After a thrilling start with 18 goals in four games, this week's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals will see each game end in close margins, meaning they will not progress to the second leg. This week's fixtures begin on Tuesday with Barcelona hosting Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund hosting Atletico Madrid. Both Spanish teams went into the second leg with an advantage, but it was a close one. Last week Barcelona defeated PSG 3-2, while Atleti won 2-1 at home.
The quarter-finals could come to a dramatic conclusion on Wednesday with Manchester City taking on Real Madrid and Bayern Munich taking on Arsenal. In one of the most memorable Champions League matches in recent years, City and Madrid ended in a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Bayern drew 2-2 with Arsenal, ending the season without a trophy for the first time. We aim to prevent this from happening. Ten years.
With some intriguing matchups coming up, here's what you need to know before getting into the action.
How to watch
You can watch every quarterfinal match, including pre- and post-game shows, on Paramount+. CBS will simultaneously air the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match program and select matches, with post-match coverage also available on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Golazo Network will air corresponding content daily, including CBS Sports Golazo Matchday and The Champions Club. The CBS Sports Golazo Network wrapped up its coverage Tuesday with a new episode of Kickin' It featuring an interview with former men's national team goaltender Tony Meola.
Quarterfinals TV broadcast schedule
Always US/East
Quarterfinal story
Mbappe's last call to PSG?: The more than 10 years since Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG have been defined almost entirely by the club's quest to win the Champions League title, despite the rise of a number of superstars during this period. So far, they have not won the Champions League title. That list of players also includes Kylian Mbappé, who will be tasked with leading the team to the promised land ahead of his planned departure in the summer, and this season will see the Champions League title and Mbappé's This season is as important as the farewell tour.
Mbappe is expected to move soon to another club with a better chance of winning the Champions League, perhaps Real Madrid, but this feels like PSG's last chance to lift the trophy in the near future. With coach Luis Enrique starting to find life without Mbappé, a rebuild is already underway in Paris, led by a group of young talents who could perhaps one day put PSG in a good position to win the Champions League. It will be. That version of the team also shone in the first leg, as Mbappé was not a central player for PSG last week. PSG are still almost level in the table, but the deficit, combined with Mbappé's impending departure, creates an even more do-or-die situation. Will Mbappé help him finally win the title he hasn't yet won, or will he have to go back? Are we going back to square one?
Where is Haaland?: Stars were in full action at the Santiago Bernabéu last week, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Phil Foden all among the scorers in Real Madrid's 3-3 draw with Manchester City. However, one person surprisingly absent was City's Erling Haaland. The once invincible striker has suffered something of a slump since returning from injury in February, averaging fewer goals per game and fewer expected goals than before breaking a bone in his foot in December. , the number of shots was decreasing.
Haaland took just 20 touches in last week's first leg, the fewest of any starter, and failed to score, but there is reason for optimism. First of all, the limited number of touches is not necessarily unfamiliar to his game, coming into the second leg having scored in back-to-back Premier League games. Until Haaland resumes scoring at a high pace, there will be a bit of a question mark, especially against top-level opponents. It may not be too much of a hindrance for City as they can score well enough without him and could keep it up once Kevin De Bruyne returns from illness, but many believe Haaland We'll be watching to see if he can turn it around. An important day.
