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Happy Wednesday! Cup action steals the show across Europe, especially so with two high-profile matchups in Italy and Spain. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, April 2

🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: AC Milan vs. Inter, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Liverpool vs. Everton, 3 p.m. ➡️ Peacock

🇪🇸 Copa del Rey: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

🌎 CCC: LAFC vs. Inter Miami, 11:30 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Thursday, April 3

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 3 p.m. ➡️ Peacock

⚽ The Forward Line

🇮🇹 Derby della Madonnina, Coppa Italia edition

AC Milan will face Inter for the fourth – but not the final – time this season, this time with some high stakes. The pair will play the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals on Wednesday, which offers an important opportunity for both sides to win the silverware they have long targeted for the end of this season.

Much as it was ahead of their previous meetings this season, Inter seem the more put-together side as the current Serie A leaders in the midst of a five-game winning streak. They will not exactly be at full strength on Wednesday, though – this season’s top goalscorer Lautaro Martinez will be out with a minor muscle injury, while fellow forward Mehdi Taremi will be unavailable with adductor pain. The goalscoring weight will likely fall on Marcus Thuram’s shoulders, who has 16 goals across all competitions and two in his last five games.

A weaker Inter should, in theory, level the playing field for Milan, but things have rarely been straightforward for this team this season. They have just two wins in their last seven games, including Sunday’s loss to Napoli where they looked second-best. This season has seen a dramatic unraveling of the progress Milan seemingly made last year and though they are still in position to lift a sought-after trophy, the pressure is definitely on manager Sergio Conceicao to deliver. Conceicao talked up his résumé in his pre-match comments on Tuesday, which also felt like an attempt to downplay the mounting pressure.

• Conceicao: “I am focused on winning titles. I have won some, 13, so that’s it. I am in this situation, in ninth place, when in Portugal with teams that I was fighting not to be relegated, I was higher. I am a coach who fights every match to win and reach important goals, not for ninth place. We can see the glass half full and empty. If we have to talk, see how many years Milan haven’t won two titles. Of course, in terms of the standings, it’s critical. At this moment, it’s not Milan. [Wednesday’s] match is important because it allows us to get closer to a final, to a title.”

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🇪🇸 Atletico, Barcelona target Copa del Rey final

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After a dramatic 4-4 draw in the first leg in February, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona meet again on Wednesday for the right to join Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final later this month. The star-studded nature of the clash, as well as the competitiveness of the first leg, led Barcelona manager Hansi Flick to describe Wednesday’s game as “a final before the final,” especially considering what’s at stake for both sides.

For Atletico, the Copa del Rey likely represents their last opportunity to win a trophy this season. There was an unexpected amount of optimism for this team at the start of the season when they mounted a title run, but their recent losses in that competition and in the UEFA Champions League have soured the mood in some ways. Manager Diego Simeone has stopped short of describing this season as a failure, regardless of Wednesday’s results, but hinted that the upcoming game against Barcelona could be a make-or-break moment during an entertaining campaign.

• Simeone: “Failure is not trying. If you don’t try, you fail. For me, the season has been very good. We did very well in the Champions League, we competed in the league, in the semifinals of the cup. … The fate of each match will determine whether it is a very good season, an extraordinary season or just an average season.”

As for Barcelona, the Copa del Rey is their first opportunity to cross the finish line during an impressive season. They are expected to win at least one trophy this season but are still contenders in three different title races, including the Champions League, but Wednesday’s game will be a real test of their mettle to actually pick up winners’ medals. The upcoming game against Atletico is Barcelona’s third game during a 29 day stretch in which they will play nine times, making for a frenetic race to the finish line for Hansi Flick’s side.

That’s without considering the fresh reminder of the chaos – of the club’s own creation – that follows Barcelona, with the never-ending saga over their finances taking another turn on Wednesday. La Liga are once again alleging that Barcelona failed to meet financial fair play rules, accusing an auditor of malpractice to ensure that the club would be able to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor. It may not impact their availability for Wednesday’s game, though Olmo will miss it with an adductor injury, but Spain’s National Sports Council will rule on the case by Monday, which could throw another wrinkle into Barcelona’s trophy chase.

🔗 Top Stories

❌ Haaland ruled out: Erling Haaland will be out for up to seven weeks with an ankle injury, likely missing the rest of Manchester City’s season but he could be back in time for the Club World Cup.

🔴 Arsenal’s new injuries: Arsenal may have welcomed back Bukayo Saka on Tuesday, but injuries to Gabriel and Jurrien Timber means they will not be at full strength for the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid.

🩹 Rodman’s chronic injury: USWNT star Trinity Rodman said it’s possible her “back will ever be 100%” after dealing with a longstanding issue since her rookie season in the NWSL, adding that it’s all about managing the back issue now.

⚫🔴 AC Milan’s new hire: Fabio Paratici, the former Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur executive, is reportedly set to become AC Milan’s new sporting director.

🔚 End of an era: Sporting Kansas City parted ways with Peter Vermes on Monday, marking the end of his 20 year spell at the club in which he became MLS’ longest-tenured head coach.

↕️ NWSL power rankings: The Kansas City Current and Angel City made crucial gains in this week’s edition of the NWSL power rankings, while the Utah Royals and Bay FC slid considerably.

1️⃣1️⃣ Teams of the week: Diego Rossi leads the way in MLS’ team of the week, while Michelle Cooper earned a spot in the NWSL team of the week.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England’s UCL chase: Here’s a look at England’s crowded race for berths in next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United all in the mix.

💬 Kane on Morning Footy: Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane talks winning trophies and being in the prime of his career in an exclusive interview on Morning Footy.

💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Premier League: Liverpool vs. Everton, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
• 💰 THE PICK: Liverpool to win 1-0 (+550) – After a lengthy break to account for the international window and an FA Cup weekend, Liverpool and Everton return to play in the latest edition of the Merseyside derby. The odds naturally favor Liverpool, who have a nine point lead atop the Premier League table, but David Moyes has expertly handled the challenge to avoid relegation since taking over at Everton in January. Everton are unbeaten in their last six and between their form and the long break, this one is hard to predict but conventional wisdom suggests that Liverpool will pull this one off as they ease their way towards the league title. It may not be the most exciting match but the Reds’ starpower, especially Mohamed Salah, will be hard to beat.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.  

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Tuesday, Thursday): The leading women’s 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 be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. Don’t miss Tuesday and Thursday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET with a Sunday wrap up after the last curtain falls un the last NWSL match of the weekend.

⚽  Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing 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 the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.