Champions League Semis, Kentucky Derby, NBA Playoffs and More to Watch This Week

The week ahead is loaded with playoff drama and opportunities to lift trophies. The Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, NBA, NHL and NLL all take one step closer to crowning a champion this week. Come for all of that, stay for the big horse race on Saturday.

Must Watch: UEFA Champions League Semifinals Leg 1

We're down to four. Two legs of soccer separate Barcelona, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Ajax from the Champions League final in Madrid. Both semifinal matches this week will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and stream on B/R Live in addition to broadcasting on TNT. B/R Football Matchday will begin coverage each day at 2 p.m. Postgame coverage will feature the half-hour B/R Football Post-Match Show on TNT and full manager press conferences on B/R Live.

Tottenham vs. Ajax
Tuesday, Watch on B/R Live

Two giant killers meet each other on the big stage. To get here, Tottenham knocked off tournament favorites Manchester City in a thrilling quarterfinal matchup, while Ajax stunned three-time UCL title holders Real Madrid in the round of 16 and winner of three straight UCL titles Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarters. Neither side is very familiar with making it this far in Champions League competition. The last time Ajax reached this stage was 22 years ago, which seems slight compared to Spurs' 57-year wait.

There are two key storylines heading in the first leg. Tottenham will be without Heung-Min Son, who's suspended for yellow-card accumulation after scoring three goals in the quarterfinal tie against Man City, which leaves Spurs without both top scorers in Son and the injured Harry Kane. On the other side, Ajax have been superb away from home in UCL play, unbeaten in eight matches in a row as the visitors. They scored comeback away wins in Leg 2 of each of the last two rounds to advance, so how the Dutch club handles Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Leg 1 will go a long way to deciding the tie. Know this: The young Ajax squad will not be scared.

Barcelona vs. Liverpool
Wednesday, Watch on B/R Live

The second semifinal is what the UCL is all about: European powers Barcelona and Liverpool, global stars Lionel Messi and Mo Salah, and two legs to decide a trip to the final. Each club has won the Champions League/European Cup five times. Liverpool looks for a return trip to the final after a runner-up finish last season, while Barcelona has made it the furthest in the competition since winning the title in 2015.

Look for Barcelona to try to start quickly at home, where at the Camp Nou the Catalan side has gone a record 31 matches in a row without a loss in the Champions League. Barcelona also carries momentum from the weekend when it became La Liga champions with a win and Messi goal (more on that below). The matchup to watch is how two of the best center backs in the world handle two of the top attacking units in soccer. Barca's Gerard Pique will have to keep his back line organized to contain Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. On the other end, the Reds' Virgil van Dijk and Co. will need to stay locked on Messi, Luis Suarez and the speedy pair of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

In line with the semifinals, also returning this week is B/R Football's The Champions. Be on the lookout here at 5 p.m. ET Monday and catch up on the entire first season.

Watch This: Kentucky Derby

The 145th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, takes place on Saturday evening. The field of 20 horses running the 1¼-mile track is led by Tacitus, Omaha Beach and Vekoma. View the full field here. The Derby is the first race that horses, jockeys and trainers compete for in order to win the Triple Crown.

Live coverage for Derby Week begins Thursday afternoon on NBCSN with Road to Kentucky Derby at noon ET followed by live coverage of Thurby (Thursday at the Derby) from 4 to 6:30 p.m., featuring 11 different races. On Friday, watch live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks on from noon to 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN.

Race day Saturday will feature more than seven hours of live broadcasts, starting with the Kentucky Derby undercard from noon to 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN. Coverage then flips over to NBC at 2:30 p.m., and post time is 6:50 p.m., so settle in with a mint julep or two and a large, fancy hat and enjoy the race.

More to Watch This Week

1. NBA Playoffs Round 2

After the weekend's conclusion of quite the variety of first-round series, it's all about Round 2 this week. In addition to the top four teams all year in the East going head-to-head, we have another sure-to-be scintillating edition of Warriors vs. Rockets. Golden State got out to the series lead on Sunday, thanks to another stellar performance from Kevin Durant. KD's points in his last three games: 45, 50 in the closeout game at the Clippers and 35 in Game 1 against Houston. To quote the man himself, "I'm Kevin Durant. You know who I am."

Here's the second-round schedule for the NBA playoffs this week, all times Eastern:

Monday on TNT

Game 2: Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors (Raptors lead 1-0) 8 p.m.

Game 1: Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday on TNT

Game 2: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (Celtics lead 1-0) 8 p.m.

Game 2: Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (Warriors lead 1-0) 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday on TNT

Game 2: Trail Blazers at Nuggets, 9 p.m.

Thursday on ESPN

Game 3: Raptors at 76ers, 8 p.m.

Friday on ESPN

Game 3: Bucks at Celtics, 8 p.m.

Game 3: Nuggets at Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday on ABC

Game 3: Warriors at Rockets, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday

Game 4: Raptors at 76ers, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Game 4: Nuggets at Trail Blazers, 7 p.m., TNT

2. UEFA Europa League Semifinals Leg 1

Four teams remain in the UEFA Europa League as the semifinals of that competition begin this week. Arsenal, Valencia, Chelsea and Eintracht Frankfurt are all still vying for the crown, with the winner earning a spot in next season's Champions League competition. The first legs will be played simultaneously Thursday at 3 p.m. ET and will stream on B/R Live.

Arsenal vs. Valencia Watch on B/R Live

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Chelsea Watch on B/R Live

Arsenal manager Unai Emery coached Valencia from 2008 to 2012. Chelsea has not lost in Europa League play all season. And Frankfurt has gone 11 matches unbeaten (nine wins) in Europa League play.

3. Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs did not go according to plan based on the teams' seeding. But it did leave us with a wide-open race for the NHL's crown jewel. Before Sunday, there had been seven nights in a row that at least one game had gone into overtime. The postseason continues to bring the chaos and excitement.

Here's the schedule for this week:

Monday

Game 3: St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars (Series tied 1-1) 8 p.m., NBCSN

Tuesday

Game 3: Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets (Series tied 1-1) 7 p.m., NBCSN

Game 3: San Jose Sharks at Colorado Avalanche (Series tied 1-1) 10 p.m., NBCSN

Wednesday

Game 3: New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes (Hurricanes lead 2-0) 7 p.m., NBCSN

Game 4: Blues at Stars, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN

Thursday

Game 4: Bruins at Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN

Game 4: Sharks at Avalanche, 10 p.m., NBCSN

Friday

Game 4: Islanders at Hurricanes, 7 p.m., NBCSN

Game 5: Stars at Blues, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN

Saturday

Game 5: Blue Jackets at Bruins, 7:15 p.m., NBC

Game 5: Avalanche at Sharks, 10 p.m., NBCSN

Sunday

Game 5 (If necessary): Hurricanes at Islanders, TBD

Game 6 (If necessary): Blues at Stars, TBD

4. Title Races in World Football

Speaking of Arsenal and Chelsea, in addition to reaching for European glory, the English clubs are also in a fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League table in order to qualify for the Champions League next season. At the top of the standings are Manchester City and Liverpool, in one of the tightest, highest-level Premier League races ever. City has a one-point lead with two matches to play. Check out the full table here.

Here are the matches to keep an eye on this weekend in England:

Bournemouth vs. Tottenham: Saturday at 7:30 a.m., NBCSN

Newcastle vs. Liverpool: Saturday at 2:45 p.m., NBCSN

Chelsea vs. Watford: Sunday at 9 a.m.

Huddersfield vs. Manchester United: Sunday at 9 a.m.

Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion: Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Manchester City vs. Leicester: Monday (call it a long weekend) at 3 p.m.

Across Europe into Germany, the Bundesliga race is just as tight with Bayern Munich leading Borussia Dortmund by two points with three matches to play. Eintracht Frankfurt is also hoping to hold off Borussia Monchengladbach from fourth place and the final Champions League spot. View the full table here. These are the matches the leaders play this weekend:

FSV Mainz 05 vs. RB Leipzig: Friday at 2:30 p.m., Fox Sports 2

Bayern Munich vs. Hannover 96: Saturday at 9:30 a.m., FS2, Fox Sports Deportes, Fox Sports Go

Monchengladbach vs. 1899 Hoffenheim: Saturday at 9:30 a.m., Univision Deportes

Werder Bremen vs. Dortmund: Saturday at 12:30 p.m., FS2, Fox Sports Go

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: Sunday at noon, FS2, Fox Sports Go

And finally, back in North America, the CONCACAF Champions League will crown a winner on Wednesday night. After a 1-0 away win in Leg 1, Monterrey returns home in a great position to defeat longtime rival Tigres and win the competition. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET, and you can watch on Yahoo Sports USA, Univision Deportes, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports Go.

What's on B/R Live This Weekend

1. National Lacrosse League Playoffs

The National Lacrosse League playoffs begin with the division semifinals on Friday. Each playoff matchup will be one game, winner advances, until the league championship plays a best-of-three series format. You can watch all NLL playoff games on B/R Live, which will also feature a new 10-minute and commercial-free pregame show, NLL Playoffs Pregame LIVE, which will begin 30 minutes prior to the opening faceoff of every game.

Western Division Semifinals

Colorado Mammoth vs. Saskatchewan Rush: Friday at 9:30 p.m., Watch on B/R Live

Eastern Division Semifinals

New England Black Wolves vs. Buffalo Bandits: Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Watch on B/R Live

Remaining first-round games will be played next week.

2. ELEAGUE FIFA 19 Cup

ELEAGUE returns to B/R Live this weekend with the ELEAGUE FIFA 19 Cup, the second-to-last qualifying event for the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup. Thirty-two of the top FIFA 19 players in the world—16 on Xbox and 16 on PS4—will compete for 850 Global Series points and the largest share of the $30,000 purse. B/R Live coverage begins at 10 a.m. each morning Saturday (Watch here) and Sunday (Watch here). Hopefully, the competitors will bring more skills and moments like this:

3. ONE Championship: For Honor

ONE Championship is back on B/R Live this Friday morning with ONE: For Honor. The main card begins at 9:30 a.m. and will stream here on B/R Live. The main event is the Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship between Thailand's Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and England's Jonathan Haggerty. To view the full card and learn more about the athletes competing in ONE: For Honor, go here.

4. Scottish Premiership Title Race

Currently holding a nine-point lead over Glasgow rivals Rangers with three matches to play, Celtic can clinch the Scottish league championship with a point on Saturday morning. If it can't get the job done, anything except a win from Rangers on Sunday morning will also do the trick. U.S. men's national team standout Tim Weah could make an impact off the bench.

Aberdeen vs. Celtic: 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Watch on B/R Live

Rangers vs. Hibernian: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Watch on B/R Live

5. Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen Shows on B/R Live

The Dan Patrick Show streams every weekday at 9 a.m., and The Rich Eisen Show streams at noon. Guests this week include O'Shea Jackson Jr., Tracy Morgan, Bubba Watson and Mitch Trubisky.

Stream The Dan Patrick Show here and The Rich Eisen Show here on B/R Live.

Quick Catch-Up

1. NFL Draft

As usual, the NFL draft delivered funny, heartwarming and inspiring moments over the weekend. Here's one of each:

2. Foul? I Can't Hear You

Game 7 between the Spurs and Nuggets came down to the final possession. However, trailing by four, San Antonio needed to foul to extend the game. The problem was the Pepsi Center in Denver was so raucously loud that the Spurs couldn't hear Gregg Popovich and their other coaches yelling for them to do so.

3. Barcelona Wins La Liga...Again

Lionel Messi and Barcelona wrapped up La Liga with a few weeks to spare, earning their second league title in a row, seventh in the last 10 years, and 26th overall. With the Catalan club still alive in the Copa del Rey and Champions League, it's one-third of the way to a season treble.