Happy Friday, everyone! Welcome to the weekend with more key games coming up in the Premier League where Manchester United vs. Liverpool on Sunday is the undoubted highlight. This is Jonathan Johnson to break it all down for you.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Apr. 5
🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Lille vs. Marseille 3 p.m. ET ➡️ beIN Sports USA
Saturday, Apr. 6
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Union Berlin vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 9:30 a.m. ET ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Roma vs. Lazio, 12 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏆 SheBelieves Cup: USWNT vs. Japan, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ TNT
🏴 EPL: Liverpool vs. Brighton, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇺🇸 USL: Louisville City vs. Indy Eleven, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS
Sunday, Apr. 7
🏴 EPL: Liverpool vs. Manchester United, 10:30 a.m. ET ➡️ NBC
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Fiorentina, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇦🇷 Argentina: River Plate vs. Rosario Central, 8 p.m. ET ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
💥 Liverpool vs. United's EPL crunch clash
Manchester United are arguably the last major hurdle left for Liverpool to navigate in their quest for Premier League title success and the Reds will feel confident ahead of Sunday's Old Trafford visit having seen Erik ten Hag's men undone late on against Chelsea on Thursday. The Red Devils are wounded, though, which makes them a threat to Jurgen Klopp's side regardless of the 22-point difference between these two ahead of the game. Liverpool are currently two points to the good at the EPL summit while United are nine points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth and what could be the final UEFA Champions League qualification berth.
The Merseysiders need to keep their noses in front of both Arsenal and Manchester City, so a draw could be enough but it would also be viewed as points dropped given how their hosts have struggled this season. The Chelsea loss was another example of Ten Hag's methods not working, which has led to increased speculation over his future while Liverpool march on knowing that Klopp is departing at the end of the campaign with silverware more important than ever for the German and his players. The likes of Spurs and Aston Villa -- currently fourth -- could prove tricky for Liverpool, but this is the one that they really must beware of in their remaining fixtures.
- Pardeep Cattry: "The next few weeks might be full of challenges for Liverpool, who have to play each of the teams ranked from fourth to seventh -- Villa, Spurs, Manchester United and West Ham. The back-to-back games against Tottenham and Villa as their penultimate fixtures might also be crucial tests of the Reds' ability to hang onto top spot, while next week's showdown with United could provide an early answer on how strong Liverpool are as they attempt to close things out."
Elsewhere towards the top, City are away at Crystal Palace while Arsenal have a tricky trip to Brighton and Hove Albion to get through on Saturday. Villa are at home to Brentford having been mauled by Pep Guardiola's men in midweek and Spurs are at home to Nottingham Forest on Sunday as part of a weekend which could see a few changes in the race for European qualification. In terms of the remaining EPL schedules for the three main contenders, Liverpool's looks the most likely to dictate the identity of this year's title winners.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
💭 USWNT's SheBelieves Cup tests
The USWNT get its SheBelieves Cup campaign underway against Japan this weekend with Canada and Brazil the other opponents for the U.S. in this final competitive pre-Olympic Games tune-up. The tournament will actually serve as something of a rebuilding platform for interim boss Twila Kilgore who will seek a seventh title in this competition but also clarity ahead of the Paris this summer.
Kilgore led the group which won the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup last month and she will rely on many of the same faces here. There are some fresh additions, though, with Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario back after long-term injuries and young Europe-based pair Lily Yohannes and Eva Gaetino called up for the first time.
Although experimentation is to be expected here, there is also a strong case building for a bit of consistency following the Gold Cup success and the potential for Olympic gold in France should momentum continue to build. Swanson and Macario are absolutely two piece who could emerge as regular starters should they impress in this edition of the SheBelieves Cup but 12-24 months absences respectively mean that there will also be a period of re-adaptation for both.
Swanson sat down with Sandra Herrera and talked about her road to recovery.
- Swanson: "I still feel like I'm still getting my feet underneath me. I think there's little details that take time, and giving myself some grace. That is what I've kind of come to realize. Especially over the past couple of weeks. It's like, okay, yes, I'm back playing, I'm back with teammates, having fun, and everything, but just giving myself a little bit of grace with like certain things on the field."
Both Swanson and Macario are rebuilding their fitness levels too for club and country so perhaps do not expect to see both immediately starting and going 90 but rather building towards being able to do so more meaningfully as the tournament progresses. Yohannes and Gaetino are interesting because they are a genuine infusion of fresh blood into this group with the 16-year-old Ajax starlet exciting many with her UEFA Champions League performances as part of a quarterfinal run.
SheBelieves Cup will certainly serve to prepare for Paris and a tilt at a first gold medal since 2012 and at least an improvement on 2020's bronze. A fifth consecutive title in this competition will definitely go a long way towards that, so do not forget to stop by our one-stop-shop for everything as the tournament progresses.
🔗 Top Stories
🤯 Chelsea 4-3 United: The Blues' seven-goal thriller of a win was a masterclass in silliness as the two fallen giants battled to comic effect.
🔴 Liverpool 3-1 Blades: The Reds' win over Sheffield United illustrated the strengths but also vulnerabilities of Jurgen Klopp's side as they lead the Premier League title chase by two points.
💪 Arsenal 2-0 Luton: The Gunners' latest win has enabled them to keep the pressure on at the EPL summit but victory over the Hatters also showed the depth that Mikel Arteta has available to him.
📈 USWNT stock: Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario could offer big boosts.
📉 USMNT stock: Who is hot and who is not as the U.S. rises up the FIFA rankings with Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams back on song ahead of Copa America.
🦩 No Messi, no party: Inter Miami are on the slide in the CONCACAF Champions Cup without their legendary talisman Lionel Messi having lost 2-1 to Monterrey.
🇨🇴 Spirit sign Santos: NWSL franchise Washington Spirit have landed Leicy Santos from Atletico Madrid in Spain with the Colombia star joining this summer with coach Jonatan Giraldez.
💗 Frida Maanum latest: Arsenal star fitted with heart monitoring device after FA Women's League Cup final collapse with a return to training mapped out by the club.
⚜️ Louisville City's rise: Profiling your new favorite club and one of U.S. club soccer's latest success stories -- USL's LouCity featuring superfan rapper Jack Harlow.
🌯 El Farolito SC: The amateur soccer club named after a burrito eatery is now targeting further U.S. Open Cup success during this wild latest edition of the popular cup competition.
🇩🇰 Mads Hermansen: Profiling Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper who is arguably the safest pair of hands that the Foxes have had since his compatriot Kasper Schmeichel.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Serie A: Roma vs. Lazio, Saturday, 12 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Roma to win and both to score (+400) -- This weekend's Derby della Capitale is huge on both sides of the Roman divide with the "home" team Roma six points ahead of "visitors" Lazio in the Serie A table ahead of the clash at their shared Stadio Olimpico home. Daniele De Rossi's men are in good form with six wins from their last 10 across all competitions which includes four league wins in an unbeaten run of six domestically. Igor Tudor's side are not in such fine form with only four wins from their last 10 across all competitions, but it was that slide in form which created the opening for the Croat tactician to replace Maurizio Sarri and two wins from their last three outings is not bad -- especially a debut win over former club Juventus. Expect Roma to edge this bitter rivals clash, but both should score in an entertaining and full-blooded affair.
📺 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, Thursday): The leading women's soccer 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 be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network's unfiltered interview show releases 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+.
