Soccer birthdays: India star Sunil Chetri turns 28. The Sporting Kansas City washout currently plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal B. Alrighty then!
Big Important Story of the Day: The American women take on New Zealand in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament. Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe. You know the drill. Win, and the gold-medal game is just one match away.
Big Story of the Day that’s not really that important, but still a big story: Terrence Boyd drew a penalty in Vienna’s 2-1 Europa League loss on Thursday night. The man continues to ball.
RASNoD (Random American Soccer Name of the Day): Mia Hamm (maybe not that random)
*Ahead on the blog today: We take a look at some MLS salary figures. Plus, Ricardo Clark returns to where he belongs (Houston), and the comedically brilliant stylings of one Steve Davis.
Twitter daps: A two-fer from our man in Belgium, Sacha Kljestan:
What you should watch on TV:
The US women against New Zealand. 9:30 am. NBC Sports Network.
And then: New York Red Bulls against the Houston Dynamo at the beautiful BBVA Compass Stadium, obviously. NBC Sports Network (doubleheader!), 8:00 pm. Get into it.
PST background noise while blogging today: The Star-Spangled Banner. It’s Olympic season.
*Always subject to change; you know how it is…
Europa League: How to watch Tottenham-Maccabi Haifa, schedule, start time, odds
Jose Mourinho’s insane September in three competitions continues with a Thursday’s Tottenham-Maccabi Haifa fixture in the Europa League, the final playoff match coming exactly three weeks before the first matchday of the group stahe.
The visitors head into North London on a five-match unbeaten run and if they manage a show-stopping upset it will likely star an American.
California native Josh Cohen, 28, has started all five of those matches between the sticks for Maccabi Haifa. The ex-USL and UC San Diego goalkeeper has been with the club since leaving the Sacramento Republic in 2019.
Ukraine-born Australian striker Nikita Rukavytsya is the key man for Maccabi Haifa’s attack, boasting seven goals and three assists in five appearances this season.
Spurs should have a pretty strong group despite their fixture weariness as Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Matt Doherty started on the bench for Tuesday’s League Cup fourth-round win over Chelsea.
📋 Hart, Doherty, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies, Hojbjerg, Winks, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Lucas, Kane (C)
In other action, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers certainly would’ve loved to have drawn any number of opponents rather than Turkish powers Galatasaray.
Rangers boss Gerrard (left) was teammates with Galatasaray striker Ryan Babel while at Liverpool (Photo by Peter Byrne – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
While there’s been good humor online regarding Gerrard managing while former teammate Ryan Babel hits the pitch for Gala, the Turkish side arrives in Glasgow in a foul mood.
Here’s manager Faith Terim, who is upset that his side drew derby rivals Fenerbahce 0-0 at home.
“I will turn all my attention to Rangers now,” Terim said, via the Daily Record. “The Europa League is very important to us in many ways and of course, we will play our strongest team. At the moment, we are playing every three or four days and that can be a factor. But we just have to deal with it. It always hurts when you don’t win a derby game and we have a chance to put it right this week in Glasgow.”
Rangers are favorites in the match, which shows how far Gerrard has brought Scotland’s second-best side in points-per-game. Watch out for Babel, who’s scored six times in 25 matches for Gala after his 2018-19 star turn in Fulham’s relegation season.
Which brings us to Celtic, who is a point behind their eternal rivals but has a match-in-hand.
Neil Lennon’s men have disappointed in Europe this season and are heavy favorites going into Sarajevo, as they were when needed almost every minute to get past Riga 1-0 in Latvia last week after being bounced from the Champions League by Ferencvaros.
Elsewhere, AC Milan won’t have Zlatan Ibrahimovic when it visits Portugal’s Rio Ave.
How to watch Tottenham – Maccabi Haifa + Europa League playoff round streams, start times
Thursday
CFR Cluk v KuPS — 11:30 am ET
Malmo v Granada — 1 pm ET
Charleroi v Lech Poznan — 1 pm ET
Rosenborg v PSV Eindhoven — 1 pm ET
Dinamo Zagreb v Flora — 1 pm ET
Ararat-Armenia v Red Star Belgrade — 1 pm ET
Liberec v APOEL Nicosia — 1 pm ET
Hapo’el Beer-Sheva v Viktoria Plzen — 1:30 pm ET
Sarajevo v Celtic — 2pm ET
Standard Liege v Fehervar — 2pm ET
Dinamo Brest v Ludogorets Razgrad — 2pm ET
Copenhagen v Rijeka — 2pm ET
Legia Warsaw v Qarabag — 2pm ET
Dundalk v KI — 2:30 pm ET
Young Boys v Tirana — 2:30 pm ET
Basel v CSKA Sofia — 2:30 pm ET
AEK Athens v Wolfsburg — 2:45 pm ET
Rangers v Galatasaray — 2:45 pm ET
Rio Ave v AC Milan — 3 pm ET
Tottenham Hotspur v Maccabi Haifa — 3 pm ET
Sporting Lisbon v LASK — 3 pm ET
Sarajevo (+800) v Celtic (-358) | Draw (+400)
AEK Athens (+235) v Wolfsburg (-103) | Draw (+235)
Rangers (+108) v Galatasaray (+220) | Draw (+225)
Rio Ave (+300) v AC Milan (-125) | Draw (+240)
Tottenham Hotspur (-667) v Maccabi Haifa (+1200) | Draw (+550)
Sporting Lisbon (+115) v LASK (+215) | Draw (+215)
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Newcastle – Burnley: Two injury-hit sides on two-match winless runs try to get their seasons pointed in a better direction when Newcastle United hosts Burnley at St. James’ Park on Saturday (Watch live at 3 pm ET online via Peacock Premium).
Burnley has lost 1-0 to Southampton and 4-2 to Leicester City so far this season, while Newcastle beat West Ham before losing to Brighton and drawing Tottenham.
Sean Dyche will hope his undermanned and well-drilled side can get a big win against Steve Bruce’s Newcastle, who have either looked remarkably good or bad this season. Newcastle – Burnley is the final match on Saturday’s Premier League docket.
Burnley got Ashley Barnes and James Tarkowski back in midweek League Cup action but saw another injury as Matthew Lowton is being assessed and could join a list with Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Robbie Brady, Jack Cork, Ben Mee, and Jay Rodriguez.
What they’re saying
Steve Bruce on laboring to beat Newport County in the League Cup: “I agree, fully, that we didn’t play well enough. All of a sudden, now, it’s questioning tactics. I just find the whole thing disappointing. I understand we didn’t play well. You know, we don’t go out there and not want to play well. Unfortunately, we haven’t, and for large parts of the game we didn’t tonight, but we stuck at it, and, towards the end, the last 35-40 minutes I thought we, and rightly so, dominated possession, and just had to take one of the chances we created.”
Sean Dyche on transfer and injury problems at Burnley: “When you’ve had seven key injuries, that’s a lot in any club’s world, but it certainly is in ours. The way the club works financially I can only carry so many players. If we try and carry competitive players in every position, quite obviously you’re looking at 20 outfield players. … I certainly don’t want to be bringing in players for the sake of it, if we can get one or two that’s bound to be helpful, just that competitive element for the squad. Whether we can or not is yet to be seen.”
The host Magpies have slightly better odds for a win at +145, while a draw (+215) and Burnley win (+205) are nearly identical.
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Newcastle – Burnley prediction
Burnley took four of six points from the Magpies last season as Chris Wood scored the lone goal in 180 minutes of football. Injuries to both sides indicate we might see the Clarets and Magpies make amends for the 2019-20 paucity of goals. Newcastle 2-1 at home.
How to watch Newcastle – Burnley stream and start time
The League Cup’s fourth round features two interesting tactical duels in that the tournament gives us rematches of a pair of Premier League matches from the weekend, right down to the locations.
While Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United are built a bit deeper — easy, Red Devils fans — due to squad necessity for European competition, Graham Potter’s Seagulls don’t have it as simple as chopping and changing (though Brighton has looked plenty good with its depth so far in this tournament.
How will the tactician plot his overthrow of United? And will Mikel Arteta do anything different with Arsenal to help thwart the high line Liverpool used to limit Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Monday (if the Gabonese star even plays)?
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho saw Spurs on beat Chelsea on penalties on Tuesday.
Three lower league remain and will be playing their fourth League Cup matches of the month compared to the PL’s three outings. Those who win this week will have a lot longer to wait for the quarterfinals, which won’t be held until December.
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League Cup fourth round predictions
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Chelsea
Newport County 1-3 Newcastle United
Burnley 0-3 Manchester City
Brighton 2-1 Manchester United
Everton 2-2 (EFC wins in penalties) West Ham United
Brentford 1-1 (Brentford wins in penalties) Fulham
Aston Villa 2-0 Stoke City
Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
How to watch League Cup fourth round streams and start time
The UEFA Champions League draw was held Thursday, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United learning their foes for the group stage.
Manchester United found itself drawn into a brutal Group H led by Paris Saint-Germain and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have plenty to prove in matching wits and talents.
Juventus and Barcelona were drawn together, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will duel again under the eyes of new managers Andrea Pirlo and Ronald Koeman.
Real Madrid has a tricky Group C with Marseille, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Inter Milan.
Premier League teams
PL champions Liverpool dodged the Pot 2 challenge but will meet sides who want to entertain in a younger Ajax and Italian wizards Atalanta. Midtjylland completes the group.
Pep Guardiola’s quest to finally reach a UCL final with Man City was greeted by Porto out of Pot 1 as well as Olympiakos and Marseille.
Manchester United’s path has big roadblocks in Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzip, two top teams with top managers. It was a group of death before being completed by Demba Ba’s Istanbul Basaksehir.
Chelsea’s Frank Lampard will match wits Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and also square off with group stage debutants Krasnodar and French side Stade Rennes.
Americans Abroad
As for American connections, Christian Pulisic is with Chelsea and Zack Steffen at Man City but there are plenty more USMNT connections in play.
Red Bull Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch has his hands full with Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in addition to Lokomotiv Moscow.
Marsch’s former New York Red Bulls charge Tyler Adams is with RB Leipzig, who drew PSG, Manchester United, and Istanbul Basaksehir
Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund avoided a tough Pot 1 pull by getting Zenit Saint-Petersburg but took Lazio out of Pot 3. The final team in Group F is Club Brugge, currently the home of American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie sees his seeded team lead Group G against the newest member of Barcelona in fellow USMNT star Sergino Dest. Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros are also in the group.
NYCFC youngster Joe Scally will join Borussia Monchengladbach after the MLS season. The Foals will meet
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 20: Weston Mckennie (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Soccrates/Getty Images)
2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage
Group A
Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Red Bull Salzburg
Lokomotiv Moscow
Group B
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter Milan
Borussia Monchengladbach
Group C
Porto Manchester City
Olympiakos
Marseille
Group D
Liverpool
Ajax
Atalanta
Midtjylland
Group E
Sevilla Chelsea
Krasnodar
Stade Rennes
Group F
Zenit Saint-Petersburg
Borussia Dortmund
Lazio
Club Brugge
Group G
Juventus
Barcelona
Dynamo Kiev
Ferencvaros
Group H
Paris Saint-Germain Manchester United
RB Leipzig
Istanbul Basaksehir
