Hello! Manchester United are out of the Champions League, Napoli and Copenhagen are in, and a few more teams will join those ranks as the group stage comes to a close today. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a recap ahead of today's action.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Dec. 13
🇪🇺 UWCL: Rosengard vs. Barcelona, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UCL: Dortmund vs. PSG, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Newcastle vs. AC Milan, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday, Dec. 14
🇪🇺 Europa League: Union St-Gilloise vs. Liverpool, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 Europa League: Leverkusen vs. Molde, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UWCL: Chelsea vs. Hacken, 3 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
⚽ The Forward Line
🏴 The inevitable finally happens
Manchester United's doomed Champions League campaign finally reached its natural conclusion yesterday with a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich. The result means the English side finish bottom of Group A, a feat they accomplished in notably underwhelming form through an uninspiring performance at Old Trafford. As James Benge writes, though, it also might have been their most competent performance in European play this season.
- Benge: "They posed no great threat to Bayern Munich, tootling along in second gear having long since secured top spot in Group A. The minute they even approximated their collective quality they put their hosts to the sword, Harry Kane's elegant through ball finding Kingsley Coman to smash home the winner in the 71st minute. Still, at least United had not disgraced themselves this time around. There were no Andre Onana howlers. On only a handful of occasions were Bayern able to breeze through the space that should theoretically be occupied by a midfield. You would not have confused United's press with a carefully choreographed hunt, but at least everyone chased the ball with manic intensity."
The European exit arguably provides a reset button for Erik ten Hag this season, but the fixes are likely not short-term ones. United's run of 12 losses in 24 games may have come during an injury crisis, but it also suggests that the squad needs work, especially after their back line conceded 15 goals in six Champions League games. An air of uncertainty hangs over United, though. The incoming minority investor Jim Ratcliffe reportedly plans to install new leadership, and the European failure means Ten Hag sits in the hot seat yet again ahead of Sunday's league clash with Liverpool.
While United crashed out of Europe, Copenhagen advanced to the round of 16 after a 1-0 win over Galatasaray, and will play in the Champions League knockouts for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Napoli also secured passageway to the last 16 with a 2-0 win over Braga.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
🇫🇷 Crisis management
While United's never-ending crisis continued yesterday, Paris Saint-Germain hope to avoid such a fate when they face Borussia Dortmund today. It is not unfamiliar for PSG to be on the brink of elimination in the Champions League, as Jonathan Johnson notes, but the fact that their chances of qualifying for the next round are coming down to the last day is new territory.
- Johnson: "Regularly securing qualification with games to spare, the Ligue 1 giants are not that unfamiliar with dropping into second spot behind the likes of a rival big name such as Barcelona in 2014, Real Madrid in 2015, Arsenal in 2016 or Manchester City in 2021. The difference between this year and those previous editions, though, is that a knockout stage berth was always more or less assured regardless of finishing first or second -- rarely have they been in a do or die situation like Wednesday in Group F where a draw might not be enough to go through."
The French champions are in the driver's seat in Group F because they currently sit second place and are playing the lone team that already booked their round of 16 spot, but are still in a precarious position. A draw will not be enough if Newcastle United beat AC Milan since the Magpies have the tiebreaker over PSG, so a win in Germany is the only option for Luis Enrique's side.
PSG will benefit from the fact that both Newcastle and Milan are struggling for form which makes a draw a very real possibility at St James' Park, but the Parisians have little to brag about in terms of their own performances. They have just two wins in five group stage games thus far, and have looked drab at multiple times during that stretch. That was very much the case on Matchday 5, when a last-gasp penalty meant they secured a 1-1 tie with Newcastle. PSG posted 32 shots that day but only put seven on target, so being clinical in attack will be crucial if the French champions want to secure passageway to the last 16 in routine fashion today.
🔗 Top Stories
🇪🇺 UCL rewind: Here are yesterday's scores and takeaways from the day's action, plus a closer look at United's woes and Ten Hag's performance, Real Madrid's perfect but chaotic group stage campaign, and Napoli's win over Braga.
🇮🇹 Chiellini retires: Legendary Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini retired yesterday, with his appearance with LAFC in Saturday's MLS Cup final the final game of his 23 year career.
🇹🇷 Play suspended: Professional soccer across Turkey was suspended after the MKE Ankaragucu president assaulted a referee over the weekend.
🤝 Trade alert: The NWSL announced a boatload of trades yesterday with a handful of clubs securing partial or full protection ahead of Friday's expansion draft.
🏆 Schedule set: The USWNT will face Mexico and Argentina in the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup after Monday's draw.
🇺🇸 MLS updates: The Columbus Crew's Wilfried Nancy talked about becoming the first Black coach to win MLS Cup with his former boss, Thierry Henry, while Darlington Nagbe and Aidan Morris relived the win on Morning Footy. Meanwhile, Charlotte FC hired Dean Smith as their next head coach.
🎧 Marsch's musings: On the first episode of CBS Sports Golazo Network podcast Call It What You Want, Jesse Marsch said the USMNT needs to pick up some statement wins during the Copa America to truly showcase the program's progress.
🎥 Must-see goal: USMNT players Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi played a crucial part in the buildup to PSV's goal yesterday, which allowed them to end their Champions League group stage campaign with a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Champions League: Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than 3.5 goals scored (+110) -- On a day in which PSG needs goals and Dortmund might take an interest in locking down first place in Group F, expect both sides to have an eye for goal. Kylian Mbappe will be counted on to ensure the French champions find themselves in the round of 16, while Dortmund can rely on several stars who have split the goalscoring efforts equally during the group stage. - Champions League: Newcastle United vs. AC Milan, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: AC Milan to win (+200) -- The Italians have been inconsistent this season, but they will be facing a Newcastle team in the midst of a major injury crisis and on the back of two lopsided loses. If there's any time to beat the usually sturdy side, it's now.
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.
📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world with panelists previewing the top matchups of the day. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. Just because the NWSL season is over doesn't mean that our coverage of the women's game is going anywhere. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT. NWSL offseason and European domestic season all winter long.
👟 Kickin' It (Tuesday, 7 p.m.): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
