Manchester City shocked by Sporting; Inter vs. Arsenal on deck in Champions League league phase action

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone! After an eventful Tuesday slate of UEFA Champions League games, we move on to Wednesday’s selection with the bar set high by results 24 hours earlier.  I’m Jonathan Johnson, let’s get to it!

📺 Footy Fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, November 6
🇪🇺 UCL: Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: PSG vs. Atletico Madrid, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Inter vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Championship: Preston North End vs. Sunderland, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 

Thursday, November 7
🇪🇺 UEL: Union SG vs. AS Roma, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Galatasaray vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Manchester United vs. PAOK, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UECL: Chelsea vs. FC Noah, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

💥 Crunch Wednesday UCL games

Following on from Tuesday’s huge UEFA Champions League results, Wednesday’s action promises just as much excitement with some big encounters on tap including Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid, Inter vs. Arsenal and Bayern Munich vs. Benfica. It might struggle to live up to the unexpected thrashing of Manchester City by Sporting CP or Real Madrid’s disasterclass at home to Milan, but it promises to be another high stakes evening at the top table of European soccer.

This one is eighth against ninth in the league phase standings with the Italians and the English outfits both keen on taking all three points at San Siro. The Serie A champions and the Premier League runners-up have not enjoyed the seasons that they were expected to have so far this campaign, but a knockout round berth is arguably the least that both of these teams expect. With defenses expected to be tighter than ever, at least one of these sides could lose their record of not yet conceding a goal this term in Europe with the Gunners more prolific than the Nerazzurri. Only four teams are yet to concede so this game could cut that number in half.

Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid will battle it out at Parc des Princes with both far from impressing so far this league phase and both needing the points. Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone are familiar foes from their days as La Liga rivals, but the Spaniard has the edge over his Argentine rival when it comes to head-to-head records. Atleti are further off the pace than PSG but only by a single point, so now would be the ideal time to hit some form with Luis Enrique’s record with Paris in Europe actually lower than that of his predecessors. Given the difference between Atletico’s home form and away showings, this one is a tough ask for them.

The German titans are another team struggling for form on the continental stage and now welcome the Portuguese giants as they try to get back on track. Vincent Kompany’s Bayern are not even on track to make it into the top 24 for a knockout phase spot just yet, while Benfica have been part of a stunning Portuguese effort so far this campaign. The Bavarians remain strong domestically, but are leaving much to be desired continentally and have already tasted defeat twice to Aston Villa and Barcelona, which is extremely unlike them at this early stage of a European season.

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🔗 Midfield Link Play

😮 Tuesday’s surprise UCL results

Wednesday has a lot to live up to if it is to emulate Tuesday’s stunning set of results with Sporting’s 4-1 thumping of City totally unexpected and plunging Pep Guardiola’s men firmly into crisis territory. Real are not faring much better and are off the pace in La Liga and the Champions League after a 3-1 defeat at home to Milan. However, Liverpool do look in very good shape with the Reds leading the way in both the Premier League and the UCL with Arne Slot’s men serving up a 4-0 thumping of Bayer Leverkusen to make Xabi Alonso’s Anfield return an unsuccessful one.

James Benge: “Amorim’s system isn’t fool proof and he won’t have players as explosive as Viktor Gyokores. His soon to be former players did show one trait that would serve Manchester United quite magnificently if Amorim can port it over. There was a fighting spirit to them, a refusal to be cowed when all the territory and opportunities were in City’s favor. When the pressure came they kept playing their way, occasionally to a fault, and when their moments came they flew en masse towards their opportunities. In that way, this was more prime United-ish that most of what has been served up at Old Trafford in the last decade. Rarely in that time have City looked as they have over the last week. You could drive an 18 wheeler through the spaces that Rodri used to occupy in front of the backline. But it can’t all just be his absence, can it? Any team would miss the Ballon d’Or holder, particularly when his replacement Mateo Kovacic just lacks that instinct for where opposition attacks might be heading.”

Francesco Porzio: “Rafael Leao made it into the starting 11, but most importantly showed he’s able to be once again one of the most dangerous players of the attacking side, as he played alongside Spanish striker Alvaro Morata and U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic. AC Milan quickly scored the game’s opener thanks to the assist of the American international from a corner kick, but then conceded a penalty before scoring their second goal with Morata. It was in the second half when Leao stood up and provided one incredible assist to his teammate Tijjani Reijnders, who scored the final goal of the game. Leao’s issues have always been about his behaviour and attitude on the pitch, as he also partially showed at the Bernabeu when in the second half he didn’t finish a good chance after a great pass from Pulisic. However, Fonseca and the AC Milan fans are not demanding him to be a finisher, but want him to drive his team as he did in the second part of the game. The fact that he did it against Real Madrid, it’s a great sign he’s coming back to form, but he should also be able to do it when the level of the opponents is lower.”

“The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn’t feel right, because that is not his position. On the left, he has got a guy who is at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you cannot play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game. Mbappe is not a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he is under a lot of pressure, this is not PSG. Do not give up, because I do not think he is going to push Vinicius to move. He is the best player in the world at the moment. Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he is a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.” 

Pardeep Cattry: “The Reds swapped a tame first half for a high-intensity second half, taking charge in nearly every meaningful category after the break. While they ceded possession to Leverkusen in the first half, they had a slight advantage in the second. Most importantly, though, they mustered 3.49 expected goals out of 13 second-half shots — and scored four goals to back it up. Luis Diaz scored the first of his three goals in the 61st minute, while Mohamed Salah notched two assists and Curtis Jones impressed by setting up a pair of goals himself. It was the most emphatic win of Liverpool’s season so far, though Slot demonstrated some managerial range over the course of the 90 minutes. The first half reflected the restraint Slot’s Liverpool are becoming known for, as well as a budding habit of letting the opponent have the ball in high-profile games. The tone shift at halftime, though, was a new look for the Reds under the Dutchman, demonstrating an ability to respond to imperfect scenarios in games and make the necessary adjustments to come out with a winning result.”

🔗  Top Stories

📈 USMNT’s Antonee Robinson rising: The USMNT star is powering Fulham’s surprisingly strong start to the Premier League season and his assist capped the Cottagers’ remarkable comeback against Brentford on Monday.

🤕 USMNT’s Josh Sargent out until 2025: The Norwich City star is sidelined for up to eight weeks following groin injury with the striker the latest attacker that Mauricio Pochettino will be missing for his first competitive games.

🤩 Bukayo Saka on Thierry Henry: Arsenal star opens up on relationship with Gunners legend and says ‘he’s always there for me’ ahead of Wednesday’s visit of the site of one of Henry’s most iconic moments — the San Siro. 

😨 Edu Gaspar’s sudden Arsenal exit: What could it mean for Bukayo Saka and William Saliba’s contract status? The Gunners’ star pair will have two years left on their deals come summer time.

🩼 Neymar injured (again): The Brazilian star (remember him?) hurt his thigh just two weeks after making a return from an ACL tear for Al-Hilal as Neymar played just 29 minutes in Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League game.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best Bet

• UECL: Chelsea vs. FC Noah, Thursday, 3 p.m. ET
  💰 THE PICK: Chelsea to win and both to score (+188) — Although Enzo Maresca will rotate his players with an alternative roster, the Blues will almost certainly be too strong for the Armenians. Instead of going for an improbable shock result which even a draw would qualify as, going for both sides to score but Chelsea to win comfortably feels the right way to go. The Premier League side have scored big in each game so far and lead the way in the League Phase while the minnows are just seeking to make the most of their realistic fixtures which could provide a point or two here and there in an attempt to reach the knockouts. This game will be a free hit for Noah and even scoring at Stamford Bridge could become the stuff of legend for the young club.

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 night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and co. cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.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+.