The final 16 groups on this season’s UEFA Champions League will resume play this week, duking it out within the first leg of this spherical as every targets a spot within the quarterfinals. This spherical of motion is headlined by a pair of regional matchups, together with the newest version of the Madrid derby and a conflict between the final two Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. League section leaders Liverpool, in the meantime, will face French champions Paris Saint-Germain in one other much-anticipated match through the spherical of 16.
Here is what you want to know earlier than tuning into one other thrilling week of Champions League motion.
How you can watch
Paramount+ can have each minute of the motion, together with The Golazo Present, whereas CBS Sports activities Community and CBS Sports activities Golazo Community can have supplemental protection this week. Tuesday’s protection begins with Champions League Matchday on CBS Sports activities Golazo Community earlier than CBS Sports activities Community and Paramount+ simulcast the UEFA Champions League In the present day pre-match present. Paramount+ can have each recreation, whereas CBS Sports activities Community can have one every on each Tuesday and Wednesday. CBS Sports activities Community and Paramount+ will then air the UEFA Champions League In the present day post-match present earlier than CBS Sports activities Golazo Community closes issues out with new additions of The Champions Membership (which can even air on YouTube) and Scoreline.
Spherical of 16 TV schedule
All instances U.S./Japanese
Storylines for the spherical of 16
1. Can Liverpool return to dominant type?
Liverpool coasted by means of the league section, discovering no difficulty successful each recreation besides for his or her primarily dead-rubber recreation on Matchday 8. The final couple of months haven’t precisely been easy crusing for the Reds, although – fatigue has set in just a little bit, They haven’t dropped a ton of video games and managed to ebook a spot within the EFL Cup ultimate alongside the best way, however the restrained management that was as soon as the trademark of Arne Slot’s workforce has given manner for some hard-fought outcomes.
So long as Mohamed Salah is round, although, they are going to be laborious to rely out. The Egypt worldwide is as much as 30 targets and 22 assists throughout all competitions, placing himself not solely within the dialog for the Ballon d’Or however maybe placing collectively the greatest-ever season from a Premier League attacker. It won’t be a simple feat in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain, however the French champions have been weak over the course of the Champions League season – and that is perhaps the proper set-up for Salah.
2. Madrid derby, Champions League version
Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid should undergo one another for a spot within the final eight, which is intriguing in its personal proper. The present state of each groups makes this a really fascinating tie, although.
The reigning champions can take some positives from ousting Manchester Metropolis within the knockout section playoffs, however this season has not precisely been easy for the star-studded Actual Madrid. Look no additional than Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Actual Betis in La Liga play, a recreation through which they weren’t solely outshot 18-9 however absolutely outplayed by the opposition. That loss got here after a handful of key defenders returned from harm, signaling that the imbalance that has plagued Los Blancos for a yr and alter may linger for a short while longer.
On the flip facet, Atletico Madrid have been a shock contender in each La Liga and the Champions League. They have been inside the highest eight through the league section and are at the moment only one level behind Barcelona in La Liga, discovering new life in Diego Simeone’s tried-and-true system. It helps that their goalscorers have been in tremendous type all season lengthy, with every of Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sorloth scoring 13 or extra targets this season. They current a formidable problem to Actual Madrid, who haven’t beat them but this season.
3. Are Bayern Munich in good condition?
Bayern Munich might have superior out of the knockout section playoffs, however a slender win over a aggressive Celtic facet just isn’t precisely the vote of confidence supervisor Vincent Kompany is perhaps on the lookout for in his first season in cost. The problem of staying within the Champions League will get tougher this week after they tackle the workforce that beat them to the Bundesliga title final season – Bayer Leverkusen.
These two confronted one another in league play only a few weeks in the past, a recreation through which Bayern have been fortunate to go away 0-0. Leverkusen generated 2.16 anticipated targets however someway managed not to attain, whereas Bayern took simply two photographs and have been unable to place a single one on body. The eight-point deficit within the Bundesliga could also be an excessive amount of for them to beat at this price, however Leverkusen’s regular type within the league section teases that they might have the products to get one over on Bayern.
Consequently, Kompany’s facet have loads to show on this tie. There’s quite a lot of dialogue on the market that they will hold within the Bundesliga simply tremendous, however they haven’t precisely stacked up effectively in opposition to European competitions. The spherical of 16 affords an opportunity to appropriate course – or reveal that they’re a step behind.
