Can Barcelona vs. Inter match the Champions League semifinal drama of Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Hello there! The UEFA Champions League semifinals got off to an entertaining start with Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Arsenal and the hope is that more is in store when Barcelona host Inter on Wednesday. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

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All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, April 30
🇪🇺 UCL: Barcelona vs. Inter, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 WSL: Manchester United, 3:15 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🌎 CCC: Inter Miami vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 8 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Thursday, May 1
🇪🇺 UEL: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Athletic Bilbao vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UECL: Djurgarden vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UECL: Real Betis vs. Fiorentina, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌎 CCC: Cruz Azul vs. Tigres, 10 p.m. ➡️ FS2

⚽ The Forward Line

🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Paris Saint-Germain take first blood against Arsenal

Paris Saint-Germain came out victorious in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal against Arsenal, exiting North London with a 1-0 advantage courtesy of a goal from Ousmane Dembele in the fourth minute.

Luis Enrique’s side were their trademark selves in the early moments of the game, proving how difficult they are to play against thanks to their press as well as individual brilliance from Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who notched the assist to the game’s lone goal. The Gunners settled into the game as the first half progressed and really pushed for an equalizer in the final 20 minutes of the game, when PSG were content to absorb the hosts’ pressure and got away with it.

The tie is far from out of reach for Arsenal, who did have their moments and coped as well as anyone has against this new-look PSG team that has emerged as Europe’s most entertaining side. That said, it was hard not to describe the Gunners as second best on Tuesday and as James Benge notes, their early mistakes proved costly.

• Benge: “For a quarter of the first half of this tie, one of the most powerful out-of-possession sides in the Champions League lost the run of itself. There’s a reason why Arsenal talk about the [Jurien] Timber penitentiary. When their right back has locked in this season, no one is escaping. The best left-wingers in Europe would have more success busting themselves out of Alcatraz. Maybe Khvicha Kvartskhelia is just better than all of them. It wouldn’t be much of a reach to claim as much. In those opening exchanges, there was no stopping the magnificent Georgian. Timber couldn’t cuff him before he poked the ball back to Ousmane Dembele for the opener.”

Tuesday’s outing in North London offered layered glimpses at both Arsenal and PSG, the latter of whom demonstrated a defensive approach in the final stages of the match that has not exactly been their trademark during their Champions League run. It sets up for an intriguing second game in the French capital next Wednesday, one in which the eventual winner will have to prove their worth in order to book a spot in the final.

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🇪🇸🇮🇹 Barcelona, Inter and their contrasting form

This week’s Champions League action concludes in Barcelona, where Hansi Flick’s side will host Inter in a battle between two teams at very different phases of their season.

This time last week, both were still treble hopefuls and while Barcelona’s hopes of lifting three trophies is still very much alive after Saturday’s Copa del Rey triumph, the same cannot be said for Inter. A four game winless run means they are now out of the Coppa Italia and have slid down to second place in Serie A’s title race, arguably making Barcelona the heavy favorites in this tie. La Liga’s leaders will still be without the injured Robert Lewandowski for Wednesday’s game, though the Copa del Rey win demonstrated Barcelona’s ability to score goals even without the Poland international. The 17-year-old Lamine Yamal will likely be the focal point of Barcelona’s game plan, making him Francesco Porzio’s pick for man of the match.

• Porzio: “The Spanish winger has been phenomenal this season, including in the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid on Saturday, where FC Barcelona’s 3-2 win awarded the team coached by Hansi Flick their second trophy of the season against Real Madrid. Inter are also suffering, and both Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni will have the most difficult task to contain the talent of Yamal on the left wing.”

Player availability is just as big a talking point for Inter, who just might be poised to welcome back Marcus Thuram after a spell on the sidelines. Thuram, the team’s second leading goalscorer with 17 goals across all competitions, missed their last three games with an adductor issue and it was unclear how fit he would be in time for Wednesday’s game in Barcelona. His availability will offer a big boost to Simone Inzaghi’s side, who did not score in any of their games during Thuram’s absence but will need to take advantage of Barcelona’s shaky goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to have any shot of advancing against their high-scoring opponent.

🔗  Top Stories

⏪ Arsenal-PSG rewind: Here’s a look at player ratings for PSG’s win at Arsenal, praise for Gianluigi Donnarumma, Thierry Henry’s impression of a mistake-prone Arsenal and Luis Enrique’s refusal to underestimate the Gunners in the second leg.

🇧🇷 Ancelotti, Brazil end talks: Brazil have reportedly ended negotiations with Real Madrid, likely bringing an end to the national team’s quest to hire manager Carlo Ancelotti.

❌ Stars fire Donaldson: The NWSL’s Chicago Stars fired Lorne Donaldson with the team in last place after six games. Assistant coach Masaki Hemmi will serve as the interim.

🇺🇸 NWSL power rankings: It was a big weekend for the Orlando Pride and San Diego Wave, while the Washington Spirit slipped in the latest edition of the NWSL power rankings.

🗣️ Juan Pablo Angel talks River Plate: Juan Pablo Angel joined Morning Footy to talk about River Plate’s chances at the Club World Cup and to talk about the team’s rising star, 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• UEFA Europa League: champion
  💰 THE PICK: Tottenham Hotspur to win the Europa League (+160) – The ups and downs of this season may not have left fans with a lot to cheer about but there is still a very reasonable chance that Tottenham Hotspur close this campaign with a valuable piece of silverware. Much as it was the case at the start of the season, Spurs are still the favorites to win the whole thing, their hopes likely aided by the bracket – they take on a Bodo/Glimt side that are the ultimate underdogs, and that’s without considering the fact that they are missing up to five starters through suspension and injury. Ange Postecoglou’s side, though, have the requisite tools to go all the way, especially with center backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven finally fit and playing again. Though it is too early for them to start dreaming about the final, they should like their chances against the teams on the other side of the bracket – Athletic Club have been a clear step or two behind La Liga’s best this season, while Spurs have already beat Manchester United three times this campaign.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

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