Hey there! The Champions League made its long-awaited comeback yesterday with wins for two of Europe's biggest teams, while a pair of regional heavyweights plan to do the same when they hit the pitch later today. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a Champions League-themed midweek check-in.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Feb. 14
🇪🇺 UCL: PSG vs. Real Sociedad, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Lazio vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday, Feb. 15
🇪🇺 Europa League: Feyenoord vs. Roma, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 Europa League: AC Milan vs. Rennes, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🏴🇪🇸 Complications arise in Man City, Real Madrid wins
Manchester City and Real Madrid kicked off the round of 16 with respective wins over Copenhagen and RB Leipzig, but neither outing was smooth sailing for the eventual victors.
Kevin de Bruyne starred for the reigning champions with a goal and assist in their 3-1 win and now has two goals and six assists since making his return from a long-term hamstring injury last month. Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet and ensured City would take a sizable lead into the second leg of their tie on March 6, but it is not all good news for Pep Guardiola and company. The team's first Champions League game of the season at full fitness did not end that way, with Jack Grealish coming off with an injury and Silva unable to continue after a harsh tackle. The timing is not ideal as they chase the Premier League title and compete in Europe, and as James Benge notes, Silva's absence in particular could be costly:
- Benge: "In the free left-sided role that might be the best of the many, many positions [Silva] can play, the Portugal international was sensational … City fans will hope that Silva's exit was a mere precaution, that Grealish stepped off before doing any major damage. With Jeremy Doku in fine fettle, the latter was not particularly missed while Julian Alvarez or Mateo Kovacic could plug a Silva-shaped hole in Guardiola's XI. There is not a lot behind them, though, and it can often feel like Guardiola takes a perverse joy in attempting to sweep the board with a squad that is one or two bodies lighter than ideal."
As for Real Madrid, they eked out a 1-0 win against Leipzig, who were fiercely competitive. The match was fairly even in several notable statistical categories, and so Los Blancos relied on individuals to ensure they would carry a slight advantage into the second leg. Brahim Diaz, who started in place of the injured Jude Bellingham, did so with a stellar goal but one player who arguably stood above the rest was goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Here's Chuck Booth on this performance:
- Booth: "Lunin struggled in the first half of play but was able to make a critical decision to rush out of the box clearing out a Sesko chance in the 62nd minute of play before being called upon to make numerous saves in the match. It was one of Lunin's best performances in a Madrid shirt with nine saves and 2.19 goals prevented as Leipzig gave it their all at home at Red Bull Arena."
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🇫🇷🇩🇪 PSG, Bayern aim to stake their claim
This week's Champions League schedule wraps up today with another pair of superteams hoping to keep themselves in the conversation to win the whole thing -- Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Kylian Mbappe will once again be the center of attention for PSG, who host Real Sociedad as they continue their quest to win the elusive Champions League and his future in the French capital will not be the only talking point. In the first season of Champions League play since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left Europe, there's a star-shaped void and Mbappe, alongside Erling Haaland, remains the prime candidate to fill it. It will require the World Cup winner to notch some goalscoring achievements and perhaps better Messi's pace. Here's Francesco Porzio with a look at some of the records Mbappe's in the running for.
- Porzio: "Mbappe scored 43 goals in 66 Champions League games and can match Messi's record of 60 in his first 80 matches, while FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski only record so far is that he scored his first 80 Champions League goals in 100 games (two fewer than it took Messi to reach the same mark). On 92 goals after 116 games, his next target is to become the fastest man to reach 100 (it took record-holder Messi 123 games)."
Bayern, meanwhile, travel to Lazio in a match that is not expected to pose the toughest of challenges for them. Instead, the match presents an opportunity for the German champions to rebound from Saturday's 3-0 thrashing by Bayer Leverkusen, which now puts them five points back in the Bundesliga title race. The Champions League has been a reprieve of sorts this season for Bayern, who were also knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the second round but have been nearly perfect in European play. The big question today, then, is if they can keep that trend going despite a season that has seen ups and downs from one of Europe's most steady teams.
🔗 Top Stories
⏪ UCL recap: Phil Foden had a big day for City yesterday, while Leipzig's disallowed goal in the beginning of their match against Real Madrid caused some controversy. Plus, here's Guillem Balague on Toni Kroos' future as his contract with Real Madrid is set to expire.
📚 Knockout stage must-reads: With the Champions League round of 16 officially underway, here's a look at the players who could lift their teams to win the whole thing, the importance of the Europa League to France's UEFA coefficient standing and a recap of the top 10 moments front the Champions League group stage.
👎 Overrated strikers: From AC Milan's Christian Pulisic to West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, here's a breakdown of the forwards who are overperforming this season in Europe.
🩹 Dike tears Achilles: West Brom's American striker Daryl Dike tore his achilles and will miss the rest of the season for the Championship side.
🇫🇮 Pukki in MLS: Minnesota United's Teemu Pukki talks to Morning Footy about sharing the pitch with fellow Finnish player Robin Lod, as well as the upcoming MLS season.
🇺🇸 Krieger on Kickin' It: Two-time Women's World Cup winner Ali Krieger was the latest guest on Kickin' It and talked about her recent retirement, incoming USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, the team's next generation and using soccer as a distraction during her divorce.
💵 UCL deal: As UCL returns make sure to check out our Paramount+ special one-month extended free trial with promo code GOAT.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Europa League: AC Milan vs. Rennes, Thursday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: More than 2.5 goals scored (-122) -- Milan are the heavy favorites and seem poised to score enough to match that label, especially since they have scored at least two goals in four of their last five games. That said, they've also conceded seven goals during that stretch, which could provide an opening for a Rennes team that has not been shut out in their last eight matches. - Europa League winner
💰 THE PICK: Bayer Leverkusen to win the Europa League (+600) -- While Liverpool remain the oddsmakers' favorites to lift the title and send Jurgen Klopp in style, if there's one lesson to be learned so far this European season, it's this: do not count out Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso's side have yet to lose a game this season and seem unable to put a foot wrong, so they enter the Europa League knockouts as one of the teams to watch.
📺 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 nights): CBS Sports Golazo Network's new unfiltered interview show is back. 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+.
