Midweek cup action continues across Europe, headlined by the first round of league phase fixtures in the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday and Thursday. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest in the middle of a busy week.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Sept. 24
🏴 EFL Cup: Huddersfield Town vs. Manchester City, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Real Betis vs. Nottingham Forest, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇺🇸 MLS: New York City FC vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
Thursday, Sept. 25
🇪🇺 UEL: Aston Villa vs. Bologna, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Oviedo vs. Barcelona, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇪🇺 The Europa League specialist is back
It has been a few years since Unai Emery last led a team in the UEFA Europa League, but the competition’s most successful manager will make his comeback on Thursday when Aston Villa host Bologna with hopes of proving their worth as the oddsmakers’ favorites to win the whole thing.
Emery, a five-time Europa League finalist and four-time winner, is far from the only reason the odds favor Villa. This season’s competition is mostly made up of teams one might expect to see in Europe’s second-best club competition, with Roma and last season’s UEFA Conference League finalists Real Betis among the group. Villa have core players like goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and forward Ollie Watkins, who remained with the team amid summer transfer links to other Premier League rivals.
Benge: “The bigger question is whether the Premier League is moving away from a style of play that suits Emery…”
The Europa League may offer a reprieve for Emery, recent history showing that this competition can redeem an up-and-down season.
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏴 EFL Cup third round comes to a close
EFL Cup third round action wraps up on Wednesday with Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United hoping to join their fellow heavy-hitters by booking their spots in the next round.
Liverpool and Chelsea each collected 2-1 wins against lower-league opponents, though the matches came with complications for both teams. Hugo Ekitike scored the game-winner for the Reds against Southampton but was sent off for a second yellow shortly after the goal.
Guardiola: “Sometimes the opponents are good and create a challenge that we cannot handle… We are not bad, the opponent is better, sometimes we are just not able to play how we like.”
🔗 Top Stories
🔴 Isak’s time to shine: Alexander Isak scored his first goal for Liverpool in their EFL Cup win against Southampton. 🏆 Dembele, Bonmati win Ballon d’Or: Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati took home top honors at the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. 🌎 A 64-team World Cup?: FIFA is considering a proposal for a 64-team World Cup in 2030. ⚪ Vinicius Junior scores: Vinicius Junior opened the scoring in Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory against Levante on Tuesday. 🇺🇳 UN experts ask for Israel ban: A UN group has asked FIFA to suspend Israel, calling it a necessary response to conflict in Palestine during the ongoing war.
