Manchester United close in on Ruben Amorim; EFL Cup takes center stage as Manchester City face Tottenham

Happy Wednesday, everybody! It is full steam ahead as this week features EFL Cup, Serie A and DFB Pokal action. There is also Manchester United's pursuit of Ruben Amorim which is gaining pace as well as the U.S. Women's National Team's friendly. Let's get to it!

📺 Footy Fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, October 30
🇮🇹 Serie A: Empoli vs. Inter, 1:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup: Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Liverpool, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Parma, 3:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City, 4:15 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ 
🇺🇸 Friendly: USWNT vs. Argentina WNT, 7 p.m. ➡️ TNT

Thursday, October 31
🇮🇹 Serie A: Genoa vs. Fiorentina, 1:30 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Como 1907 vs. Lazio, 3:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇵🇹 Manchester United court Ruben Amorim

With Erik ten Hag now sacked, Manchester United have identified Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim as the man that the Red Devils want to bring glory back to Old Trafford. With Leicester City coming up in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to get at least one game in charge of the team that he played for from 2001-06 having been Ten Hag's assistant so far this season. The Dutch tactician is the ninth man to manage United since Sir Alex Ferguson's 2013 departure but also has an impressive stint with PSV Eindhoven under his belt. Van Nistelrooy led the Eredivisie giants to the 2022-23 KNVB Cup in his only campaign in charge and then had a full year more or less out of soccer before accepting to return to Manchester where he spent five years as a prolific striker. Although he is a temporary solution, it seems unlikely that the 48-year-old will be content to be a No. 2 for much longer, so it will be interesting to see if there is any potential co-existence with Amorim beyond this week ahead of a potential stylistic revolution at Old Trafford.

• Pardeep Cattry on the situation: "In a statement to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission, Lisbon said United 'had expressed an interest' in appointing Amorim and are prepared to pay his release clause of $10.8 million. United will reportedly have a three-person delegation in Lisbon to advance the conversation, per The Guardian, though it is unclear how soon a deal will be reached. The Red Devils reportedly hope to complete a deal in time for Sunday's match against Chelsea, per ESPN, though they have a contingency plan in place. Van Nistelrooy, a former United player and an assistant under ten Hag, will take charge of the team while the search for a new manager continues and will oversee Wednesday's EFL Cup match against Leicester."
• Chuck Booth on Amorim's approach: "Wanting to win the possession battle, Amorim prefers to operate in a 3-4-3 or 3-2-4-1, allowing wing backs to dictate play and getting his wide players into space. He has already worked with one of United's big summer purchases, Manuel Ugarte, previously and just missed overlapping with Bruno Fernandes at Sporting. Both are players who would be critical to making this system work, but United have a lot of players who could excel in this setup like Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo. Figuring out the wide areas would still be an issue and how summer signing Joshua Zirkzee fits is also unknown, but those aren't new problems for the Red Devils. Getting a new manager in at this stage would provide time to find their footing ahead of the November international break which allows crucial time to work with players without compressed matchweeks. With United also competing in the Europa League, while they need to right the ship quickly, the expanded table format still allows ample opportunities to push for advancing to the knockout stages."

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup action

There is a loaded slate of EFL Cup Games as the quarterfinals will be set after Wednesday's Games with some big names involved including United, Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. The final eight looks likely to be heavyweight and three fixtures could prove particularly key to ensuring that this Wednesday. These are the three encounters that will likely shape how the remainder of the comPetition plays out and whether or not we can look forward to a battle of the giants in the semifinals and final.

Newcastle United vs. Chelsea

Chelsea edged past Newcastle over the weekend in the Premier League but now the pair meet again in the EFL Cup, only this time at St James' Park. The Magpies were not overawed at Stamford bridge, but they lacked the necessary cutting edge to take at least a point from their London visit. Alexander Isak might have ended his three-game goalless run which offers hope in front of goal, but Eddie Howe's men will not necessarily be favorites for this one given how Enzo Maresca has the Blues looking better of late.

Manchester United vs. Leicester City

United are moving on from Ten Hag and likely switching to Amorim, but this will be Van Nistelrooy's chance to show what he can do with a possible second date this weekend against Chelsea to come. As that is not guaranteed, although the Red Devils' negotiations with Sporting do not hint at being swiftly concluded, the Dutchman has a little time to show what he can do and the difference that he can make without Ten Hag. A quarterfinal berth will be expected despite Leicester improving in form of late under Steve Cooper, which will aid them in their battle against relegation.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City

The big one, which will see a top name bounced before the quarterfinals, is when Spurs host City in the headlining EFL Cup round of 16 clash. Both of these two exited by the third round last year and Pep Guardiola's men have seen off Championship outfit Watford to get here while Ange Postecoglou's side took care of business against second tier Coventry City. The defending EPL champions will be fancied to advance but Tottenham away can be tricky and this one will indicate who wants the trophy more considering how the quarterfinals could sit up nicely for Spurs with a win.

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💰 The Back Line

💵 Best Bet

• Serie A: Genoa vs. Fiorentina, Thursday, 1:30 p.m. ET
  💰 THE PICK: Mario Balotelli to score first or last (+450) -- Mario Balotelli will never stop being big news in Italian soccer so his return to Serie A with Genoa will attract plenty of interest. Given that the Grifone are second from last in the Italian topflight, the 34-year-old has his work cut out after a nomadic past few years in Turkiye and Switzerland since his last stint in his homeland with Monza ended back in 2021. One of the recurring themes in Balotelli's uniquely storied career has been that he has enjoyed success when least expected such as his surprisingly prolific time in France with OGC Nice and then Olympique de Marseille. Brescia Calcio was arguably too much pressure for even the former Azzurri star to handle while Monza eventually made it out of Serie B but only once he had moved on. Depending on whether he is fit enough to feature from the start for Genoa, a goal on his debut -- regardless of the result -- could go a long way towards determining whether or not we are about to witness a redemption act for this once superstar name with a little bit of time still left to have one meaningful final project.

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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