Happy Friday, everybody! The weekend is here and we are approaching the midway point of the January transfer window and the third round of the FA Cup in England. We already have our first instalment of El Clasico lined up in the Supercopa de Espana while the Bundesliga in Germany is also returning after its winter hibernation. Jonathan Johnson here with your final soccer fix of this week.
📺 Footy Fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, January 10
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN Deportes
🇮🇹 Serie A: Lazio vs. Como, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 FA Cup: Aston Villa vs. West Ham United, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Saturday, January 11
🇮🇹 Serie A Femminile: Juventus vs. Sampdoria, 6:30 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 FA Cup: Liverpool vs. Accrington Stanley, 7:15 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🏴 FA Cup: Chelsea vs. Morecambe, 10 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Torino vs. Juventus, 12 p.m. (noon) ➡️ Paramount+
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Bayern Munich, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
Sunday, January 12
🏴 FA Cup: Tamworth vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Venezia vs. Inter, 9 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 FA Cup: Arsenal vs. Manchester United, 10 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇪🇸 Supercopa de Espana: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2 p.m. ➡️ ESPN Deportes
⚽ The Forward Line
🇪🇸 Early 2025 Clasico
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The new year has been generous and given us an extra instalment of El Clasico earlier than expected, thanks to the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid and Barcelona will renew their bitter rivalry with silverware at stake at King Abdullah Sports City on Sunday after the Catalan giants saw off Athletic Club and Los Blancos eased past RCD Mallorca to reach the showdown final in Jeddah. Barca won 2-0 against the Basque outfit on Wednesday, with Gavi influencing the game by scoring the opener and teeing up the second for Lamine Yamal.
With Dani Olmo and Pau Victor temporarily granted permission to play for the Blaugrana again, Hansi Flick’s side will be back to close to full strength, but up against a determined Blancos side. Real booked their berth 24 hours afterwards with a 3-0 success against the Islanders but all of the goals came in the second half with Jude Bellingham scoring the opener after the hour before a late Martin Valjent goal was added to by Rodrygo. As Chuck Booth pointed out, there is no such thing as a friendly when Carlo Ancelotti’s men meet their fiercest rivals.
- Booth on El Clasico: “For something that can be taken as a midseason showcase, the stakes are always big when these two meet. It’s even more important for Real Madrid as a goal from Kylian Mbappe along with a victory would help with establishing that the Frenchman’s era as the number nine in Madrid is well and truly underway after a below-average beginning to life in Spain. Clasico’s are where legends are made, and that’s especially true when there’s silverware on the line. Barcelona won their last meeting back in October 4-0 with a brace from Robert Lewandowski but these are teams in much different form now than when they last met. Barcelona’s defense has been suspect and Madrid’s attack is finding their feet which could make this very different.”
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏴 EPL coaching carousel
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Having only seen two managerial changes made all season up until mid-December, the past four weeks have produced four separations in the English Premier League which means that the coaching carousel is now in full swing. Wolverhampton Wanderers started the trend by replacing Gary O’Neil with Vitor Pereira before Southampton followed suit with Russell Martin making way for Ivan Juric. Graham Potter’s return to the EPL was next as he came in for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham United but the most eye-catching was Everton’s parting of ways with Sean Dyche the day of their FA Cup third round clash with Peterborough United on Thursday.
The Toffees are perhaps different to their rivals Wolves, Saints and Hammersbecause they have recently been taken over by the Friedkin Group who no doubt wanted to stamp their mark on Merseyside as quickly as possible since getting through the door at Goodison Park. Dyche had been in charge since early 2023 and successfully maintained their topflight status but a tricky run of form opened up the possibility of an early managerial change and it could see David Moyes make a remarkable return to Everton having already managed the club for 11 years until he joined Manchester United in 2013.
“Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as senior men’s first team manager with immediate effect,” read Thursday’s surprisingly timed statement ahead of the 2-0 win over the Posh. “Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard, and Billy Mercer have also left the club. The process to appoint a new manager is underway and an update will be provided in due course. Under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis.”
🔗 Top Stories
💥 MSN reunited? Luis Suarez hints at Neymar joining Lionel Messi at Inter Miami after the trio starred together at Barcelona and they just may want to bring the band back together in South Florida.
🔁 Marta staying in Orlando: Legendary Brazilian signs new two-year deal with the Pride after winning NWSL Championship and says “I’m staying home” having been with the team since 2017.
🇺🇸 Gregg Berhalter on USMNT stint: ‘One of the most successful periods U.S. national team ever had’ says Berhalter who coached the Men’s National Team from 2019 to 2024.
👀 FA Cup upset watch: Arsenal aim to avoid being surprised by Manchester United as the FA Cup always delivers upset, but which teams need to be on alert this week?
🔙 Ranking biggest FA Cup upsets this century: Manchester City’s shock final defeat and Chelsea’s loss to Bradford make cut while Wrexham’s shocking win over Arsenal does not as it took place eight years before the turn of the century.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best Bet
- Supercopa de Espana: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
💰 THE PICK: Draw and both to score (+333) — The first edition of El Clasico in 2025 will take place in Saudi Arabia and it presents Kylian Mbappe with a chance to start the new year by securing silverware for Los Blancos against their great Catalan foes. The French superstar and Carlo Ancelotti’s men have hit top spot in LaLiga and are in improving form while Hansi Flick’s Blaugrana have struggled for form of late. Can Real edge Barca? A draw in regulation time could lead to extra time and penalties and that may well be how this one gets decided so a regulation time tie with both teams scoring sounds about right.
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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