
There are also four live French Ligue 1 games this weekend – after salvaging a 2-2 draw against L’Orient on the opening weekend thanks to two goals from new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint Germain will be striving to take all three points when they travel to Ajaccio. There is also action from Marseille against Sochaux, Bordeaux versus Rennes and Lille’s trip to Nancy.
Sri Lanka Premier League Cricket continues this weekend as Basnahira Cricket Dundee take on Nagenahira Nagas, who are captained by Sri Lankan vice-captain, Angelo Matthews. This is followed by Wayamba United against Uva Next, who won their opening game thanks to Dilhara Fernando taking 5-17.
In the MLB, the Boston Red Sox face long term rivals the New York Yankees on Sunday, live on ESPN America. The Red Sox won the last match between the two sides 8-6, but not before sacrificing a 6-1 lead, only to snatch victory in the ninth inning.
Current AFL leaders Sydney Swans take on the Western Bulldogs this weekend and there is also action from Essendon against Carlton. The joint record title holders both need victory to help boost their prospects of finishing in the top eight and qualifying for the play-offs.
ESPN America also has live coverage of the 66th Little League World Series this weekend. The tournament, held annually in August, comprises 16 teams – eight from the United States and eight from the rest of the world. In 2011 a team from Huntington Beach, California defeated Japan in the championship game, earning the state’s second title in the last three years.
In preparation for ESPN’s live and exclusive coverage of Newcastle United against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, ESPN Classic will be reliving past encounters between the teams – including Newcastle’s emphatic 7-1 victory in 1997, which turned out to be one of Kevin Keegan’s last games in charge during his first spell at the club.
