Hello there! There are big weeks in the UEFA Champions League, and then there’s the colossal week that awaits. I’m Pardeep Cattry with an appetizer before Wednesday’s main course.
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⚽ The Forward Line
🇪🇺 One Champions League day, 18 games
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This season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League has been full of firsts, chief among them the new league phase that has unleashed a rare type of frenzy every time one glances at the standings. That frenetic feeling, though, will reach an all-time high on Wednesday, when all 18 games kick off at the exact same time.
All but nine teams are still in the mix for a spot in the knockout rounds, setting up for a variety of outcomes by the time the final whistle comes around. The margins for clinching a top eight spot and direct passageway to the round of 16 are extremely tight. While Liverpool and Barcelona are already through, there are just three points separating third place Arsenal and 13th place Brest. It’s a similar situation in the race for a berth in the top 24 and a spot in the knockout phase playoffs – only four points separate 19th place PSV and 27th place Shakhtar Donetsk, with the risk of elimination looming large for anyone in their ranks.
Here’s a quick glance at the qualification scenarios for the 36 teams in the league phase.
- Clinched top eight: Liverpool, Barcelona
- Clinched top 24 (at least): Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic
- At risk of elimination: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain Sporting Lisbon, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk
- Eliminated: Bologna, Sparta Praha, RB Leipzig, Girona, Crvena Zvezda, Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys
Each team’s actual placement will be just as important as which section of the table they land. Friday’s draw will not only concern the teams that have to take part in the knockout phase playoffs – the path to the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena will be mapped out, with league phase standings playing a major role. Like other sports, the top four teams in the league phase will essentially be placed into their own quadrants of the bracket as a reward for their initial success. The higher a team’s league phase rank, the better their road to Munich looks like – the top two teams in the standings, for example, will play a team ranked from 15th to 18th in the round of 16 while the seventh or eighth place team could face the ninth or 10th ranked side.
It sets up for a consequential day of Champions League action on Wednesday, and unlike anything this competition has seen before.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
❓ Now or never for European heavyweights
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Matchday 8 is full of variables regardless of which section of the league phase table you could zone in on, but perhaps nothing is more intriguing to keep an eye on than the race for a spot in the top 24 – and whether or not Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain make the cut.
Though City may have a confidence boost after a 3-1 win over Chelsea over the weekend, the 2023 European champions currently sit on the outside looking in at a knockout berth and face a must-win game on Wednesday to stay alive in the competition. They join nine teams competing for six final spots, so this game clocks in as the second-most important fixture on Matchday 8 for Chuck Booth, since City have much to prove in a make-or-break game for their season.
- Booth: “Win and you’re into the knockouts. The goal is simple here but where it gets fascinating is that the winner will likely take the place of the loser in the knockout stage. A draw only helps Brugge as City need a win to even have a chance at the top 24, something that shows how much of a disaster their campaign has been. Hosting Brugge at home feels like a match that City should win easily but nothing has been easy for Pep Guardiola’s men this season which is why they even find themselves in this situation. Missing out would be a historic moment when City have been a regular side in the round of 16, and much deeper, but they aren’t the only European power in danger.”
Taking top spot in these rankings? Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Stuttgart. Like City’s clash with Brugge, it will be a face-off between two teams at risk of elimination but PSG head into this one after sneaking inside the top 24 last week with a massive win over City. Staying inside the top 24 is no sure thing for PSG, though – Stuttgart are no slouch, and the French champions will have to prove that they can do better than their many underwhelming performances this season.
- Booth: “PSG’s situation would be more dire without their recent victory over City but that doesn’t mean that they’re off to smooth sailing in a tough away trip to one of the hottest teams in UCL play. Stuttgart have won three games on the bounce to turn around their own outlook, now finding themselves in 24th during their first-ever Champions League campaign. PSG sit in 22nd place on 11 points and a draw could be enough to see them through on goal difference, but leaving things up to chance could end in heartbreak. Both teams can score with ease, but when it comes to defending, there is much to be desired which is why with this taking place in Germany, it’s a must-watch affair. The goals will be flying and the stakes couldn’t be higher.”
🔗 Top Stories
✅ City’s big win: Pep Guardiola’s long ball approach worked in their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday, and their hopes are now being placed on new striker Omar Marmoush.
🇫🇷 Kvaraskheila’s debut: Kvicha Kvaraskheila notched an assist in his Paris Saint-Germain debut over the weekend, offering the boost they need after a challenging season.
🔵 Girma to Chelsea: USWNT standout Naomi Girma signed for Chelsea over the weekend, becoming the first player to fetch a $1 million-plus transfer fee in the history of the women’s game.
🇺🇸 USWNT January camp: An inside look at the USWNT’s new-look January camp, when Emma Hayes hosted 50 players from different age groups as a new era of competition begins for the Olympic gold medalists.
⚽ Pulisic scores: Christian Pulisic’s penalty earned a draw for AC Milan against Empoli, but a post-match scuffle overshadowed the on-field performances.
☀️ NWSL aids LA recovery: The NWSL joined efforts to return to normalcy in the LA area as wildfires rage on for another week in Southern California.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- Champions League: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Sparta Prague, Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET
THE PICK: Leverkusen to win 3-0 and Florian Wirtz to score anytime (+1400)
A bit of a long shot here on the score itself, but Leverkusen will certainly be motivated to run the goals up given that they lead the pack of teams on 13 points by a fine margin. If the goals are going to come from Xabi Alonso’s side then there are two sources to look at. Patrik Schick is on one of his customary hot streaks but there is always the risk that the game you pick him for is the one where he cools down. No such worries with Florian Wirtz, who is probably among the two or three most in form attackers in Europe right now. — James Benge
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
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