Manchester United Manchester United defeated the M.L.S. All-Stars, 5-2, in Houston’s Reliant Stadium last year.

For the second consecutive year, stars from Major League Soccer will play Manchester United of the English Premier League.

“We are pleased to host Manchester United again for our marquee summer event,” M.L.S. Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “Our All-Star Game has become a true celebration of soccer, and our best players look forward to the challenge of competing against one of the top clubs in the world.”

The game will be played at 26,000-seat Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Wednesday, July 27.

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Jon Super/Associated Press Stuart Holden clutches his knee after a studs-up tackle by Jonny Evans last Saturday.

If Stuart Holden did not have bad luck, he would have no luck at all.

Holden, an American midfielder, will miss the remainder of the season in the English Premier League, where he plays for Bolton, after sustaining a knee injury from a studs-up tackle last Saturday at Manchester United.

United’s Jonny Evans was shown a straight red card in the match at Old Trafford.

Holden, who broke a leg in a friendly match against the Netherlands that effectively cost him a spot on the field in last summer’s World Cup, is expected to miss six months, which will rule him out of participation in United States national team games, including this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.

“First and foremost our main concern is Stuart and his recovery,” Bolton Manager Owen Coyle told Agence France-Presse. “He will get all the time and support he needs. Stuart has been outstanding this season and has shown he is one of the best midfielders in the Barclays Premier League. He has such desire, strength of character and a winning mentality and he will draw on those attributes in his rehabilitation.”

The draws for the Champions League and Europa League quarterfinals were announced Friday, and include some intriguing matchups for this round and the next. In the Champions League, the first leg will be April 5 and 6, with the return legs a week later. The matchups:

Tuesday, April 5
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham
Inter Milan vs. Schalke
Wednesday, April 6
Chelsea vs. Manchester United
Barcelona vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

Looking ahead, the winners of the Real Madrid and Barcelona matchups would face one another in the semifinals, ruling out a meeting of those teams in a super-duper-Clasico final. (Not sure the world could have handled a third straight meeting in such a short time; Real and Barcelona already have two matchups set, in the league and in the final of the Copa del Rey.)

The Inter-Schalke survivor will get the winner of the all-England quarterfinal between Manchester United and Chelsea. Schalke will play on without Manager Felix Magath, who left the club this week to return to his previous employer, Wolfsburg, effective immediately.

The draw for the quarterfinals of the second-tier Europa League was also Friday. The matchups for the first leg on April 7 (the second leg is April 14):

Benfica (Portugal) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), 3:05 p.m.
Braga (Portugal) vs. Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine), 3:05 p.m.
Porto (Portugal) vs. Spartak Moscow (Russia), 3:05 p.m.
Villarreal (Spain) vs. Twente (Netherlands), 3:05 p.m.

An all-Portuguese final is a distinct possibility. The semifinals pit the Braga-Dynamo Kiev winner against the Benfica-PSV Eindhoven winner, and the Porto-Spartak Moscow winner against the Villarreal-Twente winner.

The outstanding matchups this weekend in European soccer.

SATURDAY

Atlético vs. Real Madrid

In theory, Atlético has three huge advantages in the Madrid derby. It is at home in the cauldron of Vicente Calderón stadium. It rested while Real overcame its nemesis, Lyon, in the Champions League three days ago. And Atlético has a full squad of fit players, while Real’s injuries start with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real, however, has not lost to its gifted but erratic neighbor since 1999. Its incentive is to cut back the five-point lead of Barcelona, and its once shot-shy Frenchman, Karim Benzema, is hot with nine goals in six games. ‘‘Anything can happen,’’ said Atlético’s Diego Forlán. ‘‘We cannot afford mistakes in defense, we must be very precise in attack, but we have the team to play a complete match.’’
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As Tuesdays go, this week’s is a pretty good one for soccer. So while you clear out some space on the DVR, or perfect that cough you’re going to use to slip out of work early, here’s a look at the day’s viewing options (all times Eastern).

Inter Milan at Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League, 3:45 p.m. (Fox Sports Net) Inter is Italy’s last hope in Europe this season, but it will have to turn around a 1-0 loss in Tuesday’s second leg at the Allianz Arena. Bayern looked solid in Milan, but stumbled enough in the weeks since that it cost Coach Louis van Gaal his job. (Well, not until the summer, unless something goes horribly awry Tuesday.) Inter won the competition last year — beating Bayern in the final — so pride will be a powerful motivator for both teams. “They won” in Milan, Inter striker Samuel Eto’o said, “so why can’t we win there? With all due respect for such a great club, we can do it.”

Olympique Marseille at Manchester United, UEFA Champions League, 3:45 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel) United is seemingly in a good position, coming home on the heels of a scoreless tie in the first leg. But that will change the moment Marseille scores an away goal. “I thought Marseille were going for the 0-0 at home, I must admit,” United Manager Alex Ferguson said. “Maybe they are the ones who are confident.” Maybe they should be; Marseille has not surrendered a goal in the Champions League since September, a run of five matches. The good news for United? It has never lost to a French opponent at home. The best news? Nani was back at training Monday and will play Tuesday. Antonio Valencia, who returned over the weekend against Arsenal, could be back, too.

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Saturday

Manchester United vs. Arsenal

The F.A. Cup, not the league, takes precedence in England this weekend. Nevertheless, this is the matchup between the two outstanding sides in the Premiership, and the outcome could define their seasons.

After two defeats, United needs to get its rhythm back, if not for the sake of the Cup, then certainly in time for its Champions League encounter with Marseille on Tuesday. For that reason, it might rest key older players.

Arsenal, however, will throw everything at Saturday.

‘‘We need it, I must say,’’ acknowledged manager Arsene Wenger. ‘‘We have been touched severely recently, and we are chasing a win of this type.’’

Even Wenger, a coaching psychologist par excellence, has a mighty task. He must convince his players that they are not tired, mentally and physically, after being so totally outplayed in Barcelona four days ago.
Arsenal risked two unfit players there, and the gamble might haunt Wenger. Robin van Persie played little part before being red-carded at the Camp Nou, and Cesc Fàbregas is out of the match after aggravating his hamstring injury.

Real Madrid vs. Hercules

A match that should be a walkover at the Bernabéu for Madrid, but, once again, the Champions League will play on the mind of the Real players and coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo is back in training but unlikely to be risked days before the European home game against Lyon. Kaká and Gonzalo Higuaín are among the injured, but Real Madrid’s coach, José Mourinho, has to balance the need to keep Real’s 100 percent home run going against the desire to keep the gifted but less athletic men like Mesut Özil fresh for next Wednesday.

Hercules has won only one away match all season. It just happens to have been at Barcelona.

Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg

Forget the erratic stars Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. The cameras here, and at Schalke’s game against Frankfurt, will be on the coaches. German clubs have different ways of dealing with fading domestic seasons — hang the coach out to dry.

Munich’s solution to its underperforming champions is to put coach Louis van Gaal on notice that his contract will be severed at the end of this campaign. Schalke, despite doing well in the Cup and in Europe, leaves rumor to fester about the future of Felix Magath.

The players, it seems, have their excuses.

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The outstanding matchups this weekend in European soccer.

SATURDAY

BARCELONA VS. ZARAGOZA

Rarely are a coach and his team so close in age, in experience and in shared success as Pep Guardiola and Barça. The 40-year-old coach completed his record of overseeing Barcelona victories on every ground in La Liga with Wednesday’s triumph at Valencia — the 81st win in Guardiola’s 102 matches as coach.

However, he ended the night in the hospital suffering a herniated disk in his lower back. And while Lionel Messi and Co. should routinely dispose of Zaragoza at Camp Nou, with or without Guardiola on the sideline, the team will need his guidance three days later to help overcome Arsenal in the Champions League.

Zaragoza has scored only seven goals, and one victory, on the road all season.

JUVENTUS VS. A.C. MILAN

Six defeats in 10 games has reduced Juventus to the sad role of a spoiler in the title race. Its last home win, against Inter, could prove decisive if Juve falls this weekend to A.C. Milan.

Milan’s decisive 3-0 defeat of Napoli during the week reinforced its lead atop Serie A. But Milan could have half its mind on its Champions League trip to Tottenham next Wednesday — in which case the Old Lady of Juventus might raise her game and score an upset.

Even so, Juve’s board has seen and heard enough. There will be changes next season, as well there should be, given midfielder Felipe Melo’s admission that the team hasn’t given its all lately.

HANNOVER VS. BAYERN MUNICH

Munich’s chief executive, Karl-Heinze Rummenigge, calls for calm, but the team’s losses in the league and the German Cup leave coach Louis van Gaal exposed. Win, lose or draw at Hanover — one of three clubs ahead of it in the Bundesliga table — Munich’s season will be a disaster unless it wins the Champions League. ‘‘We have thrown away our entire season,’’ admits Bayern’s young midfielder, Thomas Muller.

SUNDAY

LIVERPOOL VS. MANCHESTER UTD.

Old adversaries, and old enmities, collide at Anfield on Sunday. Manager Kenny Dalglish’s return to Liverpool rekindles his 20-year rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson, a fellow Scot. The clubs barely need personal rivalries to stir their juices, however, and Liverpool will do everything in its power to prevent United from winning another English title.

For United, wounded by the loss through injuries and suspension of three, perhaps four key defenders, there is always Ryan Giggs. He has now passed Bobby Charlton’s record of 606 league appearances for the team, and signed a new contract to extend his run into his 38th year, and his 22nd as a top player.

Liverpool might field its new $56 million striker, Andy Carroll, though Dalglish refuses to give  Ferguson the knowledge of whether Carroll starts or is on the bench. ‘‘He’s done everything the medical people asked of him,’’ Dalglish said. ‘‘Whether Andy will be involved on Sunday, I’m sure Fergie would love to know.’’

SANTANDER VS. REAL MADRID

After its 7-0 romp against an acquiescent Málaga on Thursday, Madrid faces sterner stuff at Santander. The Málaga coach, Manuel Pellegrini, virtually admitted his team gave up Thursday’s match before the kickoff, but Santander, undefeated in six games since it changed owners and changed coaches this year, will have more backbone.

Real waits to see if Cristiano Ronaldo is fit after he tweaked a thigh muscle shooting his third goal against Málaga.

MARSEILLE VS. LILLE

Might this be Lille’s last weekend atop the French league? Its five-point lead disappeared over two games, and Marseille, the champion last season, is grinding out victories despite injuries to strikers André-Pierre Cignac and Loïc Rémy and winger Mathieu Valbuena.

‘‘We’ll need to be strong because we’re going to suffer a lot,’’ Lille midfielder Florent Balmont said. ‘‘If we get a point, we’ll be happy. But we must not go there faint-hearted.’’

Stefan Wermuth/Reuters Strikers Didier Drogba, right, and Fernando Torres have struggled to get on the same scoring page since Torres joined Chelsea during the January transfer window.

“Chelsea has not died” is probably not the greatest of rallying cries, but it might be all Carlo Ancelotti and his team have left. After tumbling to fifth in the Premier League and falling out of the F.A. Cup, Chelsea travels to F.C. Copenhagen for a Champions League game on Tuesday hoping to salvage a season gone suddenly, horribly wrong.

The great equalizer — Roman Abramovich’s money — hasn’t been able to stop the slide. In fact, the splashy signing of Fernando Torres may have made things worse: Nicolas Anelka is adrift, Salomon Kalou has been pushed aside, and Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard seem to be struggling to find a way to work with Torres.

Ancelotti is surely pondering some lineup or tactical changes, but whatever he decides, here’s one tip he can have gratis: when trying to brighten the mood at a London club, it’s best not to paraphrase Dickens:

“This could be the best season that the club has ever had in its memory or maybe it could be the worst,” Ancelotti said this week. “I don’t know, but wait to judge me until the end of the season.”

If Ancelotti can’t guide Chelsea past Copenhagen, a first-timer in the Round of 16 coming off a two-month winter break, he won’t lack for judges.

Laurent Cipriani/Associated PressManager José Mourinho sounded confident as Real Madrid prepared for a trip to Lyon, where it has never won.

Tuesday’s other game has another team on the chase, Real Madrid, visiting Lyon.

Like Chelsea’s, Real Madrid’s season has begun to take on a Champions-League-or-bust feel. Barcelona is 5 points ahead of Real Madrid in La Liga and in trouble in the Champions League, so José Mourinho and his players are hoping to perhaps steal some silverware wherever they can find it.

And to be honest, Real Madrid is overdue for a deep run in the Champions League. It hasn’t been past the Round of 16 since 2004, and the chance for a little revenge against Lyon is a nice carrot. Lyon eliminated Real Madrid in this round last year — denying Real its dream to win the trophy on its home field.

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Joss Barratt/ IFC FILMS Eric Cantona, left, with Steve Evets (as Eric Bishop) in the Ken Loach film “Looking for Eric,” which was nominated for the Palme D’or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in France. Cantona plays a mystical version (if that is possible) of himself, an oracle for a downtrodden postman.

At first, even second glance, Eric Cantona, 44, looks as if he could be minutes away from shedding his stylish street clothes and stepping back onto the soccer field without embarrassing himself. An enigmatic Frenchman, Cantona starred for Manchester United in the 1990s, retired at age 30 and left it all behind for a budding film career. He is back in the game for the first time in 14 years. Cantona has been named the director of soccer operations for the reborn New York Cosmos, a team that really is not a team — yet — but that hopes to become the 20th entry in Major League Soccer, perhaps as soon as the 2013 season. Cantona spoke with Jack Bell of The Times (who, as he took notes using an iPad and wireless keyboard, heard Cantona say that he felt “strange, like I’m talking to the police at the station”) about his days at Old Trafford, his exploits on the silver screen and his expectations with the Cosmos.

New York Cosmos Cantona is the director of soccer operations for the reborn New York Cosmos.

Were there aspects of your professional football career that prepared you for your life as an actor?

I’ve always wanted to act. On the pitch, it’s a kind of acting. First you learn to walk, then you find your spontaneity.

You were very theatrical on the field in so many ways. Is it something oh so French?

Was it theater? Yes. Old Trafford is the Theater of Dream. Sometimes people ask me different questions about players and acting. I started to think about it and there is a lot and found a lot of similarities. It’s not just a game, you play on the set, the pitch. I’ve always wanted to play and see beautiful football, but winning was always very important.
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Eddie Keogh/Reuters A man selling Crawley Town Football Club souvenirs in the center of Crawley, England, on Thursday. Crawley Town plays Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Saturday

Manchester United vs. Crawley Town

English F.A. Cup, Old Trafford, Manchester, 12:15 PM ET

In olden times, the magic of the English F.A. Cup gave little-known amateurs the chance to play the soccer greats on a winner-takes-all basis. If the romance still lives, then Sergio Torres will score a goal Saturday against Manchester United at Old Trafford stadium.

This is not the Torres who cost Chelsea £50 million, or $81 million, but his namesake, who paid his own passage from Mar del Plata in Argentina to chase the dream of playing in England.

Seven years have passed, and Sergio Torres has stacked supermarket shelves and at 27 has yet to play on the field of giants.

He has a delightful attitude toward the sport, open and fresh and up for the challenge of playing against a team that ranks 94 places and 5 leagues above him.

But all is not romance: Crawley is the biggest spender, by far, in its own league, financed by secretive overseas backers after its previous owner, Azwar Majeed, was jailed for fraud.

Chelsea vs. Everton

English F.A. Cup, Stamford Bridge, London, 7:30 AM ET

No place here for Fernando Torres, either. He is barred from the Cup because he played in an earlier round for Liverpool.

Chelsea will instead field Didier Drogba, its leading scorer since 2004, in an attempt to progress in the competition it won last season. A Premier League rematch in the F.A. Cup.

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With most of the soccer world focused on the resumption of play in the European Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday, a minor league team in England has muscled into the spotlight days before the biggest game in club history.

Crawley Town, a team from England’s south coast, will play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday in the fifth round of the F.A. Cup. The coming match has cast a klieg light on the lower-level professional team — most of it constructive.

But Crawley, which like United is nicknamed the Red Devils, hit a speed bump when a young man who was part of a video the team posted on its Web site was arrested for insulting United fans by mocking one of the singular events in club history — the 1958 Munich air crash in which 23 people were killed as Manchester United was traveling home from Yugoslavia via Germany after a match against Red Star Belgrade.

The video above is the edited version, which erases the offensive fan.

1:16 p.m. | Updated It appears that all videos have been excised from YouTube since Saturday morning. There are highlights here.

Spectacular is the only word to describe Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick goal that gave Manchester United a 2-1 derby win early Saturday against Manchester City. And does the win send United bouncing to the title and bounding into its Champions League first-leg match at Marseille on Feb. 23?

Photographs by Andrew Yates/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Wayne Rooney goes airborne in between Vincent Kompany, left, and Micah Richards.

In full extension, Rooney got his right foot on the ball and powered it into the Manchester City net.

Rooney is embraced by Nani after his stunning, game-winning goal on Saturday.

Any questions? Is there any doubt that Rooney is back? Does the loss end City’s hopes of challenging United for the title in the Premier League.

… And here’s a bit of fantasy played out by the FIFA 11 computer game. …

Adrian Dennis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Manchester United and goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.

The outstanding matchups this weekend in soccer:

Saturday

Manchester United
vs. Manchester City

The divided city of Manchester, where the Reds have played the Blues for 130 years, is host to possibly the pivotal contest of the English Premier League season. United is on top, City is third, and 5 points separate them.

How Carlos Tévez, the former United striker, would cherish leading City to its second win in 26 years at Old Trafford. But this is bigger than one man’s desire, bigger than the billion-dollar recruitment of stars on the field.

‘‘We must expect a backlash and a battle,’’ said the vastly experienced City player Patrick Vieira. ‘‘Big clubs like United never want to lose two times in a row — they lost last week, so they will want to bounce back immediately.’’

Despite the 0-0 scoreline when the teams met at City’s place in November, Vieira warned: ‘‘There’s no point going to Old Trafford to defend for 90 minutes because it won’t happen. They will score, so our only chance is to go for a goal.’’ City’s coach, the Italian Roberto Mancini, might nevertheless have a more cautious plan.

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