Crystal Palace goes from high to low in rollercoaster 24-hour run; Man City interested in Rodrygo, per report
Hello! With less than a week to go until the Premier League season begins, England's top teams are keeping busy in the transfer market, or in Crystal Palace's case, dealing with the agony and ecstasy of the modern game. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.
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Tuesday, Aug. 12🏴 EFL Cup: Watford vs. Norwich City, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network🏴 EFL Cup: Bromley vs. Ipswich Town, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line🔴🔵 Highs and lows for Crystal PalaceIn the span of a few short days, Crystal Palace have experienced a unique set of rewards and consequences for their FA Cup win in May by lifting the Community Shield on Sunday and losing their appeal over their UEFA Europa League less than 24 hours later.
Less than three months after winning their first-ever trophy, Palace returned to Wembley Stadium over the weekend to face Premier League champions Liverpool and added another piece of silverware to their growing collection. The Reds got off to a strong start with new signing Hugo Ekitike scoring in the fourth minute, but Palace had their equalizer 13 minutes later courtesy of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored a penalty. Liverpool were back in front by the 21st minute through another new signing in Jeremie Frimpong, but Palace were up for the challenge and Ismaïla Sarr notched the team's second equalizer in the 77th minute. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson then pulled out the stops in a penalty shootout with one save as the Eagles won 3-2, starting their season on a high.
The match offered the latest sign that Palace are on an upward trajectory under manager Oliver Glasner, the Eagles demonstrating they were up for the challenge against a revitalized Liverpool team that boasts some of the game's exciting attacking players. Palace outshot Liverpool 14 to 12 and outdid them on expected goals by a margin of 2.07 to 1.1 but perhaps most notably, they exposed the Reds' defensive vulnerabilities, as James Benge observed from Wembley.
- Benge: "When it all clicks in possession it can be extremely effective, [Milos] Kerkez a dynamo darting beyond the ball on runs that take midfielders with him and Frimpong always looking to stretch to the byline. … At the other end, however, such front-footed defenders were too frequently exploited. Ismaila Sarr dragged Kerkez infield and Palace kept hitting the crossfield ball for Daniel Munoz to run onto, [Cody] Gakpo offering little protection whether he tracked back or not. Liverpool struggled up the center, too, Jean-Phillipe Mateta driving in behind to claim a through ball. Alisson scrambled to block the initial break, but no one in off white was on hand to deal with the danger before Virgil van Dijk brought down Sarr."
The Community Shield, though, was perhaps just a nice distraction from the appeal in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) about whether they breached UEFA's multiclub ownership rules – and whether they would play in the Europa League or Conference League this season. Palace fans staged a protest against UEFA before Sunday's Community Shield with banners and, in the early moments of the match, used flares to draw attention to a sign that read "UEFA Mafia" behind one of the goals.
Monday's decision, as many had anticipated, did not land in their favor. The CAS ruled that Palace were in violation of UEFA's rules at two different points – the initial March 1 deadline and an additional May 31 deadline that would have been more realistic for Palace to meet since it was after they won the FA Cup and qualified for the Europa League. American businessman John Textor held a 43% stake in Palace at the time of both deadlines while also holding a stake in Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League this season, with the CAS ruling that Textor's sale to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson last month came too late.
Palace are currently set to face the loser of the Europa League qualifier between Norway's Fredrikstad and Denmark's Midtjylland before booking their place in the Conference League's league phase for their first-ever season of European competition. Nottingham Forest will be bumped up to the Europa League instead after their seventh place Premier League finish in May and will automatically qualify for the league phase.
The UEFA Super Cup is hereManchester City may have done most of their summertime business early this year, but Pep Guardiola's side might just have a busy week ahead of them with some notable outgoings – and a major incoming.
The 2023 UEFA Champions League winners are reportedly considering a move for Rodrygo, Real Madrid's wantaway attacker who has become surplus to requirements ahead of Xabi Alonso's first full season in charge of the team. Madrid's asking price is around $116 million for the Brazilian player, according to Fabrizio Romano, and there might be room for him in Guardiola's plans considering the players City plan to offload by the time the window closes on September 1. Multiple reports suggest Savinho, the winger who joined City from Troyes last season, may be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur in the hopes of more consistent playing time ahead of the World Cup.
While Rodrygo and Savinho might be a like for like swap, Savinho will not be the only high-profile departure from the Etihad Stadium if all goes according to plan. Nottingham Forest's pursuit of 22-year-old midfielder James McAtee is back on, while Jack Grealish is poised to join Everton on loan for the season. Grealish's role with City has dwindled in recent years and he was left out of their squad for this summer's Club World Cup in the U.S., with James Benge writing that a move to Merseyside could be just the ticket to discover what Grealish can actually offer as he approaches 30.
- Benge: "The fear for Everton ought to be that they're about to pay big wages for a soon to be 30 year old who has lost his burst and who doesn't make many telling scoreboard contributions anymore, averaging just six Premier League goal contributions a season in City colors. Then again Everton have recruited shrewdly across the rest of the pitch with acquisitions such as Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall primed to develop under David Moyes. Why shouldn't the gaffer be afforded a little indulgence to go alongside them?"
🇵🇸 Suleiman Al-Obeid killed: Ex-Palestine international Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the "Palestinian Pele," was killed on Wednesday by an Israeli strike while waiting for international aid in the Gaza Strip.
🌴 La Liga in Miami?: La Liga is putting plans in motion to stage Barcelona's game against Villarreal in the Miami area in December, which could mark the first time a league would stage a competitive fixture outside of their home territory.
🏴 Championship underway: The 2025-26 Championship season officially kicked off over the weekend with contrasting examples in newly promoted sides courtesy of an impressive Birmingham City and an underwhelming Wrexham, plus a win for first-time manager Ryan Mason with West Bromwich Albion as he forges his own path after his Tottenham Hotspur exit.
❓ Imbalanced Liverpool: Liverpool may have splashed the cash on a batch of young attacking players who are poised to perform, but will their shaky defense make a title repeat hard to pull off?
🔵 Hocking in the Bay: Forward Penelope Hocking has found a new lease on life with Bay FC after she was traded away from the Chicago Stars last year, with five goals so far this season for the playoff hopefuls.
🔴 Slot downplays noise: Liverpool's Arne Slot does not believe there was ill will when there was noise during the moment of silence to honor Diogo Jota and Andre Silva during the Community Shield, describing it as "unlucky."
⚫⚪ Juventus' issues: With the Serie A season less than two weeks away, Juventus seem poised to struggle after failing to solve their problems during the summer.
💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- EFL Cup first round: Watford vs. Norwich City, Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.💰 THE PICK: Less than 2.5 goals scored (+110) – Just like all the 22 other Championship sides who will kick off their EFL Cup journeys this week, Watford and Norwich City will be shaking off the preseason rust when they hit the pitch on Tuesday. Even then, their opening games of the Championship weekend three days earlier does not exactly offer the most encouraging sign that Tuesday's match at Vicarage Road will have a lot of goals in it – Norwich scored once in a loss to Millwall over the weekend, while Watford are still looking for their first goal of the season after a loss to Charlton Athletic. Tuesday's game may be a competitive one but expect a modest scoreline, no matter which way it swings.
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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