Hello! The UEFA Champions League returns this week with another batch of intriguing matchups, many of which will serve as a chance for Europe’s heavy-hitters to bounce back after disappointing results over the weekend. For Real Madrid and Chelsea in particular, though, that’s just one storyline ahead of their high-profile Tuesday matches. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest as another European week gets underway.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Monday, Sept. 29
🏴 EPL: Everton vs. West Ham, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
Tuesday, Sept. 30
🇪🇺 UCL: Kairat vs. Real Madrid, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: Chelsea vs. Benfica, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass
🌎 CWCC: Club America vs. Orlando Pride, 9 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line
🇰🇿🇪🇸 Real Madrid and a very long away trip
Getty Images
Real Madrid are no strangers to making history in the UEFA Champions League, but they will notch a new record on Tuesday in Almaty, where they will face Kazakh champions Kairat in one of the competition’s longest-ever away trips — and perhaps one of its most lopsided fixtures.
The matchup is an exercise in contrasts — Real Madrid, the record 15-time Champions League winners, will play their 503rd match in the competition this week while Kairat will only play their second, the hosts doing so with a squad value that is less than half of Kylian Mbappe’s annual salary. It goes without saying that Los Blancos are the favorites in this tie, even if they have to account for an hours-long trip to a city that’s much closer to China than Europe’s easternmost point in Russia, and makes for a favorable match after Real Madrid’s surprise 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid.
Xabi Alonso’s young team faced their biggest setback of the season in Saturday’s defeat, their crosstown rivals effectively rattling them and perhaps taking advantage of their inexperience. Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras started in defense while Arda Guler got a nod in attack, none of them putting their best foot forward against Atletico. After the game, it forced Alonso to emphasize that his Real Madrid is unlike most others that came before it, at least for now – a work in progress.
- Alonso: “It was a deserved defeat, and very painful for us, for the fans too, and we feel responsible. But it could be a positive, as for sure we will learn from it. We’re in a process of building something, and setbacks will happen. It is about how we react, how we learn from what happened, and how we improve.”
Kairat are not expected to pose the same type of test on Tuesday, which could afford Alonso plenty of flexibility in his approach, though he will make the trip to Almaty with just about all of his stars in tow. It seems like Alonso could respond to this type of adversity with a full throttle approach as they go for two wins in two in the Champions League.
Matchday 2 🔜
🔗 Midfield Link Play
🏴🇵🇹 The Special One returns to his old stomping grounds
Getty Images
Chelsea are not the only Champions League heavyweights to return to action this week on the back of a weekend defeat, but while the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool make for decent company, the Blues are not exactly like the others. Enzo Maresca’s side have just three wins in eight games across all competitions this season, a run of form that would feel ill-timed at any point of the season. On the eve of Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea – and to the Champions League – Maresca’s teams imperfections will be juxtaposed against the former Blues’ boss’ track record, headlined by three Premier League titles.
Maresca, unsurprisingly, fielded questions about Mourinho’s legacy during his pre-game remarks on Monday, the current Chelsea manager savvy enough not to draw more comparisons between him and his predecessor than necessary.
- Maresca: “It’s a privilege to face Jose. A legend for this club. I feel already quite lucky to be in some pictures at the training ground with the Club World Cup and Conference League after one season. The target hopefully is one day we can all together enjoy these kinds of moments. … I would like it one day for sure [for fans to sing my name] but it’s not my target. I’m happy if they can sing ‘we’ve got our Chelsea back,’ because that means as a team we are doing something important.”
Maresca has more pressing matters ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Benfica, who rehired Mourinho almost 25 years to the day they handed him his first-ever managerial post, an attention-grabbing response to their shock defeat to Azerbaijani side Qarabag on Matchday 1. The Blues have not really clicked since their Club World Cup triumph almost three months ago and have three losses in their last four, their only win in that stretch coming in an EFL Cup match against League One side Lincoln City. Two of their defeats — last week’s at Manchester United and Saturday’s against Brighton and Hove Albion — were marred by red cards, but the whole body of work this season is uninspiring. Chelsea only cracked a tally of two non-penalty expected goals in one game this season, a sign that the attack they have spent millions on may not be working. That has been true regardless of Cole Palmer’s availability but the England international will miss Tuesday’s game with a groin issue, making matters worse.
Chelsea may have the benefit of facing a Benfica side that conceded three goals to Qarabag just two weeks ago but Maresca will have to focus on getting his team selection right regardless of how the opponents shape up, especially so with the defense-minded Mourinho at the helm.
🔗 Top Stories
⚫🔴 Pulisic’s Milan on top: Christian Pulisic got on the scoresheet as AC Milan notched a 2-1 win over Napoli, rising up to first place in the Serie A table in the process.
🔨 Potter out, Nuno in?: Graham Potter was the second manager to be fired this season in the Premier League after West Ham relieved him of his duties, and may just replace him with the guy who beat him in the sack race – Nuno Espirito Santo.
🔴 Arsenal come from behind: Arsenal scored two late goals to beat Newcastle United 2-1 on Sunday, putting some early pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
👎 United lose again: The statistics may show some improvements from last season to this one but for Manchester United, Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Brentford shows there is still plenty of room for growth.
1️⃣1️⃣ NWSL team of the week: Washington Spirit’s Gift Monday and Gotham FC’s Jaedyn Shaw earned their spot on the NWSL team of the week with the playoffs in sight.
🌴 Inter Miami drop points: Inter Miami’s Supporters’ Shield hopes took a hit on Saturday after taking just one point out of an ugly draw at Toronto FC.
👋 Managers on the market: West Ham may have their pick in Nuno Espirito Santo but there are still plenty of high-profile managers waiting for their next job. Here’s a look at the top 10 coaches still on the market.
🎮 EA Sports FC 26: Jude Bellingham is the cover star of EA Sports 26 and Mohamed Salah is the top-rated player, while this year’s edition comes with a new feature – manager live challenges.
🟡 Sustainability and style: Udinese are taking a unique approach to building their brand, taking to Milan Fashion Week and focusing on sustainability efforts along the way.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
- UEFA Champions League: Chelsea vs. Benfica, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Chelsea and Benfica to tie 1-1 (+700) – Chelsea’s up-and-down start to the season may make them uniquely vulnerable in the Champions League, especially with Cole Palmer set to miss Tuesday’s game against Benfica with a groin injury. It is the perfect set-up for an easy-to-write narrative about Jose Mourinho getting one over on his former club in his Champions League return, but that’s without considering one very important thing – Benfica may not actually be good enough at this moment in time to accomplish that. They will be eager to prove their loss to Qarabag was a fluke and Vangelis Pavlidis’s goalscoring exploits will play a big part in this mission. The result may hinge almost entirely on how effective the Blues’ attack will be and considering manager Enzo Maresca has yet to figure out his team’s best look with or without Palmer, all parties may just have to settle for a draw.
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.
Don’t Miss the U.S. Open Cup Final
Paramount+
What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.
3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Sunday live streams on YouTube as soon as the last NWSL game of the weekend ends.
⚽ Call it What You Want (Tuesday and Thursday): Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies, and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the game in the United States as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup. Catch new episodes live on the Golazo America YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.
