Champions League Corner Picks: Can Bayern right the ship against Arsenal, and will Real Madrid slow Man City?

Getty Images

The Champions League is like March Madness in the United States. The earlier stages include many fun upsets and Cinderella stories, like FC Copenhagen or even PSV Eindhoven. However, while fans enjoy those stories, what they really want at the end of the competition is for all the titans of the sport to do battle.

Now that we're in the quarterfinals, we've reached that stage. As the Champions League resumes this week, the eight remaining teams are some of the best in Europe, clubs that have reached this point time and again. All but one of the quarterfinal pairings feels like it could be a final in any given season, and it's hard to know how things will look when the dust settles.

I can't wait to hear the anthem Tuesday night and get back underway. And, hopefully, we can win some money along the way.

Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich

Date: Tuesday, April 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: CBS

It's never a good sign when the discussion surrounding a team ahead of a Champions League knockout match is, "Do you think they should fire the manager now, or wait until after the season is over?" That's where Bayern Munich is with Thomas Tuchel, as they've had their worst season in a long time and has no hope of winning the Bundesliga. Tuchel is a dead coach walking and knows it. So do his players. They may rally around their manager and try to save his job by winning the Champions League. Or they're already thinking about playing in the Euros this summer, transfers, and possible vacation plans.

It's a very different story for Arsenal at the moment, where every match is a knockout match. Perhaps the fatigue from playing must-win after must-win will catch up to the Gunners at some point, but I don't anticipate it happening this week. The Pick: Arsenal (-135)

Don't miss CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Date: Tuesday, April 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: Paramount+

We've seen these heavyweights clash in the Champions League semifinals each of the last two seasons. Last season, Madrid managed a 1-1 draw at home before being overwhelmed 4-0 in Manchester. That first match is the one worth remembering here because it's not out of the norm. None of Real Madrid's home matches in the knockout stages saw more than two goals scored. Carlo Ancelotti's team has taken a pragmatic approach in these situations against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. He's well aware of how powerful a team like City is and what can happen if you allow the match to open up.

He won't want to let this match open up either. I expect Madrid to sit back defensively and use their speed up top to hit City on potential counters. While a win would be great, the ultimate goal will be to keep this close heading into the second leg. It will be challenging, as City are City, but City have had trouble scoring goals on the road against the best teams in the Premier League this season. The Pick: Under 2.5 (+110)

PSG vs. Barcelona

Date: Wednesday, April 10 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: CBS

PSG are a good team, but they're not nearly as good as their 10-point lead in Ligue 1 suggests. Sure, they've lost only once in league play, but they've drawn nine times as well. While they got by Real Sociedad in the Round of 16 with ease, they only finished second in Group F with a goal differential of +1. In other words, they've struggled against stiffer competition like Barcelona.

Having Kylian Mbappe means anything is possible, but I expect Barcelona to advance to the next round in this matchup, and I also expect them to keep this trip to Paris as low-scoring as possible. They're quite capable of doing so. Barcelona have allowed only one goal in their last six matches, and the goal was scored by Napoli in their last Champions League tilt after Barcelona had already wrapped up the tie. Barcelona's entire focus will be on keeping PSG from scoring, and if they grab a goal of their own, great. If not, great. The Pick: Under 2.5 (+120)

Atletico Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund

Date: Wednesday, April 10 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: Paramount+

On March 13, Atlético Madrid beat Inter 3-2 on penalties to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. Thanks to the timing of an international break and the Copa del Rey in Spain, they've only played two matches since. While we could get into the great Rest vs. Rust debate, I don't think there's much of a debate here. Atleti are fighting to hold onto a top-four spot in La Liga and have big matches coming up, but I have to believe this is the match Diego Simeone has had his team focused on for most of the last month.

Dortmund haven't been overloaded with matches either, but they're in a dogfight with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga to stay in the top four and qualify for next year's Champions League. The team hasn't had the same opportunity to focus entirely on this match. Plus, chips on the table, Atlético are the better team, and have been in this situation plenty of times over the years. Everybody on the team knows what to expect and knows getting a win in this home leg is important if they want to advance. The Pick: Atletico Madrid (-125)