UEFA Champions League predictions, picks for Matchday 5: Will Chelsea hold off Barcelona at home on Tuesday?
It's a week of massive matches as Bayern Munich head to London to face Arsenal on Wednesday
The race for the knockout stages begins to heat up on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League, with just three teams boasting perfect records as the second half of the league phase begins.
Two of those standout teams – Arsenal and Bayern Munich – headline the week's action with a meeting in North London, each of them eager to bolster their argument as Champions League title contenders with top spot up for grabs. Elsewhere in the English capital, Barcelona travel to Chelsea for a meeting of two title hopefuls, each of them in need of a big result after hitting stumbling blocks on Matchday 4. Both sides have just two wins in their opening four European matches and though they are still very much in the mix for a top eight berth that takes them straight to the quarterfinals, they will have to meet the moment in order to get there, which is no sure thing for either team.
Meanwhile in Paris, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will host Tottenham Hotspur in a rematch of August's thrilling UEFA Super Cup. Though Spurs went toe-to-toe with PSG, taking a 2-0 lead before relinquishing it in the final minutes of the game, they have been inconsistent since and were downright drab in a 4-1 loss at Arsenal on Sunday. PSG, though, will be without Achraf Hakimi and could also miss Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.
Here's how the CBS Sports team thinks this week's action will shake out.
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Champions League matches on Tuesday
| Matchup |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax vs. Benfica | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| Galatasaray vs. Union S-G | 2-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 3-1 | 2-1 |
| Bodo/Glimt vs. Juventus | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Napoli vs. Qarabag | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 3-0 |
| Marseille vs. Newcastle | 2-2 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| Dortmund vs. Villarreal | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Chelsea vs. Barcelona | 2-4 | 3-2 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 3-3 |
| Man City vs. Leverkusen | 3-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 3-1 | 4-0 |
| Slavia Prague vs. Athletic Club | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1-2 |
Game of the day: Chelsea vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. ET
Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona: Still doing the business at 37 years of age, Lewandowski netted the opener in a demolition of Athletic Club at the weekend before hopping out with a little over an hour played. Hansi Flick is using his veteran striker quite shrewdly and will doubtless have games like this one in mind. No wonder given that Lewandowski's previous meeting with Chelsea in the last 16 of the 2019-20 Champions League saw him deliver three goals and four assists across both legs. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: We don't want to be repetitive, but when Barcelona are playing all the eyes are always on the Spanish wonderkid who already scored six goals so far this season despite some groin issues that affected his game time in the recent weeks. Lamine Yamal's match on Tuesday will be his first ever game played in England as he missed the match against Newcastle earlier this year. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Barcelona 3 - These two may have been inconsistent to start the Champions League season but they have rarely been boring, even on days where things have not tipped in their direction. As the 3-3 draw at Club Brugge on Matchday 4 demonstrates, Barcelona have defensive frailties that are easy to exploit, so count on Chelsea's offense – which has been average in Europe so far this season – to have a go or two at goal. The thing about the visitors, though, is that they can score in just about equal measure and have held up fine without Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Lewandowski is returning to fitness, though, which could give Hansi Flick's the necessary boost to take all three points out of Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Chelsea to win the first half (+175): It's likely that this match ends in a draw, but Barcelona's defense will give Chelsea every chance possible to win if the Blues can hit the back of the net. Even without Cole Palmer, the Blues have found ways to score as of late, and it'll continue facing Barcelona. Hansi Flick's men have been slow starters to matches, and that will come back to bite them yet again as they'll need to fight back in the second half. -- Chuck Booth
Man City vs. Leverkusen, 3 p.m. ET
Player to watch: Phil Foden, Manchester City: Is Foden fully back? Is he a bit back? Is this all going to translate in an England shirt? It feels like so few questions around Manchester City's homegrown star have satisfying answers on which everyone can agree. The abiding memory of his last outing, Saturday's defeat at Newcastle, was a chance he should have scored. Too often of late even Foden's best games feel more like embellishments on the excellence of others, he could do with a game where he rules the roost. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Erling Haaland, Manchester City: We can definitely expect some action from the Norwegian star that recently achieved a historic World Cup qualification next summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico. His numbers are already impressing so far, as he scored 19 goals in 16 matches, including 14 Premier League goals in 12 games and the five scored in the opening four Champions League matches. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Manchester City 3, Bayer Leverkusen 0 - Manchester City are still experiencing growing pains as manager Pep Guardiola leads another rebuild but they have not hit too many stumbling blocks in Europe, entering Matchday 5 in fourth place of the league phase table. They have a favorable game against Bayer Leverkusen, who may have turned the page on the quick but abysmal Erik ten Hag stint, but are still one of the punching bags of the Champions League this season. Leverkusen have conceded 10 goals in four games and there's really no reason to doubt that serial goal-scorer Haaland will add a few more to that count by week's end. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Claudio Echeverri to have 1+ shots on target (+100): This game is a weird one, Leverkusen have won three straight in all competitions, but going away to face City is a tough proposition. The odds expect City to win, and they will, but that doesn't mean that Leverkusen also won't have their chances. In the Premier League, City allow around 14 shots per game, with five of those being on target, so if Leverkusen can get into space, they'll create a bit. When looking into how they'd do that, it's a good time to look at an on-loan City man in Echeverri who is finding his footing and will want to impress. -- Chuck Booth
Champions League matches on Wednesday
| Matchup | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pafos vs. Monaco | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
| Copenhagen vs. Kairat | 2-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| Olympiacos vs. Real Madrid | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-2 |
| Sporting Lisbon vs. Club Brugge | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Atalanta | 3-3 | 1-2 | 3-2 | 2-3 | 1-2 |
| Liverpool vs. PSV | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Atletico Madrid vs. Inter | 1-1 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1-1 |
| Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich | 1-1 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| PSG vs. Tottenham | 2-0 | 3-1 | 2-0 | 2-2 | 3-0 |
Game of the day: Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET
Player to watch: Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal: If the Gunners are going to extend their clean sheet streak in the league phase they are going to need their star defenders to win their individual duels. You would fancy Jurrien Timber to do the business especially with Luis Diaz suspended for Bayern. Calafiori is eminently capable of going toe to toe with Michael Olise as well, but it is surely on that flank, against one of the best forwards in the world right now, that Bayern will back themselves to have the greatest joy. If Calafiori can hold that side down and make his regular darts up field, Arsenal could emerge victorious in this massive tie. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Michael Olise, Bayern Munich: On one side the Colombian striker Luis Diaz has been the best player on the German team this season so far, and had a huge impact on the excellent performances of the side coached by Vincent Kompany. But he, and his three goals scored in the opening four games in the league phase, are suspended. On the other side of the pitch, however, Frenchman Michael Olise has been equally impressive and he returns to London where he played for Crystal Palace aiming to show he's among the best in the world this season. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Arsenal 1, Bayern Munich 1 - Arsenal's defense is as stingy as any, but if there is any goal scorer who can break it down, it is Harry Kane – even without the added incentive of facing the Gunners as a boyhood Tottenham Hotspur fan and academy product. Mikel Arteta's side have a wide range of scorers to count upon to break down Bayern Munich's defense, too, but expect a closely contested game between two of the competition's most consistent teams. Bayern, too, are turning into a defensive juggernaut in Vincent Kompany's second season and might be able to give the Gunners a taste of their own medicine in the process. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Draw (+240): Two of the best defenses in the world will meet and try to push each other to their limits, but these are also situations where there isn't a huge incentive for either team to actually win. Two undefeated teams atop the league phase who are all but guaranteed spots in the top eight of the table, I expect to see a couple of goals but defense will win out here as the points are shared.-- Chuck Booth
PSG vs. Tottenham, 3 p.m. ET
Player to watch: Micky van de Ven, Tottenham: One of the most impressive performers in Spurs' near miss against PSG in the Super Cup, Van de Ven has only grown in importance since. Not only a defensive stalwart, the Dutch center back is proving himself to be a dynamic progressor of the ball and a legitimate attacking threat, the latter being something Thomas Frank's side are altogether too short on. -- James Benge
Man of the match: Nuno Mendes, PSG: With the injury of Achraf Hakimi a lot of the attacking strategies of the French giants will come from the left wing where Nuno Mendes will play and he has a lot of potential to make some problems to Tottenham. The Portuguese winger already scored twice this season outside the French league and we can expect more starting from Wednesday's match. -- Francesco Porzio
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 2, Tottenham Hotspur 0 - Paris Saint-Germain may be missing some of their stars but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can probably hold down the fort in the meantime, especially against a Tottenham Hotspur team for whom few things are going right currently. Manager Thomas Frank maybe should take inspiration from his own gameplan during the Super Cup in August, especially after Sunday's 0.07 expected goals showing at Arsenal, but he has yet to demonstrate an ability to shake his conservative tendencies. Never say never – after all, the pressure's on – but do not hold your breath. -- Pardeep Cattry
Best bet: Mickey Van De Ven 1+ shots on target (+410): Tottenham's leading scorer in all competitions, Van De Ven will have an impact on this game. Even if it's not coming from a set play, Van De Ven has the license to get forward, and he does it well. It's still strange that what Tottenham have done is mostly working, but the Dutchman is a key reason why. -- Chuck Booth
