The Week In Soccer

THE WEEK IN SOCCER

2:30 p.m. Friday (beIN Sports, beIN Sports Español)

One of Italy's legendary rivalries takes center stage as Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba lead first-place Juventus on a road trip to Florence. German forward Mario Gomez and Colombian wing wizard Juan Cuadrado will hope to carry la Viola to an upset of the three-time reigning Serie A champs.

Noon Saturday (Fox Sports 1, Telemundo)

Six months to the day before the first game kicks off, Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd, and the United States women, along with teams from 23 other nations, will find out their itineraries for next year's showcase in Canada.

3 p.m. Sunday (ESPN, UniMás)

It's only fitting that the last game of Landon Donovan's career is his seventh all-time MLS Cup final. He and league MVP Robbie Keane will try to lead Los Angeles to a record-setting fifth championship. New England may be the underdog, but the Revs bring their fair share of star power in striker Charlie Davies, playmaker Lee Nguyen, and enforcer Jermaine Jones.

3 p.m. Monday (NBC-SN, mun2)

Southampton is perched among the English Premier League's elite but is coming off shutout losses to Manchester City and Arsenal. Star striker Graziano Pellè and the third-place Saints will try to rebound at home against a resurgent fourth-place Manchester United led by Robin van Persie - and, possibly, Wayne Rooney, who has recovered from a knee injury suffered when he ran into a sideline advertising board during a game on Nov. 29.

2:30 p.m. Tuesday (Fox Sports 1)

Liverpool's first Champions League campaign in five years has been a rough ride. It has lost three of five group stage games so far, with just one win and one draw. But Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, and the Reds can still make the knockout rounds if they beat the five-time reigning Swiss champions. Though they may be without veteran forward Marco Streller, Basel is still no pushover, with defender Fabian Schär and striker Derlis Gonzalez.

- Jonathan Tannenwald