Welcome to the weekend! The opening UEFA Champions League matchday might be over but the big games are not stopping in European soccer with the likes of Manchester City vs. Arsenal and the Milan derby. Jonathan Johnson here to get you ready for another big weekend of action.
Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, September 20
EFL Championship: Stoke City vs. Hull City, 3 p.m. Paramount+
Saturday, September 21
EFL Championship: Sunderland vs. Middlesbrough, 7:30 a.m. CBS Sports Golazo Network
EFL League One: Wexham vs. Crawley Town, 10 a.m. Paramount+
Serie A: Juventus vs. Napoli, 12 p.m. Paramount+
Argentina: Boca Juniors vs. River Plate, 3 p.m. CBS Sports Golazo Network
Sunday, September 22
Serie A: Fiorentina vs. Lazio, 6:30 a.m. Paramount+
EPL: Manchester City vs. Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. USA Network
La Liga: Villarreal vs. Barcelona, 12:30 p.m. ESPN+
Serie A: Inter vs. Milan, 2:45 p.m. Paramount+
The Forward Line
Get set for Super Sunday
This weekend serves up a double dose of European soccer excellence with Manchester City vs. Arsenal in the English Premier League followed by the Milan Derby between Inter and Milan to fill your Sunday. All four clubs were involved in UEFA Champions League action in midweek with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s men both drawing 0-0 with City’s stalemate coming against the Nerazzurri while the Rossoneri went down 3-1 to the Citizens and Gunners’ EPL title rivals Liverpool. There is plenty on the line in these two games including early title race ground and possible even Paulo Fonseca’s future as Milan head coach.
City vs. Arsenal
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This is arguably Arsenal’s best chance in a while to inflict a costly defeat on City and to take an early advantage in the Premier League title race. The Gunners came out on top in the North London Derby despite missing influential captain Martin Odegaard who will also be out here, but the real questions are not about Arteta’s side but Guardiola’s. City looked out of sorts in midweek when held by Inter to a 0-0 draw in the Champions League, and Arsenal will be an acid test of their ability to defend their EPL title having not really been tested so far this campaign. As James Benge noted in midweek, all is not quite right with the English champions coming into this one.
- Benge: “A first goalless outing in 18 European matches might immediately catch the eye where Manchester City, held goalless by Inter at the Etihad Stadium, are concerned but Pep Guardiola will know that his greater worries are less what happened in the final third than what might have happened at the other end. There were flashes of control and threat from City even if they were some way from their best. Jack Grealish looked atypically lively, occasionally even a throwback to the days he stole the hearts of the footballing world in an Aston Villa shirt. Erling Haaland had sniffs, Phil Foden had the best opening of the night and by the end, even a defense as impressive as Inter’s was being stretched to breaking point.
“Had Ilkay Gunodgan put his late headers anywhere else at the death then City’s perfect start to the season would have continued. It would have had a feeling of false gold to it, however. Surely the team that started at the Etihad will have to be rejigged when Arsenal come to town on Sunday, and not just because of the injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne late in the first half. The balance is all off. With the ball, City were having to commit so many bodies so high up the pitch that it occasionally looked like a line of six right off Haaland. Inevitably, that invited openings for Inter off the ball, enough that Guardiola’s men were lucky indeed to end this evening with a clean sheet.”
Milan derby
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Sunday’s big Inter vs. Milan clash in Serie A may well signal end end of Paulo Fonseca’s time in charge of the Rossoneri with a rift involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic threatening the Portuguese tactician’s time at San Siro. Regardless of Fonseca, Milan must win this to gain some valuable ground on Inter, but also to not be cut adrift in midtable even at this early stage. It is also a big chance for Christian Pulisic to continue growing his important role in this side which looks set to continue even if there is a change of head coach with another goal added to his tally for the season in midweek. As Francesco Porzio noted, the U.S. Men’s National Team star is shining bright despite the bumpy start to the campaign.
- Porzio: “Pulisic, despite the issues of Milan and their new manager Paulo Fonseca to find the balance of his side, had a very strong start and already scored three goals in all competitions and also provided two assists to his teammates. After the goal scored against Parma in the second match of the league, Pulisic provided one assist against Lazio and also another one in last weekend’s win against Venezia, when he also scored his second Serie A goal. And then, three minutes into the UCL clash against Liverpool, he scored his first European goal of the season.
“Milan suffered more for their defensive players, who struggled especially from the set pieces in the first half when Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk scored twice in few minutes, but once again key players like Rafael Leao were not able to deliver. That role of leader is now much more closer to Pulisic, as he’s the player who is performing the most. More than the goals and the assists of Pulisic, who is by far the most efficient player of the roster, Fonseca knows that the American international is the sole player who can bring the quality that players such as Leao and Samu Chukwueze are not showing right now.”
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UCL review
This past week gave us our first taste of the new League Phase experience in the UEFA Champions League across three days with some big matchups producing interesting results even at this early stage. The likes of Milan vs. Liverpool and Manchester City vs. Inter as well as Atalanta vs. Arsenal straight off the bat meant that there was a major game more less every single day. Two of those three did not produce the goal feast that many would have hoped for but the games elsewhere did not disappoint as the new-look UCL format got off to a good start.
Tuesday
Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners over Milan in the biggest game of the first day of fixtures with Christian Pulisic scoring despite the Italians’ defeat at home in their 2005 Champions League final rematch. However, the goals came in Bavaria where Bayern Munchen mauled Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 to set a record UCL score for the Germans with Harry Kane scoring four times and having another goal chalked off by VAR. Defending champions Real Madrid left it late but eventually got the win over Stuttgart with Kylian Mbappe on target although the Spaniards are not yet fully convincing for many.
Wednesday
Tuesday’s goal bonanza was not mirrored 24 hours later as Wednesday’s action was decidedly calmer. City and Inter played out another tight encounter like their 2023 Champions League final only this time with no winning goal which has now posed questions ahead of this weekend’s game with Arsenal. Even Paris Saint-Germain, who had been expected to thump Girona, were not as prolific and scraped a fortuitous late 1-0 win. Thankfully, Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 win away at Club Brugge and Celtic’s 5-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava took care of the goal fox for most of us.
Thursday
Like City 0-0 Inter on Wednesday, Arsenal were frustrated by Atalanta on Thursday with a goalless draw in Italy for the Gunners thanks largely to David Raya in goal. The big result of the day came in the principality as Monaco edged 10-man Barcelona 2-1 to secure a shock result at Stade Louis II to the delight of Les Monegasques who capped a decent week for French clubs with PSG and Stade Brestois 29 both winning. Brest’s 2-1 win over Sturm Graz on their debut at this level was one of the highlights of the opening round while Bayer Leverkusen dished out a 4-0 shellacking on Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid saw off RB Leipzig 2-1.
Pardeep Cattry: “Leverkusen notched the biggest win of the day with a 4-0 win at Feyenoord, including a brace for Florian Wirtz in his Champions League debut. The most surprising victory on Thursday, though, came courtesy of Monaco, who snapped Barcelona’s five-game winning streak after Eric Garcia’s 10th minute red card changed the complexion of the game. Additionally, first-time Champions League participants Brest marked their European debut in style with a win over Sturm Graz.”
Top Stories
UCL power rankings: Bayern Munich lead the way although Real Madrid and Manchester City are both not far behind — here’s how all the teams in the league phase stack up after one match.
1⃣ UCL Matchday 1: Champions League asked and answered sees no favorites as Manchster City and Arsenal struggle while Christian Pulisic excels with Matchday 1 offering a mixed bag for Europe’s top teams.
UCL team of the week: Arsenal’s David Raya and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz impress on Matchday 1 and here are the 11 best players from the opening games.
WATCH: Barcelona’s 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal delivers spectacular goal in Champions League opener. His effort, with 10 men, brought Barca level in the first half against AS Monaco.
USMNT FIFA rankings drop: The U.S. drops behind Mexico in FIFA rankings after winless September games and just one win in their last seven games while Lionel Messi’s Argentina remain top.
2026 vision: New USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino reveals target finish for 2026 World Cup with the Stars and Stripes having only reached the World Cup quarterfinals twice.
The Back Line
Best bet
- La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET
THE PICK: Kylian Mbappe and Vini Jr. both score (+275) — Real Madrid return to La Liga duty this Saturday against Espanyol at Santiago Bernabeu. Three wins and two draws from five games means Carlo Ancelotti’s men are unbeaten but are still four points behind leaders Barcelona. Los Blancos dropped points against both Mallorca and Las Palmas away from home so must not get sloppy here. Real Betis and Real Sociedad wins, as well as a UEFA Champions League success over VfB Stuttgart, means that less is being made of Kylian Mbappe’s struggle for form and compatibility with Vini Jr. Unbeaten at home to Espanyol since 1996, Real have beaten their Catalan visitors in their last three matchups. Espanyol have shipped seven goals in their last two outings against Real so expect to see Mbappe and Vini Jr make the most of that here.
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.
3⃣ 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+.
