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UEFA Champions League Preview: PSG hosts RB Leipzig, Inter Milan faces Real Madrid, and more

Paris Saint-Germain finds itself in an unfamiliar position heading into Tuesday’s clash with RB Leipzig in France.

The Ligue 1 side sits third in Group H with three points from three matches, and is coming off a Matchday 3 loss to the Bundesliga club. Thomas Tuchel’s side will be favored to bounce back at home especially with star scorer Kylian Mbappe back fit for the club. RB Leipzig is unbeaten in three matches across all competitions, and currently sits second behind leaders Manchester United.

Wednesday sees Real Madrid travel to Inter Milan in Group B play with both teams currently outside of the top two spots. Los Blancos have failed to win in their last two league matches, but did edge Inter 3-2 back on Matchday 3. The Serie A hosts are bottom of the group, but luckily did down Torino in league play to provide some confidence going into this week’s must-win affair.

Elsewhere, Chelsea travels to Stade Rennes on Tuesday while red hot Liverpool welcomes Serie A side Atalanta to Merseyside a day later.

Here is a closer look at the top matches this week in UCL play:

Paris Saint-Germain vs. RB Leipzig

(Tuesday, 3 p.m., FuboTV/CBS All-Access)

Paris Saint-Germain will need a win against RB Leipzig to avoid falling even farther away from qualifying for the UCL Round of 16. The Ligue 1 giants come in with two losses in the competition already and fell 3-2 at the weekend to Monaco in league play. Luckily for Thomas Tuchel, he has Kylian Mbappe back and scoring goals, and Neymar available to help produce in the attack.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side is riding a three match unbeaten run in all competitions coming into Wednesday’s match. A 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt saw Yussuf Poulsen score to earn the visitors a point, a confidence boost for the Danish forward. Tyler Adams could have a big role to play for RB Leipzig, dealing with the likes of Neymar and Mbappe in the star-studded PSG attack.

Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid

(Wednesday, 3 p.m., TUDN/UniMas/FuboTV/CBS All Access)

Both Inter Milan and Real Madrid are looking up towards the top of Group B after struggling in the early stages of group stage play. Inter Milan has won only once in its last five matches, beating Torino 4-2 in Serie A play this weekend. Lautaro Martinez will be the man to watch with three goals in his last three appearances, while Romelu Lukaku is also coming off a brace in domestic action.

Real Madrid has failed to win its last two league matches since a 3-2 victory over Inter Milan on Matchday 3. A 4-1 loss to Valencia before the international break was followed up by a 1-1 draw with Villarreal this weekend. Karim Benzema remains the key attacker for Zinedine Zidane’s attacking corps with two goals in his last three outings.

Rennes vs. Chelsea

(Tuesday, 3 p.m., FuboTV/CBS All-Access)

Group E play gets underway early on Tuesday with Chelsea paying Ligue 1 side Stade Rennes a visit. Frank Lampard’s Blues have won five matches in a row across all competitions, most recently defeating Newcastle United 2-0 on Saturday. Lampard will not have Christian Pulisic available, but Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham have six combined goals between them in the last three victories.

Rennes sits at the bottom of the group with only one point from three matches. The French side will need a total team effort to get a result against the in-form visitors, especially after losing three matches in a row of its own. Eduardo Camavinga is a rising talent, but even he will need help to break down a stubborn Chelsea backline.

Liverpool vs. Atalanta

(Wednesday, 3 p.m., FuboTV/CBS All-Access)

Group D leaders Liverpool will look to remain perfect in UCL play with Serie A side Atalanta coming to Anfield on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp’s side has found its groove since a 7-2 beatdown by Aston Villa back in early October, winning six of its last eight matches. While Mo Salah and Sadio Mane are top talents, Diogo Jota is on a terrific run of form, scoring six goals in his last five matches.

Atalanta could kickstart a late push towards advancing from the group with a victory on Merseyside. The visitors has drawn its last two league matches after being pummeled 5-0 by the Reds on Matchday 3 in Bergamo. While defensively they have to be much better to earn a result, Duvan Zupata and Josip Ilicic need to be effective against a streaky Liverpool backline.

Here is a full schedule of this week’s UCL action (All times Eastern):

TUESDAY

12:55 p.m. – Krasnodar vs. Sevilla
12:55 p.m. – Rennes vs. Chelsea
3 p.m. – Dynamo Kyiv vs. Barcelona
3 p.m. – Chelsea vs. Rennes
3 p.m. – Borussia Dortmund vs. Club Brugge
3 p.m. – Juventus vs. Ferencvaros
3 p.m. – Manchester United vs. RB Leipzig
3 p.m. – Lazio vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
WEDNESDAY
12:55 p.m. – Olympiakos vs. Manchester City
12:55 p.m. – Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
3 p.m. – Liverpool vs. Atalanta
3 p.m. – Marseille vs. FC Porto
3 p.m. – Atletico Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
3 p.m. – Ajax vs. Midtjylland
3 p.m. – Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid
3 p.m. – Bayern Munich vs. Red Bull Salzburg

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