One of two UEFA Champions League finalists is now set with Inter awaiting the winners of Manchester City vs. Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Istanbul final is still some way away, though, and there is no shortage of soccer to be played between now and then with crunch UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League games coming up this week. I am Jonathan Johnson and this is the Golazo Starting XI newsletter delivering your definitive midweek catch-up directly to your inbox.
New to the Golazo Starting XI newsletter? Get yourself the best deal in soccer and subscribe now to ensure you receive updates three times a week.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern.
Wedensday, May 17
🏴 WSL: Everton vs. Arsenal, 1:15 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌟 UCL: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 EFL: Middlesbrough vs. Coventry City, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Racing Louisville vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇺🇸 MLS: LAFC vs. Sporting KC, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ AppleTV
🎥 CBS Sports Golazo Network will offer a live second-screen tactical cam for UCL action.
Thursday, May 18
🏴 EPL: Newcastle United vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🌟 UEL: Sevilla vs. Juventus, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌟 UEL: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Roma, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌟 UECL: AZ Alkmaar vs. West Ham United, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
⚽ The Forward Line
Inter await either Real Madrid or Man City in UCL final
Inter booked their place in this season's Champions League final on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Milan at San Siro to complete a 3-0 aggregate success. It was a chastening defeat for the Rossoneri who are in danger of throwing it all away this campaign with a Serie A slide which could keep them out of Europe next term unless arrested now. For the Nerazzurri, though, it caps a remarkable turnaround from Simone Inzaghi being on the chopping block to a first UCL final since their 2010 success with a Coppa Italia final to come later this month and top four finish looking increasingly probable.
The old saying goes that a month can be a long time in soccer and rarely has that rung truer than this current Inter side who were on the verge of their season falling apart heading into the second leg of their quarterfinal against Benfica, only to suddenly wake up and go on an eight-game winning tear which has now put them into contention for a domestic and continental cup double. Big names like Lautaro Martinez, Andre Onana, Romelu Lukaku, Federico Dimarco and Nicolo Barella have come up clutch at the right time and now Inzaghi has not only saved his job, but turned an average campaign into a potentially glorious one with a group of players clearly cut out for concentrated cup competition environments as opposed to league campaign endurance. Francesco Porzio took a look at the long and difficult path Inter took to get back to this point
- Porzio: "It's been 13 years since the last time Inter played in the Champions League final, when the team coached by Jose Mourinho managed to win the treble and won 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu against Bayern Munich thanks to the brace scored by Diego Milito. That was the night of tears from Jose Mourinho, who a few days later became the new coach of Real Madrid. That was also the night when former Inter owner Massimo Moratti replicated the success of his dad Angelo, who won the club's second-ever Champions League 45 years prior.
"Thinking about it now, it seems like much more than 13 years because the whole club has changed. Inter had two different new owners in the last decade and thirteen different coaches as well. Former Inter captain Javier Zanetti is currently the club's vice president. Apart from that, everything is different now. The Nerazzurri managed to achieve this unexpected success despite some financial issues that forced the club to sell some key players over the past years, but they now have the opportunity to play their sixth-ever Champions League final after beating AC Milan in the semifinals."
Make sure to check out more from Porzio on Inter reaching this Champions League final against the odds.
And now the question is, who will join them? The two teams come into the second leg of their matchup tied 1-1 so it's all on the line to play for. Let James Benge tell you why Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan might be the difference-maker today.
- Benge: "Gundogan has always had something of the reluctant superstar to him. When he was being garlanded with individual awards for once more stepping up when City needed him most -- morphing into one of the Premier League's top scorers in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne during the winter of 2020-21 -- he told CBS Sports that he was "not enjoying [the attention] too much" because he feared the backlash that would come when his form tailed off. That never arrived for one obvious reason: he never tailed off.
"It's just that at 32 he has picked his moments to deliver. Up until March 11, Gundogan was averaging 0.18 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Since then that number has jumped to 0.99 per 90. He is completing more passes and take-ons, winning more duels, recovering the ball more frequently. He's one of City's most important players and he's rising to the moment. If others can follow in his example, they will get across the line in the three competitions they remain favorites to win."
Sponsored by Paramount+
🔗 Midfield Link Play
USMNT's Balogun needs Ligue 1 stay
One of the big stories surrounding the USMNT these past few months has ended happily with Folarin Balogun declaring to play for the USMNT after a breakout season in France with Reims. The 21-year-old has sealed a one-time switch from England to the U.S. via FIFA and could yet finish the Ligue 1 season with 20+ goals given that he is currently on 19 with two final rounds to play in the French topflight. Balogun certainly has clubs queueing up for his talents ahead of next campaign, but there is a strong argument that staying in Le Championnat with a club that can offer him European action could be best for his development. "Ultimately Balogun is viewed as among Arsenal's more likely departures in a summer where they will be looking to fund an injection of quality that would include two new midfielders and reinforcements in defense," writes James Benge before listing RB Leipzig and Olympique de Marseille specifically as potential landing spots.
- Benge: "A price tag of around £35 million goes a fair way to funding a move like Declan Rice from West Ham. Marseille are not the only French club to fancy Balogun, who is said to be of interest to Lille if David departs the club. They will doubtless be buoyed by how settled the youngster is in France.
"In March Balogun said of Ligue 1: 'Of course I have had a good year here and to a lot of people it makes sense for me to come back here. So yeah I mean I don't know what the future will bring. But definitely I would advise young players to come out here. It's a really, really tough league, a league that will help you to improve. You get to play in crazy atmospheres. If you're ready to take yourself out of your comfort zone, I would advise any young player, I would advise any young player to come here.'"
It sounds like Balogun greatly values the time that he has spent in Ligue 1 which continues to cement itself as an elite finishing school for young talents before moving on to stronger top five leagues despite a lack of continental achievement of late. OM will be expected to do much better next year wherever they play their European games while Lille OSC certainly have the recent experience to do France justice as the UEFA coefficient rankings becomes an increasingly pressing matter for French clubs.
Benge goes into much greater detail on Balogun after his USMNT switch.
And now let's get to some links:
🔗 Check out our player ratings from Inter 1-0 Milan.
🔗 Chuck Booth breaks down a truly terrible Milan performance.
🔗 For more on Balogun's switch to the USMNT, Booth breaks down their future starting XI.
🔗 And don't miss Ian Joy on Box 2 Box taking his own look at the USMNT with Baolgun.
🔗 Me on Pep Guardiola rejecting the idea that he "overthinks" big UCL ties.
🔗 Benge has the latest on Reiss Nelson's Arsenal future.
🔗 Paramount+'s Destination: European Nights series is coming on June 6th.
🔗 You don't want to miss Romelu Lukaku chatting with Thierry Henry after Tuesday's match.
🔗 Check out a spirited Morning Footy debate on Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
🔗 Booth weighs in on San Diego edging closer to being named the latest MLS franchise.
🔗 In Soccer We Trust: It's an emergency Balogun pod.
🔗 House of Champions: The crew breaks down Inter's 1-0 win.
🔗 Attacking Third: Sandra and Lisa welcome in the director of a brand new Angel City documentary
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and all times U.S./Eastern. SportsLine has you covered with this weekend's best bets.
- UCL: City vs. Real, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Draw (+320) -- After their 1-1 draw in the first leg, this one feels like it will be tight again and potentially go beyond 180 minutes. City have the advantage at home after Kevin De Bruyne's equalizer in Madrid, but Real know what it takes to win these games and can rely on Vinicius Junior for moments of magic. - UEL: Leverkusen vs. Roma, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Roma (+270) -- Jose Mourinho's men lead on aggregate and if any manager is equipped to see out this sort of advantage with a continental final on the line it is the Portuguese. The game should be tight like it was in the first leg, but the Italians should have just about enough about them to do it.
