Hello! The midweek action continues with much anticipated games across Europe, headlined by Wednesday’s North London Derby, while the transfer window is beginning to heat up. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Jan. 15
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern vs. Hoffenheim, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter vs. Bologna, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EPL: Arsenal vs. Tottenham, 3 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Barcelona vs. Real Betis, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇫🇷 Coupe de France: Espaly vs. PSG, 3 p.m. ➡️ FS2
Thursday, Jan. 16
🏴 EPL: Manchester United vs. Southampton, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Real Madrid vs. Celta de Vigo, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🏴 League One: Shrewsbury vs. Wrexham, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
⚽ The Forward Line
🏴 Injury crises loom over North London Derby
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The stakes are high at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, when Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postecolgou face a must-win game in the latest edition of the North London Derby.
Though 10 places separate the two teams, recent up-and-down form means both managers find themselves under similar scrutiny, accused of not doing enough to improve their side’s standing from last season. The exact criticisms of both managers and teams are different, as James Benge writes, but those issues are likely to be defining elements of Wednesday’s game.
- Benge: “At least one of these managers will be nursing a sharp blow come Thursday morning. There will be questions over the lack of a top, top striker in the red half of north London and/or a further debate over the philosophical intransigence of the team in white. Too little of it, you fear, will really address the circumstances that have been inflicted on these teams in this most trying of seasons.”
The aforementioned circumstances are the injury crises that both managers have been managing, something that has gone unnoticed at times, but has played a massive role in both teams’ campaigns. Both Arteta and Postecoglou have been without different sets of important players all season long, and things have not really improved at all heading into this game. The Arsenal boss counts Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus amongst his long list of injured players, while the Spurs manager will be without four of his five starters in defense.
There’s an argument to be made that both managers have made the best of their less-than-ideal situations – Arteta’s Arsenal sit third in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League as things stand, while Postecoglou’s Spurs are within touching distance of the EFL Cup final and have been unlucky to drop points in several evenly contested games. The big questions heading into the derby, then, is how Wednesday’s performances fit into the complicated campaigns both managers are experiencing – and whether they will be judged fairly considering the context that surrounds their results.
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✈️ Kvaratskhelia’s imminent PSG move kicks off active transfer window
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This year’s winter transfer window is poised to be a busy one as several high-profile deals begin to materialize, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s move from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain.
The French champions are reportedly in the final stages of completing the $72 million deal, which will see Kvaratskhelia sign a five-year contract. The Georgia international exits Italy despite playing for Serie A’s top side, but he is expected to offer a boost to PSG in the midst of a tricky season. Luis Enrique’s side have a commanding lead atop Ligue 1 but are outside the 24 berths in the UEFA Champions League, facing the prospect of being eliminated in the league phase. PSG have failed to impress in Europe as they flesh out their post-Kylian Mbappe identity and Jonathan Johnson notes that Kvaratskhelia will likely take over Bradley Barcola’s starting role.
- Johnson: “Kvaratskhelia will find himself in competition with Bradley Barcola for the wide left berth in the PSG starting XI unless Luis Enrique opts for an unlikely formation change with the France international some way below his early season form which swiftly saw him rack up 10 goals and two assists. Incredibly, the 22-year-old is without a goal involvement across all competitions since early November for club and country with the feeling in the French capital that the former Olympique Lyonnais man needs to be challenged to produce with the required consistency.”
Kvaratskhelia’s shift to Paris coincides with the possibility of Randal Kolo Muani’s move away from the French capital. The forward is reportedly inching closer to joining Juventus on a loan until the end of the season, per ESPN, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur and other English clubs. It will be worth following if a change of scenery benefits Kolo Muani, who has just two goals for PSG this season, but could be useful for a Juventus team that is not known for their goalscoring exploits under new manager Thiago Motta.
Other notable attackers could be on the move before the window closes on Feb. 3, too – Christopher Nkunku is reportedly of interest to Bayern Munich after falling out of favor at Chelsea, while teen forward Mathys Tel could go the other way in a separate deal. The batch of moves signals a real intent from Europe’s top sides to freshen up their rosters and level up after some mixed results at the start of the season, making for an unusually interesting winter in the transfer market.
🔗 Top Stories
🏴 NLD preview: Here are three keys to Wednesday’s North London Derby, a discussion of which manager needs the win more and best bets ahead of the big game.
🩹 Pulisic injury: Christian Pulisic could miss AC Milan’s weekend match with Juventus after picking up a minor leg injury.
🇺🇸 Shaw joins Courage: USWNT star Jaedyn Shaw joined the North Carolina Courage from the San Diego Wave in a blockbuster trade between the NWSL teams.
✈️ Transfer window latest: Arsenal are preparing to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, while James Rodriguez has joined Liga MX’s Leon and the Manchester clubs are rivaling each other to do business with AC Milan this winter.
⏪ EPL rewind: Liverpool settled for a draw against a tactically strong Nottingham Forest, while Reece James rescued a point for Chelsea against Bournemouth and Erling Haaland was nowhere to be found in Manchester City’s draw against Brentford.
⚫⚪ Juventus draw again: Thiago Motta’s Juventus may still be unbeaten in Serie A this season, but is a record of seven wins and 13 draws acceptable?
💰 New MLS roster rules: MLS simplified its rules around trades ahead of the intraleague transfer window opening at the end of the month, making it easier for clubs to compete at the top of the table.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Bayern Munich to win 2-0 (+700) – League leaders Bayern Munich will be the heavy favorites against 15th place Hoffenheim, so a straightforward win seems likely as they target the Bundesliga title. A win seems especially likely since Harry Kane snapped a four game goalless run over the weekend, and will aim for his first goal from open play since November. - Premier League: Manchester United vs. Southampton, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Amad Diallo to score (+170) – Southampton may have changed managers in the last few weeks, but their fortunes have not exactly gotten better since. Expect Manchester United to take advantage of the Saints’ defensive instability and run up the score, giving several players – including the in-form Amad Diallo – a chance to add another goal to their individual tallies.
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.
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.
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