Chelsea vs. Arsenal, AC Milan vs. Juventus, NWSL playoffs and MLS Decision Day headline massive soccer weekend

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This is Jonathan Johnson getting you ready as club soccer returns. We have a loaded weekend slate to look forward to with Chelsea vs. Arsenal and Milan vs. Juventus in Europe and Major League Soccer Decision Day and NWSL quarterfinals starting. Let's get to it!

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📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, Oct. 20
🇦🇷 Primera Division: Boca Juniors vs. Union Santa Fe, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 NWSL: OL Reign vs. Angel City, 10 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

Saturday, Oct. 21
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Liverpool vs. Everton, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Torino vs. Inter, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Chelsea vs. Arsenal, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ NBC
🇪🇸 La Liga: Sevilla vs. Real Madrid, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

Sunday, Oct. 22
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 WSL: Bristol City vs. Arsenal, 1:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Milan vs. Juventus, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Decision Day, 6 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
🇺🇸 NWSL: NC Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham, 7 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

💥 Club soccer returns with giant matches in England and Italy

After an eventful international fortnight, club soccer is back with Chelsea vs. Arsenal in the Premier League and Milan vs. Juventus in Serie A to look forward to over the next few days. What better way to get back into the thick of club action than these two high-profile matchups?

Struggling Chelsea host Arsenal

Saturday's offering sees Mauricio Pochettino's improving side come up against Mikel Arteta's men who beat champions Manchester City 1-0 just before the October break. The Gunners are level on points with Tottenham Hotspur at the EPL summit while the Blues are creeping into the top half of the table after stringing together three consecutive wins across all competitions. Depending upon the other games this weekend, notably Manchester City's tricky clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal could sit top of the pile heading into Spurs' Monday night clash with Fulham.

Italian heavyweights square off, with some American flavor

As if that was not enough, Milan vs. Juventus on Sunday pits first against third in the Italian topflight with four points between the two coming into this weekend. USMNT star Christian Pulisic's Rossoneri lead the way on 21 points ahead of bitter rivals Inter on 19, with Tim Weah's Juve and Fiorentina both two points further back with 17. Not only is a clash at the top end of the Italian soccer spectrum, it is also very much an American affair with four of U.S. soccer's finest going up against each other -- Yunus Musah is Pulisic's teammate in Milan while Weston McKennie and Weah play together in Turin.

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸 Big weekends in MLS and NWSL

MLS Decision Day looms

Europe is not the only place it is at this weekend with big games to tune in for with Major League Soccer set for Decision Day and the NWSL quarterfinals getting underway. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will not be making it into the postseason playoffs but there is plenty to keep an eye on as Chuck Booth breaks it down.

Booth: "In the Eastern Conference, the following teams have clinched a playoff berth: FC Cincinnati, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, New England Revolution, Atlanta United, and Nashville SC, leaving only two open spots in the playoff race. However, everyone behind the second-place team in the league will be fighting for seeding. In the Western Conference, the following teams have clinched a playoff berth: St. Louis City SC, Los Angeles Football Club, Seattle Sounders FC, Houston Dynamo FC, Real Salt Lake, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Three playoff spots are still up for grabs with only three teams having been eliminated from playoff contention. For Portland, FC Dallas, and San Jose, it's straightforward: win their matches, and they'll secure a spot in the playoffs. However, on the last day of the season, many teams across the league also relish the opportunity to play spoiler."

NWSL quarterfinal action kicks off

As for the NWSL, quarterfinal clashes between OL Reign and Angel City as well as NC Courage and NJ/NY Gotham are on the slate with plenty on the line for all involved. Pardeep Cattry looks at both Angel City and NJ/NY Gotham to set the tone ahead of these two enticing matchups.

Cattry: "At the midway point of the NWSL regular season, Angel City FC had two wins from 11 and felt a managerial change was in order. Out went the team's head coach Freya Coombe and in came her assistant Becki Tweed in an interim role. Four months later, the team clinched their first-ever playoff berth in the most dramatic fashion -- by playing spoiler on Decision Day and climbing out of a bottom-half spot into fifth place by creaming the Portland Thorns 5-1. The foundation for that result, though, was built off a 13-game run in which Tweed's side lost just once that she argues prepared them for their first postseason appearance at the OL Reign on Friday at 10 p.m. on Paramount+."

And on Gotham.

Cattry: "After last season's last-place finish, it was clear that NJ/NY Gotham FC were in need of a refresh, and so they quickly embarked on one. The club hired Juan Carlos Amaros following his brief but encouraging stint with the Houston Dash and enlisted a handful of new talent, most notably Lynn Williams in a surprise move on the day of the NWSL Draft. The ambitious plan paid off. Gotham return to the postseason for the first time in two years off the back of Amaros' quick pressing style that has allowed the team's attackers to flourish at times, including Williams and Midge Purce. Williams leads the team with seven goals after a quick adjustment to life in New Jersey. They'll open up their playoff push on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage on the road at 7 p.m. ET live on CBS Sports Network."

🔗 Top Stories

🎯 Arsenal's unique penalty taking: James Benge breaks down how Arsenal's lack of a designated penalty taker is creating an edge.

😋 Rapinoe relishing NWSL playoffs: OL Reign's Megan Rapinoe reckons "this is the best part of the season" as the tension ratchets up a few levels.

🙋 Premier League talking points: Can Manchester United be considered a midtable team and what has happening to Arsenal's offensive spark of late?

🚑 USMNT's Tyler Adams out until February: USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams has reportedly undergone a second hamstring surgery which will keep him out of action until February.

✅ UEFA decisions: European soccer's governing body says that Belgium vs. Sweden was a draw after shooting near stadium and that there will be no games in Israel indefinitely.

💯 Grading PSG's summer signings: Manuel Ugarte is leading the way for the French champions while Ousmane Dembele and Milan Skriniar are struggling as head coach Luis Enrique rebuilds without Lionel Messi and Neymar.

🇮🇹 Calcio Weekly: Serie A is launched their weekly newsletter for North American fans with exclusive content from Italy, and the first edition drops on Thursday -- just in time for AC Milan's clash with Juventus. You can subscribe here.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

Premier League: Chelsea vs. Arsenal, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET
💰 THE PICK: Arsenal and both to score (+360) -- Arsenal should have enough to win against an improving Chelsea although it could be tighter than maybe expected a few weeks ago. Both teams to score as the Gunners shade it appears to be the smartest play here.
Serie A: Milan vs. Juventus, Sunday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Draw (+225) -- Milan and Juventus seem fairly evenly matched on paper with no clear favorite outside of the Rossoneri's home advantage. It promises to be a tight encounter so honors even at the end of the game seems like a pretty solid pick.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays, 8 a.m.): Get your day started with the biggest soccer storylines on the flagship morning show. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

📦 Box 2 Box (Weekdays, 1 p.m.): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m.): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Catch our analysts and reporters break down all things women's soccer.

👟 Kickin' It (Wednesday, 8 p.m.): Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the unfiltered interview show returns Wednesday with another special guest from the world of soccer.

🥅 Scoreline (Nightly): End your day catching 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.

📺 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+.