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Yahoo Sport’s Nick Metcalfe has the remote control in his hand as he looks back and forward to the best of sport on television. This week, BT Sport’s coverage of the Champions League is in the spotlight, along with a busy weekend to come that includes Jose Mourinho’s return to former club Chelsea.

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More than a few eyebrows were raised when BT Sport splashed out nearly £900 million for three years of live and exclusive coverage of European club football. As statements go, it was a mighty bold one from the new kid on the TV block.

But let’s give BT their dues. They give their midweek Champions League coverage all they’ve got and more, and it really does provide a very decent service for viewers.

As much as anything, it feels properly interactive. The likes of Soccer Saturday - which gives us loads of talk but no action - never seems quite the same once you’ve watched the Champions League Goals Show. I sat down to enjoy the programme on Tuesday night.

James Richardson, a man some of us of a certain age can never see without lovely visions of ice creams and newspapers outside Italian cafes, introduced us to a night of gorging on the beautiful game.

“Maybe you sat around yesterday evening watching the football, and didn’t get to see a single goal. Tonight, there’s no chance of that happening. Goals is what we’ve got, it’s all we’ve got and we will not stop ever.”

He wasn’t wrong there, our James. The action comes at you thick and fast, surely leaving even the most committed football fan sated.

“There’s been a goal in Lisbon,” came a shout. And we saw it instantly, a fine effort from Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Pictures then switched straight away from Portugal to Belgium. There was an early goal for Bruges too.

It’s fair to say that at times over recent years, the group stages of the Champions League has seemed like hard work, even if your team is involved. This kind of instant service really helps breathe live into it.

We saw Legia Warsaw hit a post at the Bernabeu. Lyon went close against Juventus. Oh, now Gareth Bale has scored. This was all good fun. And football is supposed to be fun, right?

Rather unusually, the panel wasn’t made up of former players but three journalists and a former referee in James Horncastle, Julien Laurens, Raphael Honigstein and Howard Webb. I found it quite refreshing, the controversial idea that you don’t need to have turned out for Manchester United or Liverpool to have a valid opinion.

Needless to say, all the games are live on BT Sport too. Honigstein told us the match between Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham was easy on the eye, so I flicked over to watch for a few minutes, just in time to see a superb Spurs move that resulted in Dele Alli heading just wide.

Back to the Goals Show. Sevilla struck in Zagreb. And then the Premier League champions came to the party. “There’s been a goal in Leicester,” Richardson told us, and we instantly saw Riyad Mahrez put the ball into the net for the hosts. “The continental cruise goes on. Leicester’s European smile widens,” shouted commentator Peter Drury.

I wasn’t bored or restless for a minute. It was half-time already. Webb offered his opinions on the big refereeing decisions of the night during the break.

We could hear Webb again in the background as the second half action began. He appeared to be saying “beautiful”. All soon became clear. Javier Hernandez was convinced he had scored for Leverkusen. But the machinery involved told us Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had brilliantly scrambled the ball away before it had fully crossed the line. And Webb was close to joyous.

“I’m in love with the goal-line technology. It is just magnifico, it’s so beautiful. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful invention. Thank you, thank you so much.”

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They soon whizzed us back to Lisbon and a Sporting free-kick from close to the penalty spot. Good decision from the editorial team - the ball was slammed into the net. It struck me that this was rather like a radio service on the television.

Porto and Juventus both scored with crackers. Time was running out at all eight games. Real Madrid were scoring for fun, but goals weren’t that easy to come by for the others. Kasper Schmeichel made a brilliant late save to ensure another Leicester win. Nine points from nine from Claudio Ranieri’s miracle men. The full-time whistle was blown too in Leverkusen. Tottenham had claimed a valuable point.

There was still time for late drama, and a winner from the penalty spot for Porto. I felt like I needed a lie-down after all this. Finally it was all over. But the team stayed on air to review the key moments and bring us reaction from those involved.

I’ll be returning to BT Sport’s Champions League coverage soon enough. I suggest you might want to try it too.


Jose Mourinho takes centre stage again as he returns to Chelsea

Leaving aside Liverpool’s clash with old rivals Manchester United – and what a thriller that turned out to be - last weekend’s Premier League TV games were a rotten bunch. Middlesbrough against Watford followed by Southampton playing Burnley doesn’t really say Super Sunday to anyone, does it?

Thankfully, this weekend’s selections are far more appetising. First up we have Bournemouth - fresh from dishing out a thrashing to Hull - taking on a Tottenham team looking like they might fancy another title challenge (Sky Sports 1, Saturday 11.30am).

Later in the day, Liverpool entertain West Bromwich Albion at Anfield (BT Sport 1, Saturday 5pm). And highlights of all eight matches played on Saturday will be on a 90 minute Match of the Day (BBC1, Saturday 10.20pm).

After all that comes a Sunday that really does deserve that super moniker this time round. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are favourites to win the title with approximately 99 per cent of pundits, and after a defeat and draw in their last two Premier League games, they’ll want to get back to winning ways at home to Southampton (Sky Sports 1, Sunday 12.30pm).

And then the best match of the weekend has been saved until last. Chelsea against Manchester United (Sky Sports 1, Sunday 3.30pm). Jose Mourinho making a return to a club he enjoyed so much success at. After that defensive performance at Anfield, it will be fascinating to see if United are a little more expansive against another one of their big rivals.

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Away from football, the second weekend of Champions Cup rugby action will sadly be overshadowed by the tragic premature death of Munster coach Anthony Foley. There are bound to be emotional scenes before Munster play Glasgow at Thomond Park (Sky Sports 2, Saturday 12.30pm).

Bangladesh will take on England in the first Test (Sky Sports 2, starting Thursday 6am). There’s top class action on the turf to enjoy, including the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster (Channel 4, Saturday 1.30pm) and the Formula One circus has moved to Texas for the United States Grand Prix (Sky Sports 1, Sunday 7.30pm).

And for NFL fans, another real treat comes your way this weekend, as Twickenham hosts its first ever match, with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the New York Giants. You won’t be able to see the top flight of English football on free to air TV in Britain any time soon, but regular season NFL games, you’ve got it (BBC2, Sunday 2pm).