Coppa Italia offers Christian Pulisic and AC Milan chance at trophy: Paramount+ starts Europe’s title season

Happy Wednesday! The European soccer season is rapidly coming to a dramatic close with domestic trophies, continental titles and promotion still up for grabs in several countries. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest as championship season gets underway.

📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, May 14
🏆 Coppa Italia final: AC Milan vs. Bologna, 2 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Mallorca, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 MLS: Philadelphia Union vs. LA Galaxy, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass

Thursday, May 15
🇪🇸 La Liga: Espanyol vs. Barcelona, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

⚽ The Forward Line🇮🇹 Coppa Italia kicks off big week in Italy

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Trophies will be top of mind in Italy for the next week and change, first with Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final. This season’s final will be contested by AC Milan and Bologna, who will meet at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico with the same goal in mind, even if a victory would mean different things to each side.

Milan are three years removed from their last major trophy, the 2021-22 Serie A title, and felt like prime contenders to end that drought after last season’s second place finish in the league. Things have hardly gone according to plan during this campaign, though the Coppa Italia offers a chance at a silver lining. They would not only collect one of Italy’s most coveted prizes but they would also earn a berth in next season’s edition of the UEFA Europa League, which may elude them if they stay in sixth place in Serie A. Wednesday’s match is also an increasingly pivotal moment for U.S. men’s national team standout Christian Pulisic, who Chuck Booth notes will be central to Milan’s plans.

Booth: “When looking at how Milan will ensure this is as successful a season as it can be, it will land on Pulisic. The American has been critical to Milan’s attack, scoring 15 goals and assisting 10 more across Serie A, UCL, and Coppa Italia play. But in 2025, he hasn’t hit the highs in cup play, failing to score or assist a goal in Milan’s Coppa Italia matches this year. His 14 goal contributions are still the most from a Milan player this year, ahead of only Rafael Leao, and Milan needs both at their best to overcome defensive shortcomings.”As for Bologna, they aim to win their first title since finishing atop Serie B in the 1995-96 season. Despite the disparity in the finalists’ trophy hauls, Vincenzo Italiano’s side are not exactly a traditional underdog – they have been on a steady upward trajectory in recent years and are set for their third successive top half finish in Serie A. Victory in Rome on Wednesday would offer validation for their current path, as well as a spot in European competition next season that might otherwise elude them.

Serie A’s race to the finish line

The Coppa Italia is merely the start of the end-of-season trophy watch in Italy, with Serie A action resuming on Sunday for the penultimate weekend of action. Napoli have just a one point lead over Inter at this stage in the title race, setting up for two high-stakes matches – Napoli travel to 16th place Parma with the hopes of notching a straightforward win, while Inter will fight to keep pace in the title race when they host fifth place Lazio. All games during the second-to-last weekend in Serie A will kick off simultaneously (2:45 p.m., Paramount+), adding a layer of drama as the action unfolds.

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🔗  Midfield Link Play🏆 Eyes on the prize across CBS Sports and Paramount+Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final ushers in a weeks-long period in which several teams will mark major accomplishments in domestic and continental competition, much of which will air across the networks of CBS Sports. Here’s a glance at what’s ahead in Europe, plus an inaugural trophy on the line in North America.

European glory

This time next week, the focus will shift to UEFA club competitions as the first of several finals takes place in Bilbao, Spain. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will meet in the Basque Country for the Europa League final (May 21, 3 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Paramount+), which offers a chance for both sides to lift a major piece of silverware despite dismal domestic campaigns. United could win their first title under manager Ruben Amorim, while Spurs target their first trophy since 2008. Though Spurs have already beat United three times this season, this one could be decided by who’s fit and who isn’t – James Maddison has already been ruled out for Tottenham, while Dejan Kulusevski underwent surgery on Wednesday for a patella injury. For United, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt are dealing with their own fitness issues.

A week later, Real Betis take on Chelsea in the Conference League final in Wrocław, Poland (May 28, 3 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Paramount+). A youth-focused Blues squad will aim for their first title under manager Enzo Maresca but face a Real Betis side that have collected impressive results over the last season and boast USMNT midfielder – and potential future Tottenham player – Johnny Cardoso.

It all builds up to the Champions League final in Munich between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter (May 31, 3 p.m., CBS, Paramount+), which marks a fascinating end to the European season. PSG have surprisingly become the cream of the crop in their first season without Kylian Mbappe, with manager Luis Enrique developing a hard-to-beat attacking style that will face their stiffest test yet against the defense-minded Inter, who are 15 years removed from their last title. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been a standout for the new-look PSG, while Inter’s Yann Sommer has arguably been the competition’s best shot-stopper, especially so after a 14 save showing in two legs against Barcelona in the semifinals.

England’s promotion race

While some of England’s top teams compete for European trophies, a batch of teams in the lower divisions have their eyes set on promotion. The playoff finals are set for next weekend, with Sheffield United taking on Sunderland for a spot in the Premier League (May 24, Paramount+), Stockport or Leyton Orient facing Charlton or Wycombe for promotion to the Championship (May 25, Paramount+) and Walsall or Chesterfield set to battle Wimbledon or Notts County for promotion to League One (May 26, Paramount+).

A first-of-its-kind prize

Meanwhile in North America, the last four teams standing in the inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup will meet in Mexico for a chance to win the title. The field is evenly split, with two NWSL teams duking it out against their Liga MX Femenil counterparts in the semifinals. Club America first face NJ/NY Gotham FC (May 21, 7:30 p.m., Paramount+) before hosts Tigres take on the Portland Thorns (May 21, 10 p.m., Paramount+) before the final on May 24, 10 p.m., Paramount+).

🔗  Top Stories🇮🇹 Coppa Italia preview: Here’s a look at the tactical battle in the Coppa Italia final, a comparison of each team’s star power, AC Milan’s struggles this season and what Bologna needs to do to come out on top.

🪽 Savy King update: Angel City’s Savy King underwent surgery to repair a heart abnormality after a medical event during an NWSL game, with the club saying her “prognosis is excellent.”

🌳 Taiwo Awoniyi latest: Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi was reportedly placed in a musically induced coma as he recovers from surgery following an abdominal injury.

1️⃣1️⃣ NWSL’s best: Angel City’s Christen Press earned a berth in the NWSL team of the week, while the Kansas City Current’s Debinha is building a case to be this season’s MVP.

🌊 Morgan joins Wave owners: Retired USWNT star Alex Morgan has joined the NWSL’s San Diego Wave as a minority investor, less than a year after retiring with the club.

🔴 United’s faux pas: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is footing the bill for 30 staff members to attend the Europa League final after minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe refused to do so, while their plans to celebrate with a barbecue should they win feel “cheap.”

🇧🇷 Checking in on Brazil: Incoming manager Carlo Ancelotti has a big task ahead of him with Brazil after years of poor performances and a squad that has yet to click.

🔮 Real Madrid’s future: Xabi Alonso, likely the next Real Madrid, will face a new set of expectations in the Spanish capital including getting the best of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, while the team may be “desperate” for new faces. Plus, a look back at their best-ever managers with Ancelotti beginning his farewell tour.

🏆 Ballon d’Or watch: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele and Mohamed Salah lead the Ballon d’Or race, which could be a competitive contest at this stage of the year.

🇦🇷 Argentina fan ban: Argentina sent the U.S. a list of 15,000 fans who will be fanned from attending the Club World Cup for violent behavior.

👎 Beckham disapproves: Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham was unhappy with Minnesota United after his side’s 4-1 loss to the Loons on Saturday, encouraging them to “show a little respect” in the Instagram comments.

💰  The Back Line💵 Best betsLa Liga: Espanyol vs. Barcelona, Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Raphinha to score (+120) – Barcelona could finally clinch first place in La Liga on Thursday with a win or a draw, giving the league leaders plenty of incentive to get on the scoresheet against Espanyol. There are several likely goalscorers to choose from and perhaps Raphinha is chief among them. The Brazil international is the team’s second leading goalscorer, only six short of Robert Lewandowski’s 40 goal total as things stand. While Lewandowski continues to recover from a short-term injury, Raphinha could be the player to watch as Hansi Flick’s side look to win their first league title in two years. Plus, it would be a fitting conclusion to the season for Raphinha, who has enjoyed a career-best campaign with Barcelona.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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