TSN is the home to eight matches this weekend in the English Premier League and Major League Soccer.

TSN.ca gives you a primer on what's on tap over a busy weekend of footy across the TSN Network.

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SATURDAY (Times ET/PT)

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Alexandre Lacazette

Stoke City vs. Arsenal, 12:30pm/9:30am on TSN1/4 – Arsenal seeks to make it two wins on the trot after a thrilling 4-3 win over Leicester City last Friday, while Mark Hughes’ Potters were the victims of Wayne Rooney’s emotional homecoming in a 1-0 loss to Everton. While Sparky might not yet be in the hot seat, his chair is already warm. Stoke went winless in its first seven fixtures last season and a repeat performance would certainly spell doom for Hughes’s reign at the Britannia. Hughes’s attack could be, ahem, sparked (pardon the pun) by the arrival of striker Jese Rodriguez, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. Stephen Ireland, Ibrahim Affelay and Julien Ngoy are all out with injuries, though. Arsene Wenger’s squad will be a little bit more robust than the one he used last week with Francis Coquelin and Shkofdran Mustafi and Per Mertesacker all available after injury spells. Alexis Sanchez remains out for Arsenal, while Laurent Koscielny serves the final game of his suspension for getting sent off in the FA Cup final and defender Gabriel has completed his move to Valencia. If there’s little reason for optimism for Stoke fans when it comes to grabbing a result here, it’s because the Potters were dreadful a season ago against the top six, picking up three of a possible 36 points. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five matches with Stoke, including a 4-1 win at the Britannia last year.

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Jozy Altidore

Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC, 8pm/5pm on TSN1/4 – It’s a match between two of the East’s top clubs at Toyota Park with the MLS-leading Toronto FC visiting the Fire, who are third in the Eastern Conference, but each team is trending in a different direction. While Veljko Paunović’s squad remains unbeaten at home, the Fire don’t appear to be the same team they were during the first half of the season. After losing just three of their first 19 matches, the Fire have now lost four of their last five matches, including a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew and a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Impact last week. It also doesn’t help matters that the Fire are dealing with several injuries with the likes of Joao Meira, Brandon Vincent and Matt Polster all likely to be unavailable. TFC, meanwhile, heads into the matchup looking to make it a nine-point gap between the clubs in the standings. Unbeaten in their last six, the Reds could have a stalwart back in their lineup with the potential return of Steven Beitashour. The Iran international has been out since late June with a lacerated spleen. The potential return of Beitashour helps cushion the blow of losing Nick Hagglund, who’s been ruled out for six to eight weeks with an MCL sprain.

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Fredy Montero

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Houston Dynamo, 10pm/7pm on TSN1/4 – Carl Robinson’s men welcome the Western Conference leaders to BC Place when the Houston Dynamo come to town with the three points up for grabs crucial for both teams in a tight division. Only six points separate the two clubs with the Whitecaps holding two games in hand on the Dynamo. Vancouver sits one point back of the San Jose Earthquakes – also with two games in hand – for the final playoff spot in the West. The Dynamo are coming off  3-0 shellacking of those Earthquakes and hold a 5-0-1 all-time record in Vancouver. Alberth Elis won’t be a factor, though, as the Honduras international is suspended thanks to yellow card accumulation. For the home team, Matias Laba is out – maybe for a full calendar year – with a torn ACL. In his stead, Robinson could hand a debut to Egypt international Aly Ghazal, signed last week after his departure from Chinese side Guizhou Zhicheng.

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SUNDAY (Times ET/PT)

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Dele Alli

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea, 11am/8am on TSN1/4/5 – Wembley plays host to the first meeting of last year’s champions and runners-up on Saturday and the 105th matchup between Spurs and Chelsea overall. The teams last met at Wembley when the Blues were 4-2 winners in last year’s FA Cup semis. This will be the first ever Premier League game played at Wembley. Spurs are coming off of a 2-0 win over 10-man Newcastle last Sunday, while Antonio Conte’s men were dumped 3-2 by Burnley at Stamford Bridge in their opening match. Both captain Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas were sent off in that match, meaning that neither is able for selection on Sunday. Victor Moses is able to return from his suspension, while Eden Hazard remains out with injury. A debut could be handed to midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who was absent from the squad against Burnley. Mauricio Pochettino is dealing with some absences of his own with Danny Rose, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Erik Lamela still out. Right-back Kieran Trippier could be a game-time decision, still recovering from an ankle injury picked up in a friendly against Juventus. Newly signed Davinson Sanchez, a player who Danny Rose might have had to Google, isn’t likely to feature. Undefeated at home last season, Spurs could set a club record with a 15th straight home victory.

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Bradley Wright-Phillips

Portland vs. New York Red Bulls, 8pm/5pm across the TSN Network – Portland is still in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Western Conference, while the Red Bulls are looking to stay above the pack fighting for the final playoff place in the East. Jesse Marsch’s team is certainly trending in the right direction. The Red Bulls are winners of five of their last six and nine of their last 11 matches. The Timbers, meanwhile, have only won two of their last six. If the teams directly behind Portland (San Jose and Vancouver) were to win their games in hand, the Timbers would be on the outside looking in. A result against the Red Bulls would be welcome since the reeling Colorado Rapids are up next for the Timbers. On the injury front, Daniel Royer – probably the team’s best player this season – looks to be out for NYRB, while Muhamed Keita (groin) could be handed a debut. Liam Ridgewell, Fanendo Adi and Jake Gleeson are listed as questionable for the Timbers.

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Clint Dempsey

Seattle Sounders vs. Minnesota United, 10pm/7pm across the TSN Network – The champs look intent on retaining their crown as the red-hot Sounders host expansion side United. The Sounders are undefeated in eight matches and haven’t conceded a goal in league play since July 19, a shutout streak of 400 minutes. Clint Dempsey needs just three more League goals to equal Fredy Montero’s club record 47. The Loons have only won once in their last five matches, but could be buoyed by the return of Christian Ramirez. The 26-year-old Ramirez leads the team with 11 goals this season, but was sidelined with a hamstring injury. 

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NOTE: All games also available on TSN GO.