Hello there! The second leg of the EFL Cup semifinals are officially here, with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur carrying advantages over Arsenal and Liverpool, respectively, into this week’s decisive games. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Feb. 5
🇩🇪 DFB Pokal: Leverkusen vs. Cologne, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🏴 EFL Cup: Newcastle vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇮🇹 Serie A: AC Milan vs. Roma, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Leganes vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🌎 Concacaf Champions Cup: Forge vs. Monterrey, 8 p.m. ➡️ FS2
Thursday, Feb. 6
🇮🇹 Serie A: Fiorentina vs. Inter, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. Tottenham, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Valencia vs. Barcelona, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🌎 Concacaf Champions Cup: Cibao vs. Chivas, 8 p.m. ➡️ FS2
⚽ The Forward Line
🔴 Arsenal eye comeback against Newcastle
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Arsenal head to St James’ Park on Wednesday with the need to overcome a 2-0 deficit against Newcastle United – and a situation that does not necessarily favor them.
The Gunners might be the oddsmakers’ choice to win the second leg, but the Magpies created a solid blueprint for victory in the first leg that they can just mirror on Wednesday. Newcastle succeeded when they prioritized defense, leaning into their own strengths and highlighting Arsenal’s most glaring weakness – their need for a natural goalscorer. Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to invest in the winter transfer window, even if a move for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins was explored, so they will be stuck with the same cast of characters that took part in January’s first leg.
Kai Havertz will likely be a central figure on Wednesday, playing every minute possible considering Arsenal’s lack of depth and list of injuries. Leandro Trossard could pitch in while occupying the role usually reserved for the injured Bukayo Saka, but the lack of change in the Gunners’ lineup is not necessarily bad news. As James Benge writes, Arsenal have gotten a lot of things right this season from an offensive standpoint and could very well do so again on Wednesday.
- Benge: “Through it all, Arsenal have kept getting themselves in the right spots. Indeed, they are doing so with increased regularity even as the season has worn them down. Prior to the November international break this was a team averaging 1.5 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per game. Since then, that number has risen to 1.8. They are averaging an extra goal every two games, a shot more per match. … This is still a team that can put up 15 shots a game, a boatload of them decent chances, all while blotting out the best forwards in the game at the other end. What do Arsenal need to do, then, to overturn their first leg deficit? The same thing they’ve been doing all along.”
Whether or not they can actually execute is the big question, especially in a consequential week for Arsenal. They are just a few days removed from beating Manchester City 5-1, overperforming their tally of one expected goal considerably. Newcastle’s back line, which has conceded just seven goals in their last 12 games, will be a bigger test than City’s leaky defense. Wednesday’s game, though, has the power to either solidify a strong week for Arsenal’s offense or offer another sign as to why their trophy drought will likely extend to a fifth year.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🆕 Tottenahm bring new faces to Liverpool
On Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur hope to build upon their 1-0 advantage from the first leg and oust Liverpool from the EFL Cup as they look for their first trophy since 2007.
Despite the advantage, the odds are not necessarily in Spurs’ favor – the Reds still win at a regular pace, and Mohamed Salah is increasingly hard to bet against after already scoring 25 goals this season. Tottenham are also still dealing with an enormous injury crisis, most recently losing center back Radu Dragusin to an ACL tear last week. Manager Ange Postecoglou is also taking a cautious approach with Micky van de Ven, who made only his second start since October last week after dealing with a hamstring injury, and will leave him at home for the trip to Anfield.
The good news for Spurs, though? They were far from full strength last time out and still pulled off a surprise win, and will actually have some reinforcements this time around.
For starters, Richarlison is back after dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in November and already has two goals in his first six games in his return. More notably, Tottenham will have two new signings that could play a big role on Thursday – center back Kevin Danso and 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel. Much like goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky did in January’s first leg, Danso seems poised to slot straight into the lineup to begin his loan spell in England and will likely line up alongside veteran Ben Davies in the absence of van de Ven, Dragusin and still injured Cristian Romero. Tel, though, is one of the more intriguing signings of the winter transfer window, joining Tottenham after interest from a wide range of English clubs. The versatile 19-year-old is considered one of Europe’s most promising forwards but his playing time at parent club Bayern Munich dried up this season, meaning his loan spell at Spurs could offer a real glimpse at what his ceiling is.
🔗 Top Stories
🏆 Arsenal’s trophy chase: Here’s why Arsenal need to turn around the deficit in Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash to hang onto the hope of winning a trophy this season.
⚫⚪ Jacob Murphy interview: Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy popped into Morning Footy to talk about his connection with Alexander Isak and playing with his twin brother John at Portsmouth.
⚖️ NWSL settlement: The NWSL will create a $5 million restitution fund for players who experienced abuse and harassment as part of a settlement following an investigation by the attorneys general of New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C.
💬 Ronaldo on Mbappe: In a wide-ranging interview, Cristiano Ronaldo said he would have taught Kylian Mbappe how to play as a forward if the pair were Real Madrid teammates.
🆕 Gonzalez to City: Here’s a look at Manchester City’s deadline day signing Nico Gonzalez, who could help fix some of their midfield woes while the team waits for Rodri to recover from his ACL injury.
🔴⚫ Milan’s busy day: AC Milan made four (!) signings on deadline day, including Mexico international Santiago Gimenez, who gives their attack a Concacaf-like feel with Christian Pulisic already on the books.
🟢⚪ Cucho to Real Betis: Cucho Hernandez left the Columbus Crew for Real Betis on deadline day in a deal that offers a vote of confidence in MLS teams’ recruitment strategy.
🤝 Transfer window grades: Here’s a glance at the big deals from deadline day, plus grades on the USMNT’s transfers this window and a look back at how the major signings from the summer are faring so far.
🧤 Introducing Solo FC: Ex-USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo will lead Solo FC at The Soccer Tournament this year, when she will play her first game since 2016 – and go up against her former international teammates.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- La Liga: Leganes vs. Real Madrid, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Rodrygo to score (+220) – The ups and downs continue for Real Madrid this season, but Rodrygo has been a reliable source of goals lately. He has 11 goals in his last 13 games, making it likely that he will bag another as his side aims to reassert themselves in La Liga’s title race with a win. - La Liga: Valencia vs. Barcelona, Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Raphinha to score (+160) – Raphinha’s form has not slowed since becoming Barcelona’s surprise star this season, and he enters Thursday’s game with six goals in his last sven games. Count on him to play a big role yet again as Barcelona try to make up the four point gap between them and first place Real Madrid.
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
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☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot 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.
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⚽ 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.
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