Happy Wednesday! There's some high-profile midweek action in England, where a handful of the country's top clubs will face off for a spot in the EFL Cup semifinals. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a primer ahead of the big games.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Dec. 18
🏆 Intercontinental Cup: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 12 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports
🇪🇺 UWCL: Barcelona vs. Manchester City, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🏴 EFL Cup: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 EFL Cup: Newcastle vs. Brentford, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🏴 EFL Cup: Southampton vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday, Dec. 19
🏴 EFL Cup: Tottenham vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UECL: Chelsea vs. Shamrock Rovers, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🔴 Liverpool, Arsenal favored in EFL Cup ties
The EFL Cup quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday with the oddsmakers' top picks to win the title, Arsenal and reigning champions Liverpool, taking part in favorable matchups.
Arsenal will host Crystal Palace in what is expected to be a routine outing for the outing regardless of manager Mikel Arteta's team selection, since he's opted to rotate throughout his squad so far during the competition. The EFL Cup offers a chance for the Gunners to win their first trophy since the 2019-20 FA Cup, so far the only one Arteta's won as the manager. The only Arsenal player left that played in that final four-plus years ago was Kieran Tierney, who no longer plays a big part for Arteta's side despite still being on the books. The experience of winning this title, as Arteta noted in his pre-game comments, could help them lift the big prizes they really seek – the Premier League and the Champions League.
- Arteta: "[The EFL Cup] brings belief, trust, positive energy. Touching a cup, beating someone in the semifinal, beating someone in the final, it generates that energy and I think it creates that right path to go and do something else, especially because of the timing and when the competition is played in this country, it gets the momentum going."
Elsewhere in England, Liverpool aim to do the same when they take on Southampton. The Reds could use this competition as their first chance to win silverware with manager Arne Slot, which could offer a fitting accomplishment after the EFL Cup was the final trophy won by predecessor Jurgen Klopp. Wednesday's game will likely be another opportunity for Slot to demonstrate his smooth adjustment to life with Liverpool, as well as a moment for a little course correction. Slot's usually defensively sound side has conceded five goals in their last two games, and though their 3-2 win at Southampton last month demonstrates that anyone can score on the Reds if they have a good finishing day, it is hard to envision that game as a precursor for Wednesday's.
Southampton are just three days removed from firing manager Russell Martin and might be doomed to a lame-duck period as the club looks for his successor, leaving them uniquely vulnerable against Liverpool, even as a defensively porous side.
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🏆 Tottenham, Man United have points to prove?
The EFL Cup is saving its most high-profile quarterfinal for last, with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Manchester United on Thursday. Both sides enter the game with a point to prove, but the odds suggest that Spurs are the slight favorites, potentially laying the groundwork for Ange Postecolgou's side to end a nearly 17-year trophy drought.
There's one big question facing Spurs, though: Are they actually ready to lift silverware this season? The match comes at an inopportune time as an injury crisis leaves Tottenham down to just 18 available first team players, and important players like Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romeo and Micky van de Ven missing from action. The pressures of winning a long-awaited trophy and snapping a run of form in which Spurs have won just two of their last nine has left Postecoglou to ask his players to dig deep. That includes Timo Werner, who was yanked off at halftime of last week's 1-1 draw at Rangers in the UEFA Europa League for not living up to standards.
- Postecoglou: "I'm asking 18-year-olds to do some massive jobs and you want senior players – and [Werner's] a senior player, he's an international and he's won the Champions League – there's a level of application and performance you need to rise to to help the team. He didn't reach that. … We're in a fight here, collectively we're in a fight. I'm not going to go around worrying about people's bruised egos. This football club, we want to achieve things and be successful. We're down to the bare bones in players. If there's somebody in the dressing room who's fit, able to contribute, but who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he's probably not the right type."
The advantage that Postecoglou and company might have, though, is that their identity is much more settled than that of the visiting team. Ruben Amorim is barely a month into his tenure as the Manchester United manager, and is clearly still working out what his version of the team looks like. True to form for the club in their post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Amorim's adjustment period includes some drama, this time in the form of squad selection. His decision to exclude Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from Sunday's Manchester derby win still looms large, especially as it signaled the end of Rashford's spell at his boyhood club.
Amorim's squad management, not only for Thursday but also in the future, will be an area of focus as the 39-year-old settles into life at United – and makes for an interesting comparison to their opponent. While Spurs are far from the finished product, especially after a summer in which five of their six signings were teenagers, United have much more work to do with their roster. Even during Erik ten Hag's tenure, there was room to upgrade in a handful of positions on the pitch but United's current squad is also not built well for Amorim's style of play. The manager has no choice but to make do with what he's got for now but against Postecoglou's side, who have a well-defined identity even without several top players available, Thursday's game might be an uphill battle for United.
🔗 Top Stories
🏴 EFL Cup watch: Here's a ranking of the teams that need to win the EFL Cup the most, plus a glance at how Brentford could make history as unlikely champions.
❌ Mudryk fails drug test: Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended after failing a drug test, though he says never knowingly used a banned substance.
👏 Sauerbrunn retires: Two-time Women's World Cup winner Becky Sauerbrunn announced her retirement after a nearly two decade long career.
🏆 Simply The Best: Vinicius Junior and Aitana Bonmati took home top honors at The Best FIFA Football Awards, a notable victory for Vinicius after missing out on the Ballon d'Or.
🔴 Rashford's United exit: Marcus Rashford may be on his way out at Manchester United, but his salary could make it difficult to find a suitable next club quickly.
🇺🇸 USMNT updates: Folarin Balogun will miss another four months after undergoing shoulder surgery, while Gio Reyna breathed new life into his club career after scoring for Borussia Dortmund over the weekend.
🇪🇺 Women's Euro prize money: UEFA increased the Women's Euro prize money to $43 million, a 156% increase from the last competition, while reigning champions England were drawn in a tough group featuring France, the Netherlands and Wales.
🆕 Tuchel to England: As Thomas Tuchel nears his start date as the England manager, the Morning Footy crew discusses: Does the England manager need to be English?
🔵⚫ Inter's attacking might: In appreciation of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, who remain key players for reigning Serie A champions Inter.
🌳 Vermont win College Cup: The Vermont men's soccer team beat Marshall on Monday to win their first NCAA championship, and did so in dramatic fashion.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- EFL Cup quarterfinals: Newcastle United vs. Brentford, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Over 3.5 goals scored (+110) – Considering Brentford are 11th in the Premier League and Newcastle United are 12th, expect Wednesday's clash at St James' Park to be a closely contested one. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be low scoring, though – both teams like scoring goals, but Brentford especially so. They have scored 32 goals in Premier League play this season while conceding 30 goals, so an entertaining match could be in store. - UEFA Conference League: Chelsea vs. Shamrock Rovers, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Chelsea to win 4-0 (+700) – High-flying Chelsea have coasted through the Conference League so far, winning all five of their games and scoring 21 goals so far.. Expect another lopsided victory at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, where the big question will be how many they will put past Shamrock Rovers, one of the Conference League's best sides but still a minnow compared to the Blues.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
📺 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.
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. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
🥅 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+.
