Hello there! The festive fixtures are upon us, and there’s plenty to keep an eye on after an entertaining weekend of games in the Premier League. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, Dec. 23
🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter vs. Como, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Tuesday, Dec. 24
🌏 Gulf Cup of Nations: Oman vs. Qatar, 9:25 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Wednesday, Dec. 25
🌏 Gulf Cup of Nations: Yemen vs. Saudi Arabia, 9:25 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Thursday, Dec. 26
🏴 EPL: Manchester City vs. Everton, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🏴 EPL: Chelsea vs. Fulham, 10 a.m. ➡️ Peacock
🏴 Championship: The Golazo Show, 10 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EPL: Wolves vs. Manchester United, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🏴 Championship: Derby County vs. West Brom, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EPL: Liverpool vs. Leicester, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🏴 Championship: Stoke City vs. Leeds, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
⚽ The Forward Line
🔴 Liverpool stay top at Christmas
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Liverpool hung onto the Premier League’s top spot for another week, securing a four point gap atop the table at Christmas after a chaotic 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Reds cruised to a 5-1 lead by the 61st minute, exuding the ease Arne Slot’s team have become known for in his first season at the club. They were passing through the opposition’s press with few issues, and capitalized frequently on the mistakes Spurs’ back line made as they deal with a defensive injury crisis. It was the latest demonstration that Slot’s Liverpool look like the real deal, seamlessly executing a significant tactical shift for a squad used to playing Jurgen Klopp’s high-intensity approach. A first hour defined by Liverpool’s incisiveness was also crucial to survive the final 30 minutes of the game.
Spurs pulled two goals back and made it a 5-3 game by the 83rd minute, though Luis Diaz’s second goal two minutes later officially put the game out of reach for the north Londoners. This marked the fourth time in Liverpool’s last five Premier League games that they conceded two-plus goals in a game, doing so on only one other occasion this season. The pattern suggests a defensive instability that was nowhere to be seen earlier this season, but the growing similarity between Slot’s and Klopp’s Liverpool teams is that the new manager can rely on his impressive attack as much as his predecessor did. The Reds still have just one loss this season, and managed to win two of those four games in which they conceded two-plus goals.
Liverpool’s four point lead over second place Chelsea, plus the game in hand they boast, reaffirms the feeling that the title is still theirs to lose, even with around half the season left to go. History favors the Reds at this point, too — 10 of the last 15 teams to occupy top spot at Christmas have gone on to win the Premier League title.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🎁 Manchester City, United target Boxing Day rebounds
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This week’s Premier League action will be highlighted by the eight games on the schedule for Boxing Day, including two crucial games for Manchester City and Manchester United after their losses over the weekend.
Reigning champions City head into the festive fixtures in seventh place, four points out of a top four spot and 13 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool. The latest in a string of bad results was a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday, extending their poor run of form to just one win in their last 12 games. Their defeat over the weekend really highlighted the rut City are in — few things went well for the reigning champions and manager Pep Guardiola seems unable to come up with the fixes for their problems. As James Benge writes, every tactical decision against Villa felt like the wrong one, giving City a surprisingly helpless look.
- Benge: “A lot of teams seem to be getting a lot right against City at the moment. When one issue in your side keeps getting picked at, the coach needs to make adjustments. That opener was maybe only the third or fourth of the dozen plus moments, starting in the 16th second, when City’s high line had been demolished by Villa. Of course, it is easier said than done to adapt to life without Rodri, whose Ballon d’Or in absentia case is already growing more compelling.”
Once again, they will be under pressure to get things right on Thursday against Everton, which will be no small feat. The Toffees’ rough start to the season has given way for a decent run of form, tapping into manager Sean Dyche’s favorite instincts successfully. They just registered 0-0 draws against Arsenal and Chelsea, the latter result on Sunday particularly notable since the Blues are one of the Premier League’s top scoring sides. That does not exactly bode well for City, who are struggling in the goalscoring department with just 14 goals in their last 12.
Elsewhere in England, Manchester United will hope to bounce back from a difficult week when they take on relegation contender Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day. The Red Devils’ week began well with a surprise 2-1 win over Manchester City, but a 4-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur midweek and a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Sunday brought them back down to earth. The last two results alone point to defensive woes that have plagued United long before manager Ruben Amorim showed up a month ago, though how much that will haunt them on Thursday remains to be seen. United will be the favorites against 18th place Wolves, themselves under a new manager in Vitor Pereira, but the opponents have plenty of goals in them after scoring 27 in 17 league games so far.
🔗 Top Stories
🇪🇸 La Liga title race: Atletico Madrid’s stoppage time winner led them to a win over Barcelona and took them top of La Liga’s table before the winter break.
🇪🇺 Conference League draw: Chelsea advanced straight to the round of 16 of the UEFA Conference League, while 16 other teams will face off in the knockout playoff round for a spot in the last 16.
1️⃣ MLS SuperDraft: Expansion team San Diego FC selected UC Santa Barbara midfielder Manu Duah as the first overall pick in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft.
🌲 McKennie gives back: Weston McKennie discusses his evolution at Juventus, Mauricio Pochettino’s reinvention of the USMNT and giving back to underprivileged youth through his foundation in an exclusive interview with CBS Sports.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Serie A: Inter vs. Como, Monday, 2:45 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Inter to win 3-0 (+850) – Inter might be known for their defensive sturdiness, but last week’s 6-0 win over Lazio demonstrated that the reigning Serie A champions can run up the score if they feel like it. Expect Inter to showcase similar attacking might on Monday against Como, whose -10 goal differential suggests that they might be on the wrong side of a lopsided result right before Christmas. - Premier League: Chelsea vs. Fulham, Thursday, 10 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Christopher Nkunku to score (+120) – Chelsea find themselves in second place in the Premier League thanks to an in-form attack, scoring 37 goals in 17 league games this season. Expect them to keep the goals coming on Boxing Day against Fulham, including one from their top scorer Christopher Nkunku, who has 12 across all competitions so far this season.
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+.
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