Tuesday’s excellent UEFA Champions League action is followed by another stellar slate of matches on Wednesday when Bayern Munich takes on Paris Saint-Germaine in a rematch of last year’s final at Allianz Arena and FC Porto meet Chelsea in Seville.
Can Neymar and Kylian Mbappe inspire Marco Verratti-less PSG past Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry-deprived Bayern Munich in Germany and will Thomas Tuchel’s Blues be able to shake off their surprise Premier League loss to West Bromwich Albion?
You will be able to find out exclusively on Paramount+ and you can read the opinions of our experts here.
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Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Date: Wednesday, April 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Live stream: Paramount+
Featured Game | Bayern Munich vs. PSG
Rongen’s take: Any talk of a Bayern downturn this season is extremely relative, but no Robert Lewandowski? Neymar should be back, but that is a mixed blessing. This is a repeat of last season’s final, when Bayern was probably a more comfortable winner than the 1-0 scoreline suggested, thus a Bayern win. Pick: Bayern Munich 2, PSG 1
Romano’s take: Kylian Mbappe and his teammates know that the opportunity to challenge Bayern without Robert Lewandowski is huge. That’s why PSG can already win the first leg on a very difficult field such as the Allianz Arena. Pick: Bayern Munich 1, PSG 2
Echegaray’s take: No Robert Lewandowski is incredibly important but due to squad depth, it’s not detrimental. It’s big, but not GIGANTIC. Same for PSG and Marco Verratti. These are two teams with massive depth so they key will be how to contain them in key moments. I look at Bayern Munich and I see a team more equipped to do this … but this is all conjecture. To me, PSG’s moment is now and Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and the rest of the squad need to completely deliver in order to finally win the Champions League. I think it starts here. Pick: Bayern Munich 2, PSG 3
Chiu’s take: Robert Lewandowski’s absence had me second-guessing Bayern Munich winning this tie for a second, but after seeing the Marco Verratti news, I am back to expecting an even match. Thomas Muller will be the key to providing the threat that Lewandowski’s absence leaves. Both teams will be missing key players, and they will both get their chances, but I don’t see either side coming out on top until the second leg. Pick: Bayern Munich 1, PSG 1
Johnson’s take: Both sides are missing key men in Robert Lewandowski and Marco Verratti while PSG’s defeat over the weekend to Lille as Bayern beat Leipzig puts Mauricio Pochettino’s men back in the underdog role. A mini COVID-19 outbreak will not help the Parisiens, but I can see a score draw in Germany. Pick: Bayern Munich 1, PSG 1
Benge’s take: The weekend saw Bayern and PSG both play games that required mental fortitude, composure and an ability to punish mistakes. Only one of them showed it, Bayern winning at RB Leipzig while their opponents on Wednesday fell to Lille in a top of the table clash. These are both very good teams with the quality to win the whole tournament and as such it comes down to intangibles, like who do you believe in as a winning team at this stage of the competition? There can be only one answer. Pick: Bayern Munich 1, PSG 0
Herrera’s take: Injury troubles for both teams means it might be an open affair. Potential for no Robert Lewandowski doesn’t mean Bayern are sunk. Joshua Kimmish and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will make things difficult for PSG, while Kylian Mbappe and Neymar will be tasked to carry the team once more. Pick: Bayern Munich 2, PSG 2
Goodman’s take: This is simply not a vintage PSG side. Both during Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge earlier this season and now under Mauricio Pochettino PSG has struggled domestically in ways they haven’t since they became major players on the international scene. Yes Robert Lewandowski missing out gives PSG a lifeline, but the gulf in quality between these two teams this season has been larger than it seems. Pick: Bayern Munich 3, PSG 1
Porto vs. Chelsea
Date: Wednesday, April 7 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Live stream: Paramount+
Featured Game | Porto vs. Chelsea
Rongen’s take: Porto are exceptionally well-organized under Sergio Conceição, but the two legs against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 are arguably as good a performance as Chelsea ever produced under Thomas Tuchel. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 2
Romano’s take: Porto have great defensive skills that have already put Juventus in crisis, but Chelsea are playing for the opportunity of an entire season. They can’t fail, even if they come from an unfortunate result in the Premier League. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 2
Echegaray’s take: After the 5-2 destruction at the hands of West Brom, I don’t know anything anymore. Less about Chelsea. We can talk about the red card to Thiago Silva all we want but the biggest problem for Chelsea is no N’Golo Kante. He is so important. Porto can get something out of Chelsea here, they just have to be disciplined, much like the Juventus tie. Tuchel would rather eat poison than lose so big again so he’s going to emphasize resiliency, which will make this game super tricky to figure out. That’s why I’m being boring. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 0
Chiu’s take: Porto’s two top goalscorers, Medhi Taremi and Sergio Olivera, will be out due to suspension. Without them, I feel Porto will struggle to score, so they will have to rely on their strength at the back. Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin had an impressive 10 saves in the last UCL match against Juventus. I see Porto keeping Chelsea scoreless in this first leg. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 0
Johnson’s take: After Thomas Tuchel saw his team’s defensive solidity disintegrate against WBA, the German will emphasize the importance of a clean sheet in Seville. Not gifting Chelsea an away goal will suit Porto ahead of leg two. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 0
Benge’s take: That 5-2 defeat to West Brom is surely an aberration for a Chelsea side who can be a bit dull but are undoubtedly secure and effective under Thomas Tuchel. They are masters of only letting opponents take bad shots and for all that Porto proved against Juventus that they are not a team to be taken lightly one would suspect that the Blues individual quality will carry the day. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 1
Herrera’s take: Porto will be quick to try and counter against Chelsea but it won’t be enough against a Blues side that went undefeated in the month of March before the weekend slip-up to West Brom under new manager Thomas Tuchel. Pick: Porto 1, Chelsea 2
Goodman’s take: Chelsea have been a defensive possession machine since Thomas Tuchel took over, and it won’t change away from home against Porto. They won’t leave the kinds of careless gaps that Juventus did for Porto to exploit, and while their attacking may not be pretty, it’ll ultimately get the job done. Pick: Porto 0, Chelsea 1
Thanks for checking us out, and good luck with your picks!
