Happy Wednesday! The UEFA Champions League is in full swing and we’ve already had a memorable return to Barcelona on Tuesday, ahead of the big Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City match on Wednesday. I’m Jonathan Johnson and I’m bringing you a mid-week update for all your football needs.
📺 Football correction
All US and Eastern times
Wednesday January 22
🇪🇺 UEL: Besiktas vs. Athletic Club, 10:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: RB Leipzig vs Sporting CP, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺UCL: PSG vs Manchester City, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
Thursday January 23
🇪🇺 UEL: Porto vs Olympiacos, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EFL League One: Wrexham AFC v Birmingham City, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Lazio against. Real Sociedad, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UEL: Manchester United v Rangers, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The front line
🔥 The Benfica versus Barcelona bargain
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Barcelona and Benfica played one of the most memorable UEFA Champions League matches in a long time on Tuesday in the penultimate league phase. The Catalan giants were in Lisbon and emerged victorious in a nine-goal thriller that had a bit of everything needed to be considered a UCL classic in years to come. To top it all off, Barca’s dramatic late result means they have secured their top eight status and place in the round of 16 with one game to play.
Incredibly, thanks largely to Wojciech Szczesny’s nightmarish outing at the Estadio da Luz, there were four goals by the 30th minute, with Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis celebrating a hat-trick and Robert Lewandowski scoring for Hansi Flick’s visitors. It was a sign of things to come when Raphinha led the Blaugrana to 3-2 just after the hour only for Ronaldo Araujo’s own goal to make it 4-2 with 22 minutes remaining. You’d be forgiven for thinking that was the extent of things.
However, this game saw a superb late three-goal blitz from Barca, with Lewandowski winning another penalty before Eric Garcia improbably equalized to set up a grandstand finish. The hosts were denied on one end and with tempers fraying, Raphinha capped off a breakaway Barca attack in the eighth minute of injury time to complete an improbable 5-4 European comeback that has become part of their culture over the years thanks in large part to the lasting impact. of their Remontada exploit against PSG.
Arthur Cabral was sent off while not on the pitch and Raphinha was targeted after his late winner as the match boiled over after the final whistle. The game truly had a little bit of everything and will be held up as an example of what the new league phase is capable of for many years to come. Barca, however, woke up this Wednesday after qualifying for the round of 16 alongside Liverpool with a match to play.
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🔗 Midfield link-up play
💥 PSG vs City bigger than ever
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Manchester City take on Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in this week’s undeniable UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday in what could be a defining encounter in the league stage given the stakes. The French and English giants have met at this level before with quarter-finals and semi-finals to remember, but this one could be considered the most important of all given the stakes have never been higher before a meeting between these two.
PSG and City are currently facing elimination from the UCL, with both teams sitting on either side of the cut-off line for a place in the top 24, which was not expected for the revamped league stage . Pep Guardiola’s men may have their 2023 Champions League crown to look back on fondly, but Paris only have their run to the 2020 final to show off their creations on European club football’s top prize.
The involvement of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in this match, on either side, usually makes headlines in itself, but it seems secondary given that one or both could be on the verge of collapse and to return home very early. Make no mistake, the stakes have rarely been this high and may not be for some time. That’s why the show should be gripping, because both essentially have to win to quell their fears.
PSG and City could still save themselves and qualify for at least the last 16, but the big story will be who ends up on the losing side given the potential for terminal damage to someone’s season before the end of January . But perhaps most fascinating of all is the scenario that no one is talking about too much right now: the one in which both teams find themselves eliminated, which could happen with a draw here, then losses next week. The fact that this kind of unthinkable scenario is potentially in play is a strong advertisement for the new competitiveness that UCL’s latest changes have managed to create.
🔗 Best Stories
🔝 Benfica 4-5 Barcelona: Ranking the craziest moments of Barca’s incredible, mind-boggling victory over Benfica in a nine-goal Champions League thriller that featured a little bit of everything, including multiple errors and a dramatic late winner.
😵💫 Wojciech Szczesny’s nightmare: The Polish goalkeeper of Barcelona had a performance in the Champions League to forget against Benfica who ultimately defied all logic by denying Angel Di Maria late before Raphinha’s winner despite a poor overall performance.
🤬 Barca star Raphinha hits back: The Brazilian responds to “insults” during a wild 5-4 win at Benfica in the Champions League where he said he had been the target of insults and returned them.
⚽ Tuesday’s UCL scores: Barca staged a huge comeback in a 5-4 thriller against Benfica while elsewhere in the Champions League, Liverpool remained perfect against Lille, Bayer Leverkusen squandered a late lead against Atletico Madrid and it was another draw for Juventus.
🤔 PSG against Manchester City: Is this the duo’s biggest reunion at UCL? Ranking the giants’ previous meetings as the stakes have never been higher between these two European titans ahead of Wednesday’s match.
🇫🇷 The UCL lift from Ligue 1: Monaco’s victory against Aston Villa can be seen France’s surprisingly strong Champions League season despite PSG’s difficulties and the Championship now has three teams with 13 points in the championship phase with four matches remaining.
💰 The back line
💵 Best bet
- UCL: PSG vs City, Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET
💰 THE CHOICE: Draw and both teams score (+333) – PSG and City meet in Paris on Wednesday for a crunch UCL encounter at the Parc des Princes as the league stage approaches its final round of matches. Both the French and English giants must win with an early exit, a very real possibility at this stage after poor runs of continental form. Luis Enrique and Guardiola have known each other since they faced each other in Spain and on the continental stage, the former having lost only twice but also being one of the rare tacticians to have inspired his teams to score at least three goals against one of Pep’s teams more than once. This bodes well for PSG who have taken their time to wake up and start playing like one of the favorites while City have become flat track bullies given they have only beaten relative minnows so far. ‘now. It looks like both teams will at least score here and that could net a decent amount of money for those who aren’t bold enough to pick an ultimate winner between these two.
For more picks, predictions, expert advice and the latest betting news, don’t miss the CBSSports.com betting homepage.
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