Games worth watching: Africa Cup of Nations, Arsenal-Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur-Manchester United and more

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Hannover 96 at Schalke 04 

2:30 p.m. Friday (GolTV) 

Germany's Bundesliga returns from its winter break with a matchup between U.S. national team stars Steve Cherundolo (Hannover) and Jermaine Jones (Schalke). Unfortunately, GolTV's increasingly limited distribution means that few fans – most notably Comcast subscribers – won't be able to watch. 

(Yeah, I put up this post after the game ended. But at least it was in the Inquirer this morning.)

South Africa vs. Cape Verde 

11:00 a.m. Saturday (ESPN3.com) 

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off with the host Bafana Bafana facing underdog Cape Verde. The tournament is perennially underrated by American soccer fans, because games have been hard to find on TV or online. This year, ESPN3 will stream all the games live, so they'll be easy to watch and enjoy.  The complete schedule for the tournament is here.

Arsenal at Chelsea

8:30 a.m. Sunday (Fox Soccer Channel)

It's always a big deal when these two London giants meet. Both teams' fan bases could do with a dose of anti-anxiety medicine, as they fear missing out on Champions League qualification. But they usually make it in the end, and this season is shaping up to be no different.

Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur

10:30 a.m. Sunday (Fox Soccer Channel)

The Premier League's biggest game of the weekend features Tottenham's American star Clint Dempsey. Manchester United travels to London in first place, and shows no signs of slowing down its high-powered offense.

Inter Milan at AS Roma

3:00 p.m. Sunday, beIN Sport (joined in progress)

U.S. national team star Michael Bradley leads Roma in a matchup of traditional Italian powers. Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has seen Bradley before, as part of Slovenia's team at the 2010 World Cup.

Note that the game is actually scheduled to kick off at 2:45 p.m. beIN Sport will join the broadcast in progress after the 1:00 p.m. Atlético Madrid-Real Zaragoza game concludes. You shouldn't miss too much, though.

West Ham United at Arsenal

2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Fox Soccer Channel)

This game was originally scheduled for the day after Christmas, but a subway strike in London forced a postponement. Now Arsenal has to deal with two London rivalry games in four days.

Toulouse at Paris Saint-Germain

2:55 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN3.com)

After barely escaping a trip to fifth-division Arras in its last Coupe de France match, PSG gets a home game in the Round of 16. That should help the big-spending Parisians avoid an upset.