Hello! This is a big cup week in Europe, but in the US, women’s national teams are preparing for another important international break as Emma Hayes’ experiments continue. I’m the latest part-puttry.
Footy Fix
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Monday, March 31st
🇮🇹Serie A: Lazio vs. Torino, 2:45pm, Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Tuesday, April 1st
EPL: Arsenal vs. Fulham, 2:45pm ➡ Pea Head
dfb Pokal: Arminia vs. Levkersuen, 2:45pm ➡️ESPN+
Coppa Italia: Empoli vs. Bologna, 3pm
🇪🇸Copa del Rey: Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, 3:30pm ➡️ESPN+
🌎CCC: LA Galaxy vs. Tigress, 11:15pm
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Until the Coppa Italia Down Final Four
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The first war of Coppa Italia’s semi-finals begins this week, with two Italian heavyweights joining a pair of surprise candidates to finish the season with at least one major trophy.
Empoli will start things on Tuesday when they host Bologna in a showdown between the two unexpected semi-finalists. Bologna will serve as a favorite of this tie as they continue their impressive first season under manager Vincenzo Italiano. They are one of Italy’s top scoring sides, scoring 50 goals in 30 league matches, with Riccardo Orsolini boasting up to 11 goals and Juan Miranda offering eight assists. They would prefer the chance against Empori, who is in the relegation zone and has admitted 47 goals in league play this season, but the hosts were impressed during the cup run. They made their way to the semi-finals after losing quarter-final champion Juventus, and scored a penalty after a 1-1 draw.
However, this week’s headlining method is the latest version of Wednesday’s Derby Dera Madnina. Although both teams face AC Milan at key points in the season, it is difficult to argue that the scenario supports Simone Inzagi’s side. It’s all in the right direction for Inter, which is currently above Serie A and has won a spot in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Their impressive form could allow AC Milan to revenge on their rivals after winning the Super Coppa Italiana title in January, but Inter is helped by the fact that Milan’s up and down seasons will not stop. AC Milan is currently 9th in Serie A after Sunday’s defeat to Napoli, and Nigel Leocoker claims the game is another showcase of the team’s prolonged issues and new winter signatures.
Reo-Coker: “Milan isn’t a team yet. It’s an individual. Sergio) We’re not seeing individual performances because Concencicao took over. … They’re not playing for their team. Joa Felix is out there. Quality, everything that’s lacking (is) around him.”
This tie is definitely a loser, but Milan can play just as well. This should be an ambitious season for Milan, and despite wasting the opportunity to impress with the Serie A and the Champions League, they are still searching for meaningful trophies in the unforgettable season. But whether they can actually put together their actions is a big question.
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🔗Midfield Link Play
Focus on young people in preparation for brazil games
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This week, the US women’s national team will gather in the Los Angeles area ahead of two friendly matches against Brazil, proving to be an important test ground for a group of young and inexperienced players.
Head coach Emma Hayes has gathered a roster that includes 17 players with under 30 contestants at the international level in hopes of expanding the player pool as the lengthy countdown to the 2027 Women’s World Cup continues. Hayes also embraces the spirit of experimentation by linking the April U-23 USWNT camp with senior team sessions, using the youth team as a reserve team to develop the next generation of players. The U-23 group includes players like Gisele Thompson and Eva Gaetino with senior team caps, and Hayes outlined plans to fully explore the player pool in an interview with CBS Sports on Sunday.
Hayes: “We don’t only want to reach the end of June, where we have a very strong sense of the core group of players that form part of the build towards the World Cup, but we also consider the lack of players within the U-23 pool while evaluating relationship consistency, pitch connections, and individual level players. (u-)23, we give them the opportunity to advance without lensing. The expectations from there, coupled with their club performance, give that performance that shows which pool of that pool is ready to progress.”
Brazil offers formidable tests against the experimental USWNT. Because they are in themselves during the period of exploration. Coach Arthur Elias has 16 players with less than 30 caps on his roster as he prepares to host the World Cup two years later, but last summer’s Olympic gold medal match holdover (who won by USWNT) made cuts for both teams.
🔗Top Stories
Club Leon CWC alternative: FIFA will consider a one-game playoff between LAFC and Club America to decide which team will enter the Club World Cup after Leon was kicked out of the competition earlier this month.
🇧🇷Drival Out: Brazil fired Dorival Junior after losing 4-1 to Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers, opening up the possibility that Carlo Ancelotti will join the team.
🏴 FA Cup Results: Wembley Stadium’s FA Cup semi-finals are set to face Crystal Palace to face Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
⚪ Juventus’ victory: Kenan Ildis won Juventus’ Genoa on Saturday, recording a strong start for new manager Igor Tudor.
🇪🇸Legaliga title race: Barcelona took a three-point lead over Real Madrid in the LaLiga title race after both teams won over the weekend.
Arsenal Hire Berta: Arsenal hired former Atletico Madrid executive Andrea Berta as new sports director, filling the vacancy left by EDU after its departure in November.
🌴Messi’s score: Lionel Messi notched his fifth goal of the season in Intermiami’s victory over the Philadelphia Union.
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💵The best thing to do
Premier League: Arsenal vs. Fulham, Tuesday, 2:45pm
Pick: Bukayosaka with score (+200) – Arsenal may be able to return from an international break and celebrate with a simple victory against Fulham. After returning to training for the first team, Bukayosaka was able to play his first game three months after recovering from a hamstring injury, but while the expectation may not be high for England International, the fact that he is the Gunners’ second-best scorer this season means he could challenge the Fulham scoresheet.
Pick: Real Madrid to win 2-1 (+700) – Real Madrid is a favorite to win and they will probably consider star power, but given the track record this season, the margin of victory is controversial. Carlo Ancelotti’s team has not maintained a clean sheet in the last five games and has never won the game by one goal margin in the last six innings. Another tough contest game is ongoing in Madrid, but the hosts should be mostly well managed.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss the cbssports.com betting homepage.
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