AC Milan, Inter face off in Coppa Italia semifinal second leg; Real Madrid aim to respond to Barca win
Hello! There's a consequential batch of midweek games on the schedule with trophies in sight for several teams across Europe. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, April 23🏴 WSL: Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🇮🇹 Coppa Italia semifinals: Inter vs. AC Milan, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🏴 EPL: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network🇪🇸 La Liga: Getafe vs. Real Madrid, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2🌎 CCC: Tigres vs. Cruz Azul, 10 p.m. ➡️ FS1
Thursday, April 24🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: Bologna vs. Empoli, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🇪🇸 La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🌎 CCC: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Inter Miami, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ FS1
⚽ The Forward Line🇮🇹 Inter, AC Milan target Coppa Italia finalOne final edition of the Derby della Madonnina this season will take place in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals on Wednesday (watch live on Paramount+), with Inter and AC Milan deadlocked after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Inter may have entered the tie as the favorites and are still in the hunt for their first treble since the 2009-10 season, but the last few weeks have been trying for Simone Inzaghi's side, potentially providing a new opening for AC Milan in the second leg.
Inter's 1-0 loss to Bologna on Sunday not only ensured Napoli would be level with them on points with five games to go in Serie A but raised some serious questions about their treble-winning mettle. All three trophies will be on the line in the next several weeks and there's no certainty about winning any of them, but Wednesday's game offers an opportunity for Inter to remind onlookers of their title-winning potential. It will require actually beating their city rivals, though – despite Inter's strong season and AC Milan's up-and-down campaign, Inter have not actually beaten Milan in four previous meetings this season, including in January's Supercoppa Italiana final.
The stakes, meanwhile, are different for Milan. After last season's second-place finish in Serie A, they targeted silverware, and though this campaign has hardly gone according to plan, they can still salvage things somewhat in the Coppa Italia. That's not the only thing at stake – this tournament is now the likeliest way for Milan to qualify for European competition next season, since they sit in ninth place in Serie A and are six points away from sixth place, where a spot in the UEFA Conference League playoff round awaits. Milan will likely need their high-profile players to step up on Wednesday, including U.S. men's national team standout Christian Pulisic, who has now gone seven games without a goal for club or country. Francesco Porizo writes that Wednesday's game is crucial for Pulisic, both in terms of ending the dry spell and ensuring he has all the preparation he needs going into the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
- Porzio: "Pulisic, who scored 15 goals so far this season in all competitions, is also facing a difficult moment as he has not scored in the last five matches between Serie A and Coppa Italia, but he provided two key assists against Fiorentina and Udinese. It's clear that Pulisic needs to play European soccer in the season that will precede the FIFA 2026 World Cup as it will take place in the United States in June and July of next year, but as things stand right now, it's more likely to see him playing the Conference League rather than Champions or Europa League, unless the team coached by Sergio Conceicao react in the last stint of a disappointing season."
The winner awaits either Bologna or Empoli, who will play in the second leg of their semifinal on Thursday. Bologna carry a 3-0 advantage from the first leg.
Sponsored by Paramount+A busy stretch of games continues on Wednesday for Real Madrid, who travel to Getafe as the focus shifts to them in La Liga's title race. Barcelona's 1-0 win over Mallorca on Tuesday means Los Blancos are now seven points behind the league leaders, and the onus is on them to at least keep pace in the title race with a win at Getafe, all while Saturday's Clasico in the Copa del Rey final looms large for Real Madrid.
Considering the ups and downs of Real Madrid's season, chief among them their quarterfinal exit in the UEFA Champions League, the idea of a trophy-less season feels like more of a reality than it once did for the star-studded group. Chatter about Carlo Ancelotti's likely end-of-season exit continues, and though he has yet to confirm the move, he offered some semblance of farewell remarks in his pre-match comments on Tuesday when asked if winning the league and cup double would have an impact on his decision to stay or go.
- Ancelotti: "In football, anything is possible. I'm not surprised by anything, so anything can happen. I don't have any grudges against anyone or anything. I love this job. I loved it the first time, and I'm loving this second spell. I'd like this to continue as long as possible. If one day it ends, I'll be grateful and I'll take my hat off to this club, nothing else."
Real Madrid will have to manage Wednesday's game at Getafe without Kylian Mbappe, who has a short-term injury that will keep him out of this one, though he is still in consideration for Saturday's Copa del Rey final. They are the favorites to take all three points, but if they cannot find a way to win, that could be it for their title hopes with just five games left on the calendar after the midweek fixture.
🔗 Top Stories🇮🇹 Serie A postpones games: Serie A shifted their entire weekend slate to Sunday and will not play on Saturday, the day of Pope Francis' funeral.
🏴 Promotion race: Leeds United and Burnley secured automatic promotion to the Premier League after wins on Monday.
🔴 Cunha to United?: CBS Sports reports that Manchester United have targeted Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha ahead of the summer transfer window.
⚽⚾ Bay FC at Oracle Park: The NWSL's Bay FC will play the Washington Spirit in August at Oracle Park, home of MLB's San Francisco Giants.
🇺🇸 NWSL power rankings: It was a good week for Bay FC in the latest batch of the NWSL power rankings, though the Orlando Pride could not say the same.
🔵 Millwall watch: Millwall are still in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League and could add an edge to England's top flight if the controversial club make it all the way.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- Premier League: Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace, Wednesday, 3 p.m.💰 THE PICK: Arsenal to win 1-0 (+550) – This match is technically one of Arsenal's last chances to stick around in the Premier League title race since any dropped points means Liverpool will be crowned champions with five games to spare. Considering how unlikely the comeback will be – and how happy they undoubtedly will be to concentrate most of their efforts on the UEFA Champions League semifinals – it is hard to know how much the Gunners will put into this game. Even then, they will be the favorites against a Crystal Palace side that could rotate with Saturday's FA Cup semifinal in mind. It might not be the most entertaining game, but Arsenal should be able to do enough to pick up another three points with relative ease.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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