Happy Wednesday! Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League is officially here and after some big results on Tuesday, hopes are high that Wednesday could deliver equally big results. Plus Mauricio Pochettino reveals his first USMNT squad. I am Pardeep Cattry with weekly check-in.
📺 Footy solution
Always American/Oriental
Wednesday, October 2nd
🇪🇺 UCL: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta, 12:45 ➡️ Most important+
🇪🇺 UCL: Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, 15:00 ➡️ Most important+
🇺🇸 MLS: Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 pm ➡️ FS1
🌎 Concacaf W Champions Cup: Frazsiers Whip vs. NJ/NY Gotham, 8 pm ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
Thursday, October 3rd
🇪🇺 UEL: Ferencvaros vs Tottenham Hotspur, 12:45 ➡️ Most important+
🇪🇺 UEL: Porto vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. ➡️ Most important+
⚽ The Front Line
🏴 Arsenal give PSG a reality check
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Arsenal recorded their first win of the UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, a result that revealed as much about the managers as the teams as a whole.
The Gunners played their sixth match without the injured Martin Odegaard and while there is undoubtedly some attacking spark missing, manager Mikel Arteta’s solution-oriented approach means his side are not necessarily starved for goals. While pieces have become a force in recent weeks, Arteta switched things up on Tuesday and offered the spotlight to Kai Havertz. The Germany international seized the moment, scoring the opening goal in the 20th minute and spearheading Arsenal’s attacking strategy. The performance served as a reminder that Havertz has goals in his game, but as James Benge writes, he has actually been a consistent contributor for Arsenal all year.
- Useful: “His record at the Emirates in 2024 is indeed impressive: nine goals and three assists at a rate of one every 99 minutes. Hardly a game goes by without that unbearable interpolation of his transfer into Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’. … Havertz settled into the role from Arsenal’s main presser, the Gunners excel from away in channeling PSG to the sides From there they would force the pass up the line, especially along their right flank, where Jurrien Timber seemed to delight in causing his hitherto unknown harassing ball qualities to Bradley Barcola.”
Tuesday’s result, however, is as much a reflection of Arsenal’s successful execution of their game plan as it is PSG’s failure to make more chances. The visitors had 65% and outscored Arsenal 10 to six, but mustered just 0.31 expected goals – their lowest total in the Champions League since Opta started recording the data. Manager Luis Enrique’s choice to omit Ousmane Dembele from the squad loomed large as PSG struggled for goals but as Jonathan Johnson points out, the players on the pitch suppressed as much as Enrique did.
- Johnson: “As it turned out, although not too surprisingly, Dembele’s maverick creativity and guile were sorely missed on the right while lightweight improvised attacking experiments may work in Ligue 1 but not in the UCL. The insistence on an out-of-form Warren Zaire-Emery was also questionable by Luis Enrique as his slide was evident for quite some time Lee Kang-in and Desire Doue were preferred up front while Vitinha was reinstated to midfield after injury, however it was more than an hour before the Spaniard opted for any changes Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi provided plenty of width forward with the Portuguese in particular showing his attacking teeth when he hit the post at 1-0 down.”
The result bodes well for Arsenal, who now face one of their toughest games of the league stage, but leaves plenty of questions for a youth-focused PSG side who still have high-profile matches against Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. in the schedule.
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🔗 Midfield League Game
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich’s point to prove
Days after a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, a crucial week for Bayern Munich continues on Wednesday with the most attractive match of the day – a clash with Aston Villa, who host their first Champions League game in four decades.
Unbeaten Bayern are the favorites against Villa, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this will be an easy outing for the visitors. The hosts are just two points off top spot in the Premier League and boast in-form Ollie Watkins, who has four goals and three assists so far this season and hopes to translate that success into a starting role for England. Standing in his way on the international stage is Bayern’s Harry Kane, who has 10 goals and four assists to start the season but may not be his usual dominant self on Wednesday.
Kane picked up an ankle injury in the late stages of Bayern’s draw against Leverkusen, a game in which he had a very limited impact – he didn’t fire in his 86-minute stint, drawing some criticism that he’s absent in big games. The England captain traveled to Birmingham and trained on Tuesday, but manager Vincent Kompany admitted his ability to feature on Wednesday would be a game-time decision.
With or without Kane, Kompany’s Bayern will have to prove that they don’t have a one-note attack that only works when the Englishman is at his best. The good news for the visitors is that they have a few players they can lean on – midfielder Jamal Musiala will be there to play behind the scenes, while James Benge picks rookie Michael Olise as the player to watch after scoring a brace. in Bayern’s scrappy win over Dinamo Zagreb on Day 1.
- Useful: “The winger should like this one. The last time he faced Aston Villa, he and his Crystal Palace teammates exposed vulnerabilities in Unai Emery’s defense that don’t seem to have been addressed over the summer. The France international hit the ground running. with Bayern, three goals and two assists in his last three games puts him in the perfect position to excel on his return to the land of his birth.”
🔗 Top Stories
🇺🇸 USMNT roster: Mauricio Pochettino named his first USMNT rostery, to stay with a familiar group of players before friendlies against Panama and Mexico.
🔴 High-flying Arsenal: Newcomer Mikel Merino has said he fears for his Arsenal teammates in training, while Bukayo Saka believes this is the year the Gunners will win the Premier League title.
🔵⚫ Big win for Inter: Inter beat Crvena Zvezda 4-0 on Tuesday, proving their credentials as a contender to win the Champions League in the process.
🇪🇺 Advantages and disadvantages: The Morning Footy crew offer theirs early views on the new Champions League formatincluding the advantages and disadvantages of the Swiss-style tournament.
🧤 Slonina’s goal: USMNT hopeful Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina said he wants to be the starting goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup.
✅ Successful appeal: Manchester United won their appeal against Bruno Fernandes’ red card at the weekend, meaning he will be available for their Premier League fixture against Aston Villa on Sunday.
🇪🇸 Iniesta to retire?: The Morning Footy crew reflect on the legacy of World Cup winner Andres Iniesta, who is said to be ready to announce his retirement after a career that spanned two decades.
⚽🏀 Henry’s Mutombo tribute: Thierry Henry pays tribute to NBA legend and his friend Dikembe Mutombowho died on Monday.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Champions League: Aston Villa v Bayern Munich, Wednesday 15th
💰 THE PICK: Ollie Watkins to win (+195) – Bayern could rightly be the favorites to take all three points in this one, but Aston Villa have been quite prolific in front of goal this season thanks in part to Ollie Watkins, who already has four goals in seven games this season. Expect him to speak in Wednesday’s clash and give Villa fans something to cheer about in their first home Champions League game in four decades. - UEFA Europa League: Porto vs. Manchester United, Thursday, 3 p.m
💰 THE PICK: Teams to draw 1-1 (+550) – In a vacuum, Manchester United could be favored in a matchup like this but the team’s growing habit of mediocrity means that Porto have a chance in this one. United have enough to squeeze a point out of this one, but their inability to get out of their own way means they may not get much more out of it, and risk going without a win in two games to start their Europa League campaign.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss the CBSSports.com betting homepage.
📺 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 start their day on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you’ll never have to miss an episode.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women 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 break down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss out Wednesdays live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): Weekly podcast with Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover everything USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also watch the show live on YouTube every Monday at 11am ET.
🥅 score line (Every day): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to get all the biggest news and results affecting global football, matches from the top football competitions and all the unmissable goals of the day’s action, starting on Thursday and broadcasting 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 major soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto television and Most important+.
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