Happy Black Friday one and all, I hope you're recovering from a joyous Thanksgiving! I'm James Benge, here to look ahead to what promises to be a thrilling weekend of football headlined by clashes of title contenders in England and Italy. Let's get to it.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Nov. 24
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Köln vs. Bayern Munich, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Monaco, 3 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports
Saturday, Nov. 25
🏴 Premier League: Manchester City vs. Liverpool, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ Peacock
🏴 Premier League: Newcastle United vs. Chelsea, 10 a.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇪🇺 Europa Conference League: Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Zorya Luhansk, 10:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇮🇹 Serie A: AC Milan vs. Fiorentina, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew, 5:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
Sunday, Nov. 26
🏴 Premier League: Tottenham vs. Aston Villa, 9 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Inter, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC, 9:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
⚽ The Forward Line
🇮🇹 Attack vs. defense in the Derby D'Italia
There's a reason why they call it Italy's derby. The meeting between Inter and Juventus pits two of the most successful sides in Serie A history against each other, the former with 19 titles to their name, the latter 36. It is of course too soon to say that the winner of Saturday's clash in Turin will be champions but the early weeks of this season certainly suggest that these two will be the teams to beat in the months to come.
If Inter's title challenge might have been expected after a bright end to last season few saw the grand old lady of Italian football keeping up with the pace setters. Last season saw Massimiliano Allegri's side mired in off-field issues, docked points and sidelined from European competition. The ramifications for that on their balance sheet are still being felt, but on the pitch Juventus are excelling in classic Allegri fashion. Their 12 Serie A games so far might only have brought 19 goals to them but their opponents have managed just seven.
As Francesco Porzio notes in his preview, Juventus are the only team in the top half of the Serie A table to average less than 50 percent possession.
- Porzio: "Under Allegri, since he came back, Juventus aren't playing exciting football, but this season in particular the Bianconeri have been very concrete and solid defensively... In the last seven games, after a 4-2 defeat against Sassuolo, Juventus have only conceded one goal, in their last home game against Cagliari. An impressive defensive record that is definitely key to explaining their good start."
If any team is going to test that rearguard it is going to be Inter, by far Serie A's leading scorers with 29 to their name. The title race might not be done but the one for the Capocannoniere might be with Lautaro Martinez's 12 goals five more than anyone else. Add in form players such as Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram into the list and this is an attack to test even the very best defenses... even those coached by Allegri.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
💪 Can Liverpool match Man City?
It's a cracking weekend of games in England, including: a battle for a top four berth between Tottenham and Aston Villa, two of the league's wealthiest clubs facing off when Chelsea travel to Newcastle and Manchester United's trip to a raucous Goodison Park. It takes quite something to put all those games in the shade, but then again, Manchester City vs. Liverpool tends to be quite something.
The 2-2 draw between these sides in April 2022 may be the highest quality game I have ever seen but others could say that about any of half a dozen other matchups between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. After a down year for Liverpool in 2022-23, it might be that we're getting another classic at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday morning.
Certainly the attacking firepower is enough to merit an early start. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez in one corner, Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in the other? Sparks will fly... probably. I say that because I have questions about the Liverpool defense, one that is giving up an awful lot more expected goals than title rivals Arsenal and City. Is that all explained by a raft of early season red cards? And is Virgil van Dijk the Virgil van Dijk of a few years ago, the sort of player who papers over any cracks you might have in your defensive system?
- Benge: "This season [Van Dijk] wins 80.5 percent of his duels, last year he was just below 70 percent (he is also having to compete a lot more, rarely a good sign for a center back). The gap between Van Dijk and the next best outfielder on the list (Ake) is more than five percentage points. "
If any game is going to answer the questions I have by proving that Liverpool are a defensive force, it will be this one!
🔗 Top Stories
🇺🇸 Balogun has Monaco excited: It's a massive match for USMNT's star striker tonight as Monaco face off against Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc des Princes. It's been a steady but uninspiring start to life for Balogun, who has three goals in nine Ligue 1 games, but club CEO Tiago Scuro told our Jonathan Johnson why this is a deal that has delighted the principality.
😬 The fight to stay up: That 10 point penalty handed to Everton last week has thrown an almighty spanner into a relegation battle that looked rather settled after the last round of Premier League games. Here's our predictions for who's surviving and who is bound for next season's Championship.
🤔 Examining the vibes: The NWSL season might be done and dusted but the intrigue doesn't stop even after such a thrilling final. Here's everything you need to know, including the latest wheeling and dealing at the Orlando Pride.
🧒 Francesco Camarda, remember the name: What were you doing at 15? Actually, probably best you don't share... Whatever it was you could well be trumped by Camarda, called up to the Milan squad for this weekend's game against Fiorentina. Could we be about to see Serie A's youngest ever player?
🏋️ Shaw on the mend: Manchester United could do with all the help they can get in what promises to be a critical run of fixtures in the Premier League and Europe. Luke Shaw, who returned to training this week, could be exactly what they need.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Bundesliga: Köln vs. Bayern Munich
💰 THE PICK: Harry Kane to score three or more goals (+650) -- Firstly a moment to consider how ludicrously short the odds are there on a player scoring three times in such a low-scoring sport. Then again when Kane is playing for Bayern the scoreboard ends up looking like one out of a rather different sort of football. Only one team have given up more expected goals (xG) in the Bundesliga than Köln whilst Kane alone has more xG than the entire Mainz team. This is shaping up to be a game where he fills his boots. - Premier League: Everton vs. Manchester United, Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Everton win and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score (+380) -- Even before the 10 point deduction that so enraged the Toffees during the international break, I'd have been looking favorably on Everton doing the job over a Manchester United side that, frankly, they look superior to despite what the table says. Add in the raucous atmosphere that will propel them to win every duel and you have a recipe for a huge win for Sean Dyche's side.
📺 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.
🥅 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+.
