Champions League semifinals: Storylines, how to watch Barcelona vs. Inter, Arsenal vs. PSG on Paramount+

After an entertaining batch of first leg matches, the UEFA Champions League semifinals come to a close this week with a spot in the final on May 31 still within touching distance for each of the last four teams standing.

This week’s action kicks off on Tuesday in Milan, where Inter host Barcelona after their back-and-forth 3-3 draw in the first leg. Simone Inzaghi’s side broke their three-game losing and goalless streak with a multi-goal showing in Barcelona, two coming from Denzel Dumfries off a set piece. It was an impressive performance considering Hansi Flick’s side pulled out all the attacking stops, rooted in another sensational performance from 17-year-old Lamine Yamal in his 100th match for the club.

On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain return to the French capital with a 1-0 advantage over Arsenal. Luis Enrique’s side took advantage of the Gunners’ poor start in London last week and scored that game’s only goal just four minutes in, courtesy of Ousmane Dembele. The game eventually showcased tactical range from both sides and especially in PSG’s case, who seemed willing to absorb Arsenal’s pressure for the final 20 minutes and succeeded while also benefiting from the Gunners’ wasteful finishing.

With a trip to Munich’s Allianz Arena on the line, here’s what you need to know before tuning in.

How to watch

Each day’s coverage will begin on CBS and Paramount+ with the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show, followed by the game itself. The coverage switches to CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ for the UEFA Champions League Today post-match show, while a new edition of the Champions Club will also air on CBS Sports Golazo Network and YouTube.

This week also marks the debut of Beckham and Friends, an alternative live broadcast featuring Champions League winner David Beckham that will air during both of this week’s games on Paramount+.

Bracket

First leg scores

• Arsenal 0, Paris Saint-Germain 1
• Barcelona 3, Inter 3

Semifinal TV schedule

All times U.S./Eastern

Storylines for the semifinals

1. Can Inter pull this off?

Inter may have entered the first leg of the semifinals on a downward turn, but they seized the opportunity to impress in Barcelona last week and ahead of a second leg at home, they might be liking their chances. The big question for a hot-and-cold Inter, though, is if last week’s ability to match Barcelona’s scoring powers will be the case again with a spot in the Champions League final on the line.

Inter may try their luck against a defensively wobbly Barcelona, whose main tactic has been to outscore the opposition with a mistake-prone goalkeeper in Wojciech Szczesny anchoring the back line, but they did show some of their own quality in Barcelona last week. Not only did they benefit from the return of Marcus Thuram, who scored barely 30 seconds into the first leg after missing the previous three games, but they were extremely clinical on set pieces and may aim to repeat that strategy.

Even with the wind in their sails after two wins in a row and a tie that still very much hangs in the balance, Inter may not be favored to advance. Not only have Barcelona, with their attack-first approach, been led by rising talent Yamal, but Inter may be without their leading goalscorer this season, Lautaro Martinez, after he picked up an injury in the first leg. The scoreline may not indicate as much, but it might still be an uphill battle for Inter to advance out of this semifinal.

2. Can Arsenal pull off the comeback?

Arsenal are still very much in their Champions League semifinal tie against PSG, but the first 20 minutes of last week’s match suggest that they, too, could become the latest victims of the French champions’ impressive press and the onus is on manager Mikel Arteta to figure out how exactly to combat that.

There may be clues in the later stages of the first leg, when Arsenal had all the momentum but rued a few missed chances that could have at least leveled the aggregate score. While wasteful finishing is, in theory, a fixable problem, the performance was a stark reminder of the one type of player the Gunners have missed all season – an out-and-out goalscorer. In a tie where they desperately need at least one goal, solving for that problem will be key, all while managing a game against a PSG side with their own aspirations of scoring. Dembele is in the middle of his greatest goalscoring season at the club level while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is solidifying his argument as the most impactful January signing ever. This tie could still tilt in either direction but the pressure is well and truly on Arsenal to hold up their end of the bargain.