Champions League schedule, live stream, storylines: How to watch UCL on Paramount+, what to know, start times

After a thrilling start with 18 goals across four games, the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals conclude this week with each and every tie too close to call heading into the second legs. This week’s action kicks off on Tuesday with Barcelona hosting Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund welcoming Atletico Madrid. Both of the Spanish sides enter the second legs with advantages, but narrow ones — Barcelona beat PSG 3-2 last week, while Atleti collected a 2-1 win at home.

The quarterfinals could come to a dramatic conclusion on Wednesday when Manchester City take on Real Madrid and Bayern Munich face off against Arsenal. City and Madrid played to a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in one of the most memorable Champions League matches in recent years, while Bayern tied 2-2 with Arsenal as they aim not to end their season trophyless for the first time in a decade.

With some compelling matchups ahead, here’s what you need to know before tuning in.

How to watch

You can watch every minute of the quarterfinals on Paramount+ including the pre-game and post-game shows. CBS will simultaneously air the UEFA Champions League Today pre-game show and select games, while post-game coverage will also air on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Golazo Network will air corresponding content each day, including CBS Sports Golazo Matchday and The Champions Club. CBS Sports Golazo Network concludes Tuesday’s coverage with the latest episode of Kickin’ It featuring an interview with former U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Tony Meola.

Quarterfinals TV schedule

All times U.S./Eastern

Storylines for the quarterfinals

Last call for Mbappe’s PSG?: The decade-plus since Qatar Sports Investments took over PSG has almost entirely been defined by the club’s search for a Champions League title, which has so far eluded them despite the number of superstars on their books during this period. That list of players includes Kylian Mbappe, who is being tasked with leading them to the promised land ahead of his expected departure over the summer, making this season’s campaign as much about the quest for a Champions League title and Mbappe’s farewell tour.

While Mbappe is expected to leave for another club that will likely pose a better chance at winning the Champions League soon, likely Real Madrid, this almost feels like the last chance for PSG to lift the trophy in the near future. A rebuild is already underway in Paris as manager Luis Enrique begins to discover life without Mbappe, likely led by a group of young talents that could put PSG in a good position to win the Champions League at some point. A version of that team shined in the first leg, too, since Mbappe was not PSG’s focal point last week. PSG are still very much in this tie but the deficit plus Mbappe’s impending departure offer up yet another high-stakes situation: Can they finally win the one title that they have yet to claim with the help of Mbappe, or will they have to go back to the drawing board yet again?

Where’s Haaland?: The stars were on full display last week at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Phil Foden got on the scoresheet in Real Madrid and Manchester City’s 3-3 draw. One person was surprisingly absent, though — City’s Erling Haaland. The once unbeatable striker has hit a rough patch of sorts since returning from injury in February and is averaging fewer goals, expected goals and shots per game before he fractured a bone in his foot in December.

Haaland had just 20 touches in the first leg last week, the least of any starter, and did not score, but there are reasons to feel optimistic. For starters, the limited number of touches is not necessarily unfamiliar to his game and he comes into the second leg with goals in back-to-back Premier League games. Until Haaland resumes scoring at a high pace — and particularly, against top-tier opponents — there’s going to be a little bit of a question mark hanging over him. It might not get in City’s way much since they can score plenty without him and may be able to keep that up with the return of Kevin de Bruyne from illness, but many will keep an eye on Haaland to see if he can reverse course on a big day.