Through eight games in the new Premier League season, Manchester United have won three, drawn three, and lost two. The Red Devils currently sit eighth in the league, but will face a marquee opponent Sunday when an unbeaten Chelsea comes to Old Trafford. MUFC has not won a home game over the Blues since 2011, and the team was nearly caught looking ahead to this encounter Monday, when they came from behind to draw 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion.

Chelsea have largely cruised through the first few months of the new campaign, scoring 23 goals. Nine of those have come from Diego Costa, who joined the club this summer from Atletico Madrid, and has averaged just over a goal per game since arriving at Stamford Bridge. Back for Chelsea is Didier Drogba, and while the Ivorian has yet to start or score in the Premier League, he could make a significant impact Sunday.

Manchester United could be without striker Radamel Falcao after the Colombian picked up an injury on Friday. The hosts will definitely be missing captain Wayne Rooney, whose three-game suspension includes sitting out this clash, but both Angel di Maria and Ander Herrera are fit to face the Blues at Old Trafford. One of the bigger narratives is United manager Louis van Gaal facing former assistant Jose Mourinho; the pupil beat the teacher when the two coached against each other in the 2010 Champions League Final, so can the Dutchman hand Chelsea their first loss of the season?

The game will be aired on broadcast television in the United States on NBC, and this matchup is an excellent opportunity to showcase the Premier League to casual fans. Regardless of Sunday’s result, this rivalry is truly a marquee fixture on the league schedule, and promises to be a thrilling match.

After the first two games of the 2014 World Series, San Francisco and Kansas City have each won once. Now, the series shifts to California for three games. The Giants took Game 1 decisively on Tuesday night, and they looked set to continue that momentum when Gregor Blanco led off Game 2 with a home run. But the Royals came back to win 7-2 Wednesday night and tie the series. With the drama fans have already witnessed this postseason, there is an excellent chance this World Series truly becomes a “Fall Classic“.

At AT&T Park, San Francisco was 45-36 during the regular season, and 4-1 in the postseason. Kansas City went 47-34 on the road during the regular season, and is undefeated away from Kauffman Stadium in October. A fun statistic for fans: the Royals’ last postseason loss outside Missouri came in Game 4 of the 1985 ALCS to the Blue Jays. Can they keep that streak going throughout the weekend?

The Giants are in their third World Series in the last five years; they celebrated the victories in 2010 & 2012 away from home, but have the opportunity to be crowned champions on home turf Sunday night. If Bruce Bochy’s players are going to do that, they’ll need to benefit from a big inning or two on offense (much like the 1st inning of Game 1), and reliable pitching. Kansas City has proven they can respond to adversity, by brushing off Tuesday’s loss to even the series. Many neutrals probably wouldn’t like the Royals’ chances had they lost on Wednesday to go down 0-2, but this series stays in the balance.

It was Game 3 of last year’s World Series that the Cardinals won after Will Middlebrooks was called for obstructing Allen Craig. St. Louis took a 2-1 series lead, but the Red Sox won the next three to win the title, including a pickoff to end Game 4. Both those games were at a National League park, and Games 3-5 this year will also be hosted by the NL champions. Is there a chance, however minuscule, that Friday’s or Saturday’s game is decided on a freak play?

No matter which team you’re rooting for, this weekend should be full of exciting baseball action, especially on Sunday night, should either club get a 3-1 lead going into Game 5. This is the Fall Classic, and the 2014 edition should turn out to be just that, a classic.

On Wednesday night, Kansas City beat Baltimore 2-1 to win the American League pennant in a sweep, and qualify for their first World Series since 1985. Including their regular season finale, the Royals have now won nine games in a row, and they have not lost in the postseason since Game 4 of that ’85 World Series. But can one of the most remarkable baseball stories in modern history finish with a happy ending?

The Royals did begin the second half of the season 2nd place in the AL Central, but several games behind both the division lead and either of the Wild Card spots. They did put together an eight-game winning streak at the beginning of August, and despite losing four in a row to end that month, they began September on a winning streak, and did well enough to earn the Wild Card home game. And what a game that was; down 7-3 to Oakland with one out in the bottom of the 8th, Kansas City mounted a furious rally, getting a game-tying run in the ninth. The Athletics would take the lead back in the 12th, but the Royals countered with two runs themselves to advance to the ALDS against the Angels.

Having been in Kansas City during Games 1 & 2 of the ALDS, I can say the atmosphere around the region was one of excitement, hoping the Royals could continue their roll in the postseason. After more extra-innings wins in Los Angeles, fans got to witness a win in regulation at Kauffman Stadium. Check out this video (uploaded to YouTube by YankeeMagpie) for the Angels’ final at-bat and ensuing celebrations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIvPEjk9geI

Next for Kansas City was an Orioles squad looking for their first championship since 1983, but the Royals took both games in Maryland with their never-say-die attitude, and a pair of 2-1 wins at home have the Royals back in the Fall Classic. But can they keep the momentum going for one more series? Here’s some history to consider, courtesy of ESPN’s research department:

Kansas City will have a five-day rest before Game 1 of the World Series, which will begin October 21 regardless of how long the NLCS goes (At the time this was published, Game 5 between the Cardinals & Giants was in progress). Both the Orioles and Royals had four days in between their LDS & LCS matchups, so Ned Yost’s club has already proven they can handle a semi-lengthy break. Kansas City fans will point out the Royals have home-field advantage, should the Series go all seven games. Will the Royals win their first title in nearly three decades? It won’t be long until we find out the answer.

The most recent stretch of Euro 2016 qualifiers is over, with many notable moments. Northern Ireland continued their impressive start with a win at 2004 champions Greece, while the Serbia-Albania match was abandoned after a drone carrying the visitors’ national flag prompted a fight between the two teams. With the next set of qualifiers scheduled for next month, club football seasons resume, and the Premier League schedule for this weekend contains some intriguing matchups.

The first match on Saturday features reigning champions Manchester City hosting Tottenham. City sit five points behind current leaders Chelsea, and have rebounded well from their shocking home loss to Stoke in August. Speaking of the Blues, they travel to Crystal Palace eager to maintain their unbeaten record, while the two clubs still seeking a first EPL win (Burnley & Newcastle United) host West Ham and Leicester, respectively, in Saturday afternoon fixtures. Arsenal could potentially move back into the top 3 if they beat Hull at the Emirates, while the club currently in 3rd, Southampton, welcome Sunderland to the southern coast of England. Everton has struggled in the first months of the season, but can get on track if they beat Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

Sunday will feature two matches: QPR are currently bottom of the table but can use a home win over Liverpool to kick-start their campaign. Swansea enjoyed a terrific start to their season, but September wasn’t kind to the Welsh club (Two losses and a draw in EPL play), and two weeks ago they were 15 minutes from a win over Newcastle until Papiss Cisse rescued a point for the Magpies. Sunday, the Swans travel to a Stoke club that’s had two weeks to reflect on their loss at Sunderland. Monday’s lone match sees Manchester United, currently fourth in the table, visit West Brom in a potential trap game; the Red Devils welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford the following weekend, but will want to take care of business at the Hawthorns first.

Fans are no doubt excited to have club football back in action this weekend. And with Matchday 3 of both the Champions League & Europa League coming soon, it will offer even more opportunities to view the elite clubs in the game.

This week marked the start of a new NHL season, and for fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thursday’s season opener at Buffalo couldn’t come soon enough.  The Blue Jackets are coming off their best season in franchise history, where they made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time and made Pittsburgh work to advance in six games. But some will remember that after Columbus’ first playoff appearance in 2009, the Blue Jackets endured a last-place finish in the Central Division the following year. So can Columbus prove that last season was no fluke?

The Blue Jackets’ forward line will have to get through the first part of the season without several key players. Alternate captain Brandon Dubinsky became the latest addition to the injured reserve list on Tuesday, joining Boone Jenner, Nathan Horton, and defenseman Ryan Murray, among others. On the bright side, Ryan Johansen signed a new three-year contract with the team after a summer of uncertainty; he, new acquisition Scott Hartnell, and 2013 draft pick Alexander Wennberg all had an assist Thursday night.

On defense, the Jackets bring back a wealth of veterans, including Jack Johnson, Fedor Tyutin, and James Wisniewski. Dalton Prout and David Savard are primed to have good seasons, while fans won’t worry much about the goaltender position. Sergei Bobrovsky is back after going 32-20-5 a year ago, and Curtis McIlhenny has proven his capability as a backup when the Russian is unavailable. With the absentees on offense, Columbus’ defense could likely determine how the first months, and maybe the season in general, go for the team.

The Blue Jackets had a remarkable 7-1 preseason, and got off to a winning start Thursday at Buffalo. Two ESPN hockey analysts have Columbus in the Eastern Conference Final, so can the club meet that goal in 2015? For hockey fans in central Ohio, the long summer is finally over.

Wednesday will see a new chapter in professional football history, when the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) begins its first season. The league’s main goal is to establish an official partnership with the NFL, and essentially serve as a feeder system not just for players, but for officials and proposed rules. Commissioner Brian Woods went on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning in September to discuss the new league (Video uploaded to YouTube by GOFXFL).

Prospective fans will be interested to see how this first season goes for the FXFL; will it develop into a successful minor league, or fold after one season? How many players will end up in the National Football League, and how will the marquee names (like Boyd or former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson) fare?

Many football followers remember the XFL, its attempt to combine wrestling with football, and how it only lasted a season. That league was able to produce players that people would still recognize today, notably Rod Smart (“He Hate Me”), and Tommy Maddox, who was the sole league MVP, and later won the 2002 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

There are four franchises planned for this season: the Boston Brawlers, Brooklyn Bolts, Omaha Mammoths, and the Blacktips (a traveling team). Games will be televised on ESPN3 and other local/regional networks. This should be interesting to watch, as the FXFL looks to begin a new era for professional football.

The first weekend of October brought a lot of joy to sports fans across the country, but particularly in certain states, namely Mississippi & Missouri. Let’s take a look at some of the most important stories that developed in the last two days.

Saturday Shocks

Some would say last weekend was bound to be unique from the moment Katy Perry was revealed as the Guest Picker on College GameDay. The singer correctly chose Ole Miss to upset Alabama on Saturday, but that was far from the only surprise result. Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and UCLA also entered Saturday undefeated and in the Top 10; all three lost their games, and Oregon was upset Thursday night in a loss to Arizona. The drama should continue in Week 7 with a pair of Top 10 clashes: Auburn at Mississippi State, and TCU at Baylor.

Manning Milestone

After nearly leading Denver to a comeback at defending Super Bowl champion Seattle in Week 3, Peyton Manning came back  from the Broncos’ bye week to throw a career-high 479 yards in a win over Arizona. The veteran quarterback did get to 500, though, in the “career touchdown passes” category, after a first quarter strike to Julius Thomas. Manning would throw three more touchdowns in the 41-20 victory, and is now five behind Brett Favre for most career TD passes.

A Royal Dose of Magic

Last week in general was a utopia of sorts for Kansas City Royals fans: after missing the postseason for nearly three decades, KC hosted a thrilling AL Wild Card game, coming from down four in the 8th to win in 12 innings over Oakland. Then came the ALDS against the favored Angels, and Kansas City took the first two games in Los Angeles in extra innings. Sunday night, the Royals wasted little time finishing the sweep with an 8-3 win. Up next: the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, who haven’t been to a World Series since 1983.

What you do think will be the big sports story next weekend? Leave a comment below!