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Happy Wednesday! Club football is in overdrive this week with a double dose of action across Europe, with Arsenal vs. Manchester United and Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid, not to mention Coppa Italia, DFB Pokal and early Copa del Rey action. I’m Jonathan Johnson, I’ll update you mid-week.
📺 Foot correction
Always US/East
Wednesday December 4
🏴ꠁԠԠԠԠԠ EPL: Newcastle United vs. Liverpool, 2:30pm ➡️ Peacock Premium
🇩🇪 DFB Pokal: RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, 2:45 PM ➡️ ESPN+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid, 3pm ➡️ ESPN Deportes
🏴ꠁԠԠԠԠԠ EPL: Arsenal vs. Manchester United, 3:15 PM ➡️ Peacock Premium
Thursday December 5
🏴ꠁԠԠԠԠԠ EPL: Fulham vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, 2:30pm ➡️ Peacock Premium
🇮🇹Coppa Italia: Lazio vs. Napoli, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+
EPL: Bournemouth vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 3:15 PM ➡️ USA Network
⚽ The forward line
Big clash between Arsenal and Manchester United
Getty Images
This week’s big match sees Arsenal host Manchester United in the Premier League, with the Gunners in second place and the Red Devils in ninth. Mikel Arteta’s men are nine points behind EPL leaders Liverpool, who face a tough away day at Newcastle United, while Ruben Amorim’s side are four points behind Manchester rivals City in fifth place. Pep Guardiola’s side face Nottingham Forest at home as they look to turn around their poor form and close the two-point gap to Arsenal. The Londoners will want to avoid losing points here.
Arteta’s Gunners are level on points with Chelsea and two ahead of Brighton and Hove Albion and City, but far off the pace at which they might have expected to chase Liverpool. It seems unlikely that the Reds will drop enough points at this point to put anyone back in the title race, thanks to their impressive Premier League and Champions League form. However, Arsenal have won just two of their last six EPL appearances so we need to make sure their rebounding form after big wins over Forest and West Ham United doesn’t go to waste.
United have played three games under Amorim so far, recording one win and a draw in the Premier League, as well as another victory in the UEFA Europa League. The Portuguese tactician has a big job to do at Old Trafford and it will take more than three points at the Emirates Stadium to solve that, but closing that ground now would be a major boost ahead of a chaotic festive period in which anyone can drop points and gain them with a lot of movement expected by January. Even a point could be a useful building block for Amorim’s Red Devils, so this is definitely a match Arsenal can’t lose with less pressure on United.
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🔗 Link play in midfield
🇩🇪 Bayern’s Pokal hopes have been dashed
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Bayern Munich will have to wait another year to challenge for glory in the DFB Pokal after Bayer Leverkusen defeated the Bavarians 1-0 at the Allianz Arena to progress to the round of 16. For a club as dominant as Bayern, it is a strange quirk that their most recent domestic cup victory came back in 2020, when Die Werkself, the defending champions, were preceded by an RB Leipzig double and a Borussia Dortmund win since the last time the The 20-time winners were allowed to lift the trophy twice in a row. Vincent Kompany’s men narrowly lost with 10 men after Manuel Neuer saw red after 17 minutes and it was Nathan Tella’s goal that made the difference.
Bayern’s hierarchy is likely to be frustrated by another premature exit from the Pokal as expectations for the season are at least two titles. However, the recent turnaround in overall form and a strong resurgence in the UEFA Champions League will count in Kompany’s favor as he continues to find his feet at the Allianz Arena. The result puts more emphasis on continental form, which should continue to improve with winnable games remaining in the league stage. The current four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga should not be reduced by Eintracht Frankfurt, who are four points behind, or Leverkusen, who are seven points behind Bayern.
Xabi Alonso’s men will be focused on taking Frankfurt into second place and staying ahead of Bayern in the UCL standings and with RB Leipzig taking on Die Adler in the cup on Wednesday, the quarter-finals open nicely for the German champions who can still dream of that successful title defense. A new trophy would be a big boost for a club that has historically not had a bulging trophy cabinet, especially if it comes at the expense of traditionally dominant force Bayern, who now know they will have to wait at least another season before they get their can achieve success. next domestic double.
🔗 Top stories
🇺🇸 Netherlands vs USWNT: Lynn Williams’ late goal lifts Emma Hayes’ US soccer team to victory in the friendly, while the USWNT drew 0-0 with England on Saturday but got their attack going on Tuesday.
🤕 2024 MLS Cup: How do the LA Galaxy replaces star maker Riqui Puig before the confrontation with New York Red Bulls? The former Barcelona man tore his cruciate ligament in their last match but continued to play and provided a crucial assist.
👋 Jill Ellis leaves San Diego Wave FC: Ellis leaves her club role after three years – she had been at The Wave since its inception – before taking on a FIFA role alongside Arsène Wenger, driving global football strategy.
ℹ️ Here’s how to watch the Club World Cup draw: Pots and teams While Real Madrid, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and others will find their way to the final when the Club World Cup draw takes place on December 5 in Miami.
🔴 UEFA Champions League Standings: Perfect Liverpool lead with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in danger as the Reds take five wins out of five, while the defending champions and PSG are in major UCL trouble.
💰The Backline
💵 Best bet
- Coppa Italia: Lazio vs. Napoli, Thursday, 3:00 PM ET
💰 THE CHOICE: Lazio wins and both score (+400) — Two top Italian teams meet on Thursday with four points separating them in Serie A. Napoli lead the way, but Lazio are upwardly mobile and this is also one of those quirky teams where two teams meet in the cup days before they do that in Serie A. the league. Expect it to be close both times but don’t be surprised if both teams score, but the hosts will come out on top here ahead of the second leg in Naples next weekend.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss CBSSports.com’s betting homepage.
📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you never miss an episode again.
3️⃣ Attacking third (Monday, Thursday): The leading ladies football podcast And social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic seasons throughout the year. And don’t miss it Wednesday livestreams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.
⚽ Call it what you want (Monday and Thursday): a weekly podcast with Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can watch the show live on YouTube every Monday at 1:00 PM ET and Thursdays at 6:00 PM ET.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to keep up to date with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the best football leagues and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts on Thursday and airs for seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel solely focused on providing unparalleled coverage of all the top football leagues worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV And Biggest+.