UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoffs schedule, storylines: Where to watch UCL on Paramount+

The first-ever edition of the UEFA Champions League’s knockout phase playoffs begins this week when several European heavyweights will compete for a spot in the round of 16.

The headlining act of the two-legged series is Manchester City’s clash with Real Madrid, a battle of the last two Champions League winners – and two sides that are underperforming expectations, some in more extreme ways than others. They will not be the only high-profile teams competing in this round, though – Paris Saint-Germain will take on fellow French side Brest, while Bayern Munich face Celtic and AC Milan will compete against Feyenoord.

Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.

How it works

The teams that finished ninth through 24th in the league phase will face off against each other in the knockout phase playoffs, which will follow the regular rules of the Champions League knockout competition. Each tie is a two-legged series that will be decided by the aggregate score and, if needed, extra time and penalty kicks.

The winners in the knockout phase playoffs will then head to the round of 16, where the top eight teams for the league phase await them. The ties for the round of 16 will be decided by predetermined pairings and then finalized in a draw on Feb. 21. Here’s a look at the potential matchups.

• Liverpool‘s possible opponents in round of 16: PSG, Benfica, Monaco, Brest
• Barcelona‘s possible opponents in round of 16: PSG, Benfica, Monaco, Brest
• Arsenal‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Milan, PSV, Feyenoord, Juventus2
• Inter‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Milan, PSV, Feyenoord, Juventus
• Atletico Madrid‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Manchester City
• Bayer Leverkusen‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Manchester City
• Lille‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Club Brugge
• Aston Villa‘s possible opponents in round of 16: Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Club Brugge

How to watch

Paramount+ will carry every minute of the action during the knockout phase playoffs, including The Golazo Show, with CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Golazo on YouTube offering additional coverage. CBS Sports Golazo Network will kick things off with Champions League Matchday on both Tuesday and Wednesday before the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show begins on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Both CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ will also have the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show and CBS Sports Golazo Network will close things out with new editions of The Champions Club and Scoreline.

Knockout phase playoffs TV schedule

All times U.S./Eastern

Storylines for the knockout phase playoffs

1. Manchester City, Real Madrid battle to overcome poor form

A battle of the titans is usually something reserved for the later stages of a tournament, but Manchester City and Real Madrid’s underwhelming seasons mean one of them will exit the Champions League much earlier than anticipated. It also makes it difficult to know in whose favor the tie will eventually tilt.

Both are coming off mixed results over the weekend, when City trudged through a 2-1 win over League One side Leyton Orient on Saturday, while Real Madrid scraped through a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid. Some things still seem to be working for the Spanish champions, who are still atop La Liga and are unbeaten in eight matches. Their high-profile attack has kept them afloat, with Kylian Mbappe keeping pace in the golden boot race, scoring his 16th La Liga goal on Saturday as his side took 23 shots. Carlo Anclotti’s team are still fairly wasteful, though, and put just nine of their shots on target and only strung together 1.69 expected goals. They also boast a notable injury list – Antonio Rudiger joined fellow center back Eder Militao on the sidelines, so Ancelotti has been forced to deploy Aurielien Tchouameni and Raul Ascencio in the back line.

As for City, things still feel off for Pep Guardiola’s side even with a win on Saturday. The manager rotated through his options but a handful of heavy-hitters still failed to convince against a lower league side, and recent lopsided losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal still loom large over the Premier League champions. The big question for City is if the new signings will help – they spent $217 million in the winter transfer window, most notably on forward Omar Marmoush and midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The newcomers will be tasked with freshening things up for City, who did not adequately reinvest in the squad over the summer but have experienced an all-around malaise in the team all season long. Marmoush will be counted on to score, especially since Phil Foden has not been able to match last season’s output and no one initially replaced Julian Alvarez when he left in the summer. Gonzalez will be tasked with helping to fix City’s midfield, which has been in disarray since Rodri tore his ACL in September.

2. Can Paris Saint-Germain turn things around?

The Champions League’s first-ever league phase will be remembered for having not one or two surprise strugglers, but three, and joining Manchester City and Real Madrid on that list is Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions were hard done by in the draw, but a youth-focused PSG essentially snuck into the knockout rounds. The good news is, though, that they have a chance to correct course.

Brest may have impressed over the course of the league phase, but PSG will be heavily favored in this matchup. PSG’s win over Manchester City on Matchday 7, though, inspires new confidence in Luis Enrique’s post-Mbappe vision for the team and it helps that their attack is falling into place. Bradley Barcola has finally found form after going without a goal or assist in the first half of the Champions League season and now has five goals and six assists in his last eight games. Most notably, though, PSG will now have new signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia available after his $72 million transfer from Napoli in January.

A meeting with Liverpool or Barcelona awaits if PSG can make their way through the knockout phase playoffs, but this month’s game offers a chance at a reset as Enrique and company continue year one of a rebuild.