Champions League picks, predictions, odds: Experts pick Manchester City to cruise through and Inter to move on
Two semifinal spots remain in the UEFA Champions League after AC Milan and Real Madrid advanced on Tuesday. On Wednesday Bayern Munich look to come back against Manchester City, while Benfica are going to need a stunning road performance at Inter. As always, Paramount+ is your home for all-things UCL. We've got all the pregame and postgame coverage you need plus make sure to check out CBS Sports Golazo Network for tactical cams for Bayern vs. City. Here's what you need to know about the games, our expert picks and more:
Wednesday's broadcast schedule
- UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m., Paramount+
- Inter vs. Benfica, 3 p.m., Paramount+
- Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m., CBS, Paramount+
- Tactical cam: Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m., CBS Sports Golazo Network
- UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 5 p.m., Paramount+
- CBS Sports Golazo Network Post-Match Show, 5 p.m., CBS Sports Golazo Network
- CBS Sports Golazo Network will also have network-exclusive postgame coverage
Match picks
Inter vs. Benfica
Latest Odds:Inter-0.5
One matchup to watch: Goncalo Ramos vs. the Inter defense. Inter enters the second leg of this tie with a clear goal, to keep Benfica from finding the back of the net. And as long as Inter doesn't concede a penalty, the most likely way that Benfica will score will be if Ramos can break through Inter's defense. It's something that he wasn't able to do in the opening leg and scoring in general is something that Benfica has struggled with as of late only scoring two goals in their last four matches. To get back into things, Ramos will have to score, preferably early.
Most likely to score a goal: Romelu Lukaku. Despite how much of a roller coaster Lukaku's season has been, he has gotten the job done in Champions League play. With three goals in only four matches, Lukaku has delivered just as many goals as he has in Serie A play this season and he'll look to continue that to ice this tie. If Inter are able to advance, Lukaku's return to italy will have been worth it.
Man of the Match pick:Joao Mario. Benfica won't go down easily as they're going to put pressure on Inter early and often. Mario's creativity will be a reason why due to him being able to find space between Inter's wing backs and create chances. Grabbing a few assists, Mario will do enough to garner man of the match honors as Benfica fights back.
Match prediction: While Benfica will win the match, with this being a two legged affair, that won't be enough as Inter already has a two goal lead. All it will take is one goal for Inter to create an advantage that is hard to overturn and they'll get it when befica pushes forward for an equalizer. Inter 1, Benfica 2 – Chuck Booth
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City
Featured Game| Bayern Munchen vs. Manchester City
One matchup to watch: Jamal Musiala vs. Rodri. Realistically, Bayern's chances of advancing are not great. On top of the 3-0 thumping they received in the opening leg, there was also the in-fighting between Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane which probably poisoned the atmosphere a bit. For the Germans to stand any chance of getting out of this mess, they will need a strong showing from Musiala. Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, Rodri was in strong form last week and could be an obstacle again here.
Most likely to score a goal: Erling Haaland. Are we really kidding ourselves that the Norwegian superstar will not add to his goal and assist from the opening leg? Haaland is in ominous form right now and if City are to score in Bavaria, then the Scandinavian is the most likely source.
Man of the Match pick: Ruben Dias. Bayern are not exactly bursting with attacking potency at present, but they still possess enough of a threat to at least attempt a comeback. The Portugal international's form will dictate whether or not Thomas Tuchel's side can even hope to beat Ederson between the sticks once let alone three times to just force the tie beyond 180 minutes.
Match prediction: Bayern 0-1 City (0-4). Do not expect a blowout like the opening leg, but this one should be much tighter. Tuchel probably has more work on his hands than first thought, so the hosts should be prepared for a struggle with City doing enough to grind out a narrow win here to complete a convincing overall aggregate success. – Jonathan Johnson
