The last 16 teams in this season’s UEFA Champions League will resume play this week, duking it out in the first leg of this round as each targets a spot in the quarterfinals. This round of action is headlined by a pair of regional matchups, including the latest edition of the Madrid derby and a clash between the last two Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. League phase leaders Liverpool, meanwhile, will face French champions Paris Saint-Germain in another much-anticipated match during the round of 16.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning into another thrilling week of Champions League action.
How to watch
Paramount+ will have every minute of the action, including The Golazo Show, while CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will have supplemental coverage this week. Tuesday’s coverage begins with Champions League Matchday on CBS Sports Golazo Network before CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ simulcast the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show. Paramount+ will have every game, while CBS Sports Network will have one each on both Tuesday and Wednesday. CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ will then air the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show before CBS Sports Golazo Network closes things out with new additions of The Champions Club (which will also air on YouTube) and Scoreline.
Round of 16 TV schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
Storylines for the round of 16
1. Can Liverpool return to dominant form?
Liverpool coasted through the league phase, finding no issue winning every game except for their essentially dead-rubber game on Matchday 8. The last couple of months have not exactly been smooth sailing for the Reds, though – fatigue has set in a little bit, They have not dropped a ton of games and managed to book a spot in the EFL Cup final along the way, but the restrained control that was once the trademark of Arne Slot’s team has given way for some hard-fought results.
As long as Mohamed Salah is around, though, they will be hard to count out. The Egypt international is up to 30 goals and 22 assists across all competitions, putting himself not only in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or but perhaps putting together the greatest-ever season from a Premier League attacker. It will not be an easy feat against Paris Saint-Germain, but the French champions have been vulnerable over the course of the Champions League season – and that might be the perfect set-up for Salah.
2. Madrid derby, Champions League edition
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will have to go through each other for a spot in the last eight, which is intriguing in its own right. The current state of both teams makes this a very fascinating tie, though.
The reigning champions can take some positives from ousting Manchester City in the knockout phase playoffs, but this season has not exactly been straightforward for the star-studded Real Madrid. Look no further than Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Real Betis in La Liga play, a game in which they were not only outshot 18-9 but fully outplayed by the opposition. That loss came after a handful of key defenders returned from injury, signaling that the imbalance that has plagued Los Blancos for a year and change could linger for a little while longer.
On the flip side, Atletico Madrid have been a surprise contender in both La Liga and the Champions League. They were inside the top eight during the league phase and are currently just one point behind Barcelona in La Liga, finding new life in Diego Simeone’s tried-and-true system. It helps that their goalscorers have been in fine form all season long, with each of Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sorloth scoring 13 or more goals this season. They present a formidable challenge to Real Madrid, who have not beat them yet this season.
3. Are Bayern Munich in good shape?
Bayern Munich may have advanced out of the knockout phase playoffs, but a narrow win over a competitive Celtic side is not exactly the vote of confidence manager Vincent Kompany might be looking for in his first season in charge. The challenge of staying in the Champions League will get harder this week when they take on the team that beat them to the Bundesliga title last season – Bayer Leverkusen.
These two faced each other in league play just a few weeks ago, a game in which Bayern were lucky to leave 0-0. Leverkusen generated 2.16 expected goals but somehow managed not to score, while Bayern took just two shots and were unable to put a single one on frame. The eight-point deficit in the Bundesliga may be too much for them to overcome at this rate, but Leverkusen’s steady form in the league phase teases that they may have the goods to get one over on Bayern.
As a result, Kompany’s side have a lot to prove in this tie. There’s a lot of discussion out there that they can hang in the Bundesliga just fine, but they have not exactly stacked up well against European competitions. The round of 16 offers a chance to correct course – or demonstrate that they are a step behind.
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