The UEFA Champions League’s round of 16 action begins to come to a close this week when several tournament favorites aim to punch their tickets into the quarterfinals.
While Kylian Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain farewell tour resumes on Tuesday, the headlining act of the day is Bayern Munich’s tie with Lazio after the German champions lost 1-0 in the first leg. Wednesday’s action, meanwhile, will see Manchester City and Real Madrid aim to add to their first-leg advantages after respective wins over Copenhagen and RB Leipzig.
Ahead of another fascinating round of fixtures, here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch
Every minute of Champions League action, including the UEFA Champions League Today pre-game and post-game shows, will stream live on Parmount+. CBS will also carry pre-game coverage and air one match a day during the round of 16, while CBS Sports Network will also show the post-game show.
CBS Sports Golazo Network will also be home to several hours of coverage, including CBS Sports Golazo Matchday, which will begin before the matches and run until the final whistle. Scoreline will handle post-match coverage with shows each evening, while The Champions Club will provide additional updates. CBS Sports Golazo Network will cap off Tuesday’s coverage with another episode of Kickin’ It, this time with retired NFL player Ryan Clark, a Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Round of 16 TV schedule
All times Eastern
*one match on March 12 and March 13 will also air on CBS
Don’t miss CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.
Storylines for the round of 16
Can Bayern bounce back?: The first legs were smooth sailing for many regional heavyweights, but Bayern were not among them. The Lazio defeat was sandwiched between losses to Bayer Leverkusen and Bochum in Bundesliga play, leading manager Thomas Tuchel to announce his end-of-season departure in an effort to stop the bleeding.
The results have been mixed since that announcement a fortnight ago. Bayern beat Leipzig thanks to a brace from Harry Kane but conceded 11 shots and had fewer shots on target than the opposition and followed that up with a 2-2 draw at Freiburg on Friday. They have scored six goals in their last three games is a strong response after a mini dry spell for Bayern and a less-than-ideal run of form for Kane, who at one point posted no shots on target in three out of five games.
Despite the deficit, Bayern are rightfully the favorites when they host Lazio on Tuesday and might be one of several top-tier sides in the quarterfinals. The big question following the German champions, though, is if they can go much further than that — and if they will finish the season without a trophy for the first time since 2011-12.
Bellingham’s impact: While Real Madrid were among those who carry an advantage heading into the second leg, they picked up a narrow 1-0 win at Leipzig last month and are under a little bit of pressure to widen the gap.
The good news for Los Blancos is that Jude Bellingham is back after missing the first leg with a minor ankle injury. He made his return in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia but even in his absence, Real Madrid have relied on a wide range of goalscorers. Vinicius Junior has three goals in the team’s last five games, while even Luka Modric and Brahim Diaz have bailed the team out of troubles on days when the margin was tight. All eyes, though, will no doubt be on Bellingham once again on Wednesday to see if he can continue to take the Champions League by storm in an impressive debut season in Madrid.
