It is officially time for teams to win or go home in the UEFA Champions League this week, with the second leg of the knockout phase playoffs underway – and a European champion will face an early exit.
Six teams entered this week’s action with only a one goal lead, including Champions League winners Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, meaning the stakes are high when teams hit the pitch. That’s especially true in Madrid, where the reigning champions will take on Manchester City in this week’s most anticipated matchup. And if Madrid think their first leg victory means they’re safe, Bayern’s performance against Celtic, where they needed a last gasp goal at home from Alphonso Davies to avoid extra time, should be considered a warning. Not to mention the fact that favorites Atalanta and AC Milan were both dumped out of the competition by Club Brugge and Feyenoord respectively.
Before the action begins, here are a batch of picks and predictions from the CBS Sports team.
Don’t miss any of the Champions League. As always, you can catch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season long.
Here are our expert picks for this matchday:
Wednesday’s Champions League slate
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
Player to watch: Omar Marmoush – Having been surprisingly absent from the XI in the first leg, the weekend’s hattrick hero will surely start in the Santiago Bernabeu. He’ll offer just what City missed in that game, where five attacking midfielder options combined for just three shots. Events at the Etihad proved Erling Haaland can’t do it all himself. Marmoush can share the burden. — James Benge
Man of the match: Jude Bellingham – After a disappointing weekend where he received a red card against Osasuna after offending the referee, Jude Bellingham is called to react in one of the most important games of the season against Manchester City. While it’s likely the Englishman will miss some games in the Spanish league, the game against the side coached by Pep Guardiola is the perfect chance to forget what has happened over the weekend in Spain. — Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Real 1, City 1 — It very nearly finished level last week before Real did what they do best. This one could see Pep Guardiola and his City outfit raging against the dying of the light and possibly leading the game at some point, but ultimately the defending European champions should do enough to see things through and advance. — Jonathan Johnson
Best bet: Kylian Mbappe to score (-105): Already finding the back of the net with a shin-tastic finish in the first leg, another goal could be enough to send Real Madrid through to the last 16. Given City’s defensive issues, Mbappe will have space to exploit and now that he’s growing into his role at Real Madrid, the goals will follow. — Chuck Booth
PSV vs. Juventus
Player to watch: Joey Veerman – PSV aren’t going to keep a clean sheet (even against Juventus) so they’re going to have to overwhelm Juventus in attack. That means a big performance from the midfielder who leads this team in expected assists per 90 Champions League minutes while putting up nearly two and a half shots. — James Benge
Man of the match: Randal Kolo Muani – The impact of the French striker has been outstanding at the club as the former PSG player has already scored five goals in his first five games played for Juventus, and also provided a key assist against Inter to Francisco Conceicao. — Francesco Porzio
Prediction: PSV 1, Juve 1 — The Serie A giants lead 2-1 and that one-goal advantage could ultimately make the difference in qualifying for the round of 16. Juve are more of an attacking threat since the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani, so do not be surprised if they notch the goal they need to make it through. — Jonathan Johnson
Best bet: Juventus to win (+190) — While going to the Netherlands is never an easy fixture, this is a line that does slightly confuse me considering the form that Juventus are in. Draw no bet is a safer way to play this since Juventus don’t have to win, but with Randal Kolo Muani and Weston McKennie both stepping up when needed, Juventus will be able to leg out a result away from home. — Chuck Booth
Knockout phase playoffs TV schedule
All times U.S./Eastner
Read the full article here
