Champions League picks, predictions, odds: Expert section on Chelsea; PSG to be eliminated by Bayern Munich
The journey towards European supremacy continues with the 16th round of the Champions League starting this week. Tuesday will see Chelsea look to turn things against them Borussia Dortmund while Benfica aims to close the door against resistance Club Brugge. On Wednesday, PSG and Bayern Munich will face each other Lionel MessiKylian Mbappe and company have their backs against the wall, looking to overcome a 1-0 deficit in Bavaria, as Tottenham welcome AC Milan to London.
As always, CBS Sports and Paramount+ will be your home for all things UCL.
Here are our predictions for each game and more:
Tuesday broadcast schedule
(All US/Eastern hours)
- UEFA Champions League today, 2pm, CBS and Paramount +
- Chelsea vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m., CBS and Paramount +
- Benfica vs Club Brugge 3pm, Paramount+
- UEFA Champions League after the match Look5 p.m., CBS Sports Network and Paramount+
Wednesday broadcast schedule
(All US/Eastern hours)
Coverage starts daily at 2pm. with Champions League Today on CBS and Paramount +. Paramount+ offers a multicast feature that allows subscribers to watch two games simultaneously in a split-screen view. You can try one month free by using the code: ADVANCE.
Matching selections
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund
A special game | Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund
One game to watch: At the time of writing Chelsea is hopeful that James Reece he will be back in time to take the field at Stamford Bridge, but Graham Potter must have his most important defender at something nearby if he is to match the in-form Marco Reus, assuming the German is on the left as he did in the Dortmund win RB Leipzig. Reus’s own fitness is very fast but when he is available he is worth the wait and he has provided two goals and three assists. Likewise if James He can move up the pitch, whether as a wing-back or full-back, he could make Reus work more defensively than Edin Terzic could.
Most likely to visit: Even though Chelsea as a team are starting to pose more of an attacking threat it is difficult to find one particular name in their team who looks convincing in front of goal. There is such a thing Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling Often they seem to be looking for newer and more imaginative ways to lose, although the goals may eventually come it would be a madman to predict their origin . Dortmund tend to share the goals, their top scorer could be anyone but with four in his last five Bundesliga games Julian Brandt it seems like an attractive option.
Man of the Match selection: With the excellent goalkeeper Gregor Kobel expected to lose out, Dortmund’s defense must play well to defend Alexander Meyer even though the full-back made some smart saves against RB Leipzig. He’s probably the best player in that game Nico Schlotterbeck, whose impressive form has been crucial in Dortmund’s rise up the Bundesliga table.
Match Preview: Chelsea will likely dominate possession and territory and this could just open the door for Borussia Dortmund to make them pay for counter-attacks, even without Karim Adeyemi. But the subzero Blues need to heat up sooner or later in front of goal, why not when Graham Potter needs it? It will probably go all the way to extra time but I feel Chelsea could get a 3-1 win to take it forward.
–James Benge
Club Brugge vs Benfica
A special game | Benfica vs Club Brugge
One matchup to watch: The midfield battle. With Benfica already leading 2-0 going into the crucial phase of the game at home, Florentino Luis and Fredrik Aursnes there will be a lot of the ball during the union. If they can pick off Brugge with a patient attack, it will be an easy win for Benfica but if Kamal Sowah and Brugge’s midfield can sort things out, Benficia’s slower middle pairing can be taken advantage of. It’s certainly a tall task for an overmatched Brugge side away from home but winning the midfield battle is the only way to win for Brugge even if they get a man advantage .
Most likely to visit: Goncalo Ramos. Benfica have a balanced attack but everything leads to Ramos in the end. With 21 goals in all competitions, including five in Champions League play, Ramos has been someone Benfica can count on. Even when he is not scoring, Ramos will be able to influence a game by keeping pressure on the defence, but he will have a good chance of winning. Simon Mignolet in the connection.
Man of the Match selection: Simon Mignolet. With Brugge under pressure throughout the game, Mignolet will do his best to keep a game close that shouldn’t be. Just opposite four shots on target through the opening leg in Belgiumhe will have more to do on an away trip in Libson.
Match Preview: Already in the lead going into the second leg, Benfica will be able to take things at their pace en route to another 2-0 win to show off the opening leg . While Brugge will crash out of the Champions League in their original knock-out stage, it will be a worthy opponent as Benfica are quickly rising to become one of the best clubs in the the world
– Chuck Booth
Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich
A special game | Bayern Munich vs Paris
One game to watch: Dayot Upamecano vs. Kylian Mbappe — Both France international teammates are likely to see a lot of each other come Wednesday. Although Matthijs de Ligt could be more dense also given Benjamin Pavard ban, Mbappe will likely want to go up against Upamecano where possible as he knows his fellow Frenchman. The first leg was all about Mbappe and he only came on as a substitute in the second half before rushing to Bayern with the help of Nuno Mendes. Expect 90 minutes of PSG trying to do that again here.
Most likely to visit: Mbappe – The opening leg only came to life when Mbappe came on and his introduction changed PSG. With the French champions’ season effectively on the line here, expect Mbappe to have at least some say as Christophe Galtier’s men try to claw their way to qualification. With what we saw from Les Parisiens against him Lille and Marseille at home, no Neymar in Bavaria that could benefit PSG as it simplifies things in attack and increases the maximum victory at the pace of Mbappe.
Man of the Match Selection: Nuno Mendes — The Portugal The international was impressive in the second half of the first leg and Galtier will look to replicate that performance as PSG made a real test. Yann Sommer in Bayern’s goal. Whether it will be enough will depend on how clinical Mbappe and Lionel Messi can be, but LOSC and OM’s performances have been promising in terms of goals. Perhaps the only concern about Mendes is his ability to go the full 90 and possibly beyond given his recent performance against Lille.
Match Preview: Bayern 1-3 PSG (after extra time) – A result like this would send the Ligue 1 leaders through and the Bundesliga giants out. by Julian Nagelsmann men really should have buried Galtier’s side in Paris when they had the chance. Counterattacking suits this PSG side and Mbappe in particular has shown that he can deliver at the Allianz Arena in recent years. Gianluigi Donnarumma This could be the difference if this one goes beyond 90 minutes, but don’t be surprised if PSG fly out of the traps trying to overturn Bayern’s advantage in the first leg. deleted as soon as possible.
– John Johnson
Tottenham vs AC Milan
A special game | Tottenham Hotspur vs AC Milan
One game to watch: Harry Kane vs. Fikayo Tomori – Tottenham will definitely need to score early in the game if they want to have a chance at the quarter-finals of this season. Harry Kane will play against Fikayo Tomori in what is shaping up to be one of the most exciting duels in the game. Tomori is not playing particularly well this season and is coming off a big mistake that led to his penalty Nico Gonzalez the face Fiorentina this past saturday.
Most likely to visit: Harry Kane – I expect Kane to score at least one goal against AC Milan. This is going to be a big opportunity for him and the Spurs will rely heavily on their club’s top scorer against the Italian team. Antonio Conte’s side are coming off a heavy defeat against Wolves and will have to respond in the second leg of the Champions League this Wednesday.
Man of the Match selection: Rafael Leo – There are a lot of rumors about his possible move to the Premier League in the future and this is a great opportunity for him to shine on such a big stage. The Rossoneri must have Leao at the center of their project in the coming years, and they are already talking to extend his contract, with the current one ending in the summer of 2024.
Match Preview: Tottenham 2, AC Milan 2. I expect this one to be a more interesting game compared to the first leg when AC Milan won thanks to an early goal scored by Brahim Diaz. Antonio Conte’s side need to score if they are to have a chance of progressing to the next round but are likely to prove themselves defensively. I expect the Italian side to go through.
– Francesco Porzio
