Elsewhere in today’s edition of the Golazo Starting XI, Monaco continues France’s strong showing
Happy Wednesday! The UEFA Champions League is in full swing and we have already had a memorable Barcelona comeback on Tuesday and that is before Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City in Wednesday’s big game. I am Jonathan Johnson bringing you a midweek update for all of your soccer needs.
📺 Footy Fix
All times U.S./Eastern
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 vs. Birmingham City, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Lazio vs. Real Sociedad, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UEL: Manchester United vs. Rangers, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🔥 Benfica vs. Barcelona bonanza
Barcelona and Benfica served up one of the most memorable UEFA Champions League games in a while on Tuesday as part of the penultimate league phase fixtures. The Catalan giants were in Lisbon and emerged victorious in a nine-goal thriller which had a bit of everything required to be considered a UCL classic in years to come. To top it all, the dramatic late result for Barca means that they have secured their top eight status and round of 16 berth with a game to spare.
Incredibly, thanks in no small part to Wojciech Szczesny’s nightmarish outing at Estadio da Luz, there had been four goals by the 30-minute mark with Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis celebrating a hat-trick and Robert Lewandowski having scored for Hansi Flick’s visitors. It was a sign of things to come with Raphinha moving the Blaugrana to 3-2 down just after the hour only for Ronaldo Araujo’s own goal to make it 4-2 with 22 minutes to play. You would be forgiven for thinking that was the extent of it.
However, this game reserved a stunning late three-goal blitz from Barca with Lewandowski nabbing another penalty before Eric Garcia improbably equalized to set up a grandstand finish. The hosts were denied at one end and as tempers frayed, Raphinha capped a breakaway Barca attack in the eighth minute of added time to complete an improbable 5-4 European comeback which has become part of their culture over the years thanks largely to the lasting impact of their Remontada feat against PSG.
Arthur Cabral was sent off despite not being on the field and Raphinha was targeted after his late winner as the game boiled over after the final whistle. The game truly had a bit of everything and will be held up as an example of what the new-look league phase is capable of for many years to come. Barca, though, woke up this Wednesday having advanced to the round of 16 alongside Liverpool with a game to spare.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
💥 PSG vs. City bigger than ever before
Manchester City take on Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes in this week’s undoubted headline UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday in what could be a defining league phase encounter given what is at stake. The French and English giants have met at this level before with quarterfinal and semifinal matchups to look back on but this one could be considered the most important of all given that the stakes have never felt higher coming into a meeting between these two.
Both of PSG and City are currently staring UCL elimination in the face, with both teams either side of the cut-off line for a top 24 berth which was not the plan coming into the revamped league phase. Pep Guardiola’s men do have their 2023 Champions League crown to look fondly back upon but Paris only have their run to the 2020 final to show for their designs on the top prize in European club soccer.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in this game on either side is usually headline material in itself but it feels secondary given that one or both of these two could be on the verge of crashing out and going home majorly early. Make no mistake, the stakes have rarely been this high and might not be again for some time which is why the spectacle is expected to make for enthralling viewing as both essentially must win to put their fears to bed.
Both PSG and City could yet save themselves and advance to at least the knockout round playoffs but the big story will be whoever ends up on the losing side given the potential for terminal damage to somebody’s season before the end of January. Perhaps most fascinating of all, though, is the scenario that nobody is talking too heavily about right now — the one in which both sides end up eliminated which could happen with a draw here and then losses next week. That this sort of unthinkable scenario is potentially in play is a strong advert for the newfound competitiveness that the latest UCL changes have managed to create.
🔗 Top Stories
🔝 Benfica 4-5 Barcelona: Ranking the wildest moments from Barca’s incredible and mind-boggling win over Benfica in a nine-goal Champions League thriller that had a little bit of everything, including multiple blunders and a dramatic late winner.
😵💫 Wojciech Szczesny’s nightmare: Barcelona’s Polish goalkeeper had a Champions League performance to forget vs. Benfica which defied all logic in the end as he denied Angel Di Maria late on before Raphinha’s winner despite a poor overall display.
🤬 Barca star Raphinha fires back: Brazilian responds after ‘insults’ in crazy 5-4 win at Benfica in Champions League where he said he was the target of insults and returned them.
⚽ Tuesday’s UCL scores: Barca staged a huge comeback in a 5-4 thriller vs. Benfica while elsewhere in the Champions League, Liverpool stayed perfect vs. Lille, Bayer Leverkusen blew a lead late to Atletico Madrid ad it was another draw for Juventus.
🤔 PSG vs. Manchester City: Is this the pair’s biggest UCL meeting? Ranking the giants’ previous encounters as the stakes have never been so high between these two European titans ahead of Wednesday’s game.
🇫🇷 Ligue 1’s UCL lift: Monaco’s win over Aston Villa shows France’s surprisingly strong Champions League season despite PSG struggles and Le Championnat now has three teams on 13 points in the league phase with four more games to come.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best Bet
- UCL: PSG vs. City, Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET
💰 THE PICK: Draw and both teams to score (+333) — PSG and City meet in Paris on Wednesday for a critical UCL encounter at Parc des Princes as the league phase approaches its final round of games. The French and English giants both need to win with premature elimination a very real possibility at this stage after poor runs of continental form. Luis Enrique and Guardiola are familiar with each other from their time going up against each other in Spain and on the continental stage with the former only losing twice but also being one of the few tacticians to have inspired his teams to scoring at least three goals against one of Pep’s sides more than once. It 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 that they have only beaten relative minnows so far. It feels like both teams will at least score here and that could return a decent sum for those not bold enough to pick an ultimate winner between these two.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it help fans get their day started on the right foot 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.
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⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
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