Don't Miss This Weekend’s Highlights in Sports

With the NFL and the English Premier League in full swing and the NBA and NHL’s preseasons starting, this weekend promises to be a blockbuster of sports from all over. With tasty match-ups wherever you look, it’s not going to be a weekend you want to miss. Let’s have a look at some of the biggest matches taking place:

NHL: Nashville Predators vs Tampa Bay Lightning (October 1st)

After a crushing loss in the final of the Stanley Cup against the Colorado Avalanche, the Tampa Bay Lightning had some soul-searching to do in the off-season, and have regrouped with one mission in mind for the start of this upcoming season - to go one step further than last year and win the Stanley Cup. With preseason underway, the Lightning lost their first game against the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1, but a true test to their prospects come in the form of the dangerous Nashville Predators, who look strong after a productive off-season.

Nashville look like they mean business this year after reaching the playoffs and also losing against the Avalanche - albeit in the first round as opposed to the final. With both teams trying to regroup to take down the all-conquering Avalanche, this game is the first test either team will have to see how well they stack up against each other, and which will provide the sterner test of the champions.

NHL schedule on TV and stream here.

NBA: Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards (October 2nd)

The Golden State Warriors have enjoyed their off-season after triumphing over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals last year. Their fourth championship in eight years, including six trips to the Finals, has firmly cemented their place as an all-time dynasty to rival Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls team of the 90s and the legendary Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers team of the early 2000s. And now, Steph Curry and his troops are ready to go again in search of their second repeat of this Warriors era.

Up against them in the first two preseason games is a Washington Wizards team that has fallen somewhat since the departure of former MVP Russell Westbrook in 2021. However, any team containing Bradley Beal, Deni Avdija, and Rui Hachimura is going to be a threat to anyone, and the Warriors are going to have a target on their back this season. Sunday’s second game between these two historic teams will be in Washington and will be the first true test of the Warriors’ mettle. How they will fare is anyone’s guess.

NBA schedule on TV and stream here.

EPL: Manchester City vs Manchester United (October 2nd)

This Sunday’s clash between the two Manchester clubs in the English Premier League is one of the most hotly-anticipated matches of the Premier League season so far. Manchester City’s summer acquisition of Norwegian goalscoring phenomenon Erling Haaland has left them looking like an unstoppable force at times, blowing by teams with ease. However, slip-ups against the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle, along with a worrying habit of conceding the first goal in many matches this season, have left them looking vulnerable to fast, counter-attacking teams.

Manchester United could prove to be just that. After a terrible start, losing their first two games to Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag’s men have turned it around in recent weeks, and the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford have started to find their feet in ten Hag’s system. The question is whether they can survive the expected onslaught against a dangerous Manchester City team full of talent in order to give their talented attackers a crack at a suspect defense. A Manchester derby is always a feisty affair, and Sunday’s match is sure to entertain.

Premier League schedule on TV and stream here.

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs (October 3rd)

After Tom Brady’s Buccaneers lost an edgy, defensive game against the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers last week, they play against another NFL superpower in the fluid Kansas City Chiefs and their supremely talented young quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After a disappointing year for both teams in the playoffs, the Bucs losing to eventual winners the Los Angeles Rams, and the Chiefs being upset by the Cincinnati Bengals, this year is a chance for both teams to make it back onto the big stage.

The results have been mixed so far for both titans of football, with both on 2 wins and 1 loss as it stands, and the mix of the beautiful Kansas City attack with the dominant Bucs defense should be a fascinating match-up. And of course, you can never count Tom Brady out of a football game, as shown by last week’s heroics against the Packers before just falling short with the last throw of the game. It should be a blockbuster of a game, and one that any true football fan will be licking their lips for.

NFL  schedule on TV and stream here.

Author: Dan Anderson