Hey there! Cup action is taking Europe by storm and already delivering some memorable results. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a midweek update.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Jan. 10
🇪🇸 Supercopa: Real Madrid vs. Atleti, 2 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🏴 EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. Fulham, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Milan vs. Atalanta, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Thursday, Jan. 11
🇪🇸 Supercopa: Barcelona vs. Osasuna, 2 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Juventus vs. Frosinone, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
⚽ The Forward Line
🏴 Cupset in England
Middlesbrough pulled off a huge upset in the EFL Cup yesterday, beating Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals. As expected, the Blues were the dominant side throughout but failed to do much with their advantage. They took 18 shots but put just five on target, allowing Boro the perfect opening to get at least one thing right, which they did with Hayden Hackney's 37th minute goal.
Chelsea have a chance to reverse course with the second leg at Stamford Bridge on Jan. 23, but the result is another low in a season full of them for the Londoners. Injuries have messed with the team's ambitions for much of this campaign, but after several high-profile losses, it forces questions about Chelsea's project under owner Todd Boehly and manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino's seat might be a little warmer than he would like at the midway point of his first season with the Blues, but Nico Cantor argues that the Argentine is not necessarily the problem. Instead, he has his focus on what appears to be a vision-less rebuild under Boehly.
- Cantor: "If you hire Pochettino, it's going to be a long-term plan. You have to stick it out. … Poch, in the [Premier League], has a credibility with what he did with Spurs. … Any other manager, they'd be asking for his head right now, so it just comes to show you that it's not only that. It's a project. It's a poor project that not even money justifies the result you're seeing on the field. In fact, the expenditure of Cchelsea, you have to be getting much better results and you're getting quite the opposite. … It just comes to show you that around the Boehly takeover, that somebody can't just come and spend cash. It seems mindless and this is the problem."
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏆 Europe's cup runneth over
Cup competition continues across the continent, and a few major matchups are in store before we welcome the weekend. Most notable among them is Real Madrid's clash with Atletico Madrid today in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, which this year takes place in Saudi Arabia.
La Liga leaders Real Madrid are on a 19 match unbeaten run, thanks in large part to their talented attackers. Jude Bellingham remains the team's standout, but the group at large has been putting in the work, with the likes of Joselu, Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz on the scoresheet in recent weeks. Crosstown rivals Atleti, though, pose their own threats. Despite winning just two of their last five, they have 10 goals during that stretch and have been a high-scoring team all season, thanks in large part to Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann, who have a combined 27 goals. They have also conceded nine times in their last five games, so this could be a high-scoring matchup.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are the favorites in tomorrow's semifinal against Osasuna. Keep an eye on these matchups -- if Real Madrid and Barcelona win this week, a bonus edition of El Clasico would take place on Sunday.
The faceoff between Madrids' top teams is not the only derby on the schedule today. Lazio host Roma in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals today in a matchup that offers the chance for both to realistically compete for silverware during imperfect seasons. Though Roma sit in eight place in Serie A right now, Charlie Davies notes that the team seems remarkably comfortable with Jose Mourinho at the helm.
- Davies: "It's almost like they're content. When's the last time we've seen Mourinho at a club that is okay with him being in sixth place? … They have to be if they don't have the money to spend. Given [their] finances, I'd argue that's a damn good finish, sixth place [in] back to back seasons and a European trophy."
🔗 Top Stories
👏 Midseason Best XI: With one half of the season in the books, we picked the teams of the year so far in each of Europe's top five leagues.
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe saga: Guillem Balague offers the latest on Mbappe's future after PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi's big interview in which he said he wants the World Cup winner to stay.
💬 War of words: Napoli's Victor Osimhen hit out at Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's agent for alleging he's on the way to Saudi Arabia, and used a choice set of words to send his message: "Dumb f---! Keep your name out of my mouth."
🆕 Giraldez joins Spirit: Outgoing Barcelona Femini coach Jonatan Giraldez will join the NWSL's Washington Spirit in May, becoming one of the league's most high-profile coaches in the process.
🩹 TAA's absence: Trent Alexander-Arnold will face a spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, which could put a wrinkle in Liverpool's title challenge.
🇺🇸 Draft day: Before Friday's NWSL draft, here's a look at which players are in the mix to be selected in the first round and what each team should prioritize.
🦩 Welcome to Miami: Inter Miami signed MLS vet Julian Gressel, while the jury's still out on how big an impact fellow newcomer Luis Suarez can play considering his fitness.
🌍 Continental glory: Ahead of the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, here's a look at Japan's chances and Mohamed Salah's case for Ballon d'Or if he emerges victorious with Egypt.
🏴 FA Cup draw: Tottenham will host Manchester City in the headlining act of the FA Cup fourth round, which is set to take place the weekend of Jan. 27.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Spanish Super Cup: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid, Wednesday, 2 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than 2.75 goals scored (+108) -- The two sides might be in contrasting recent form, but one thing both Real Madrid and Atleti have in common is that they're high scoring sides. Expect a matchup between the sides from the Spanish capital to be an entertaining one. - EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. Fulham, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Both teams will not score (+114) -- As the odds-on favorites to win the first leg of the semifinals, Liverpool are expected to pick up a fairly routine victory over Fulham. Considering Liverpool's attacking options even without Mohamed Salah, it might just be a one-sided result, too.
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): 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 soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.
📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn't mean that our coverage of the women's game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
