Champions League returns to action with massive games across Europe: Christian Pulisic's Milan host Liverpool

It's time to cue the UEFA Champions League anthem, because Europe's top club competition is officially back -- and bigger than ever. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a preview of this season's opening games ahead of a jam-packed week in Europe.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Sept. 16
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 League One: Birmingham City vs. Wrexham, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Seattle Reign vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 10 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network

Tuesday, Sept. 17
🇪🇺 UCL: Juventus vs. PSV, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UCL: AC Milan vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup: Manchester United vs. Barnsley, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

⚪ Real Madrid mount title defense

Three months after winning a record 15th Champions League title, Real Madrid return to the competition with their eyes fully on the prize and the expectation that they can extend the feeling of inevitability that dominated last season's run to the podium for another year.

Expectations are high on the reigning champions not only because of last season's triumph but because they ushered in a new era of the galacticos by signing Kylian Mbappe over the summer, adding him to an already high-profile attack that includes Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham. While Real Madrid have been dealing with some injuries to start the season, they may look closer to their star-studded selves on Tuesday when they host Stuttgart -- Carlo Ancelotti said that Bellingham and Aureline Tchouameni will be available for selection ahead of the Champions League clash.

Much as it was last season, Real Madrid's strength will be in its numbers, but all eyes will be on Mbappe as the countdown to his first goal for the club in the Champions League begins. While the pressure's on the team to continue their dominant streak, the spotlight is arguably more so on Mbappe than the group as a whole. The move to the Spanish capital is a reminder of the gap in his resume that is a Champions League title, but there's possibly a bit more at stake for the World Cup winner -- he is the heir apparent to Lionel Messi's title as the sport's biggest star, and therefore is expected to carve out an individual identity at Real Madrid as well as contribute to the collective.

The early returns are strong -- he's scored four goals in six games for the club and already marked his European debut with a goal in last month's UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta. The early period of the season has felt like a tepid soft launch for the new era of galacticos at Real Madrid, though, and the Champions League feels like a perfect opportunity to kick things into high gear.

Sponsored by Paramount+

🔗  Midfield Link Play

🔴 Liverpool return to the Champions League

The new Champions League format will take center stage on Tuesday as the league phase replaces the group stage, a change designed in part to deliver more competitive matchups earlier in the competition. At first glance, the fixture list on Matchday 1 will deliver just that with a handful of much-anticipated games, including Liverpool's trip to AC Milan on Tuesday.

The Game marks Liverpool's return to the comPetition after a year in the UEFA Europa League and more notably, their first European Game under new manager Arne Slot. The Dutchman's perfect start was snapped on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, failing to do much with their 69% possession and 14 shots as the opponents created a stubborn defensive block. As Geoff Shreeves notes, the performance raised questions about Slot's adjustment to fixture congestion for top-tier players, who were bogged down with national team commitments heading into this Game.

• Shreeves: "I think what we're seeing here is a coach getting used to a new league in a new country. It's after the international break, it's ahead of a big European week as well. … As to what he does and how much he tries to freshen things up, he's hardly changed anything at all in his first three games. I think he started exactly the same 11 that started against Manchester United. Now, you can understand [the idea to] never change a winning team but you also have to take into account international duty, games played and also miles covered."

The good news for Slot and company is that they do not have to wait long to reverse course and head to Italy as the favorites in their matchup against Milan, who only picked up their first win of the season on Saturday against a less-than-impressive Venezia team. U.S. men's national team star Christian Pulisic picked up a goal and assist over the weekend, doubling his total in both categories to start the season. It makes him an all-important figure for the hosts as they aim to kick off their European campaign as a high, and James Benge's player to watch in the headlining act of Tuesday's Champions League action.

• Benge: "We might be very much in the world of small sample sizes, but two goals and two assists in his first four Serie A games is as good a return as the USMNT star could wish for. In the likely event that Pulisic starts off the right, he may find himself empowered to attack a relatively weak point of this Liverpool side, Andrew Robertson not quite the force he was either with or without the ball. If Pulisic can ghost into space in the penalty box and get shots, he might just be able to win a game that looks set against Milan."

🔗  Top Stories

🇪🇺 UCL preview: Here are picks and predictions from the CBS Sports team ahead of Matchday 1, as well as power rankings including all 36 teams in the league phase.

🇫🇷 PSG post-Mbappe: Here's a look at how the new format impacts a Kylian Mbappe-less Paris Saint-Germain, plus Ousmane Dembele's hopes of stepping up as the team's main man.

❌ Olmo misses out: Dani Olmo will miss Barcelona's Champions League clash at Monaco on Thursday with a hamstring injury, but an in-form team will have other stars to call upon after a perfect start to the season.

🔴 Arsenal win NLD: Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Sunday despite missing a handful of stars, a sign that the Gunners are closer to the finished product than Spurs, who have room for improvement in the second year of a rebuild.

🌴 Messi returns in style: Lionel Messi returned to the pitch two months after sustaining an ankle injury, scoring twice in Inter Miami's win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

🇺🇸 Pochettino's U.S. arrival: Mauricio Pochettino was officially introduced as the new USMNT head coach in a press conference in New York on Friday, offering some much-needed optimism and a focus on American sports' winning culture as he prepares to help the team punch above their weight, much like he did as the Tottenham Hotspur manager.

🔵 Rabiot to Marseille: Marseille signed France international Adrien Rabiot over the weekend, a sign of intent in a league dominated by PSG.

📅 Fixture congestion complaint: Manchester City's Manuel Akanji said he could retire at 30 due to fixture congestion, citing the physical and mental toll it takes on players.

🔵🟡 Wimbledon's rise: Here's a look at the birth of AFC Wimbledon, which filled a void that was after Wimbledon FC became MK Dons.

💤 Rodman scores, snoozes: Trinity Rodman marked an impressive goal with an equally entertaining celebration for the second week in a row, scoring on an impressive solo effort in the Washington Spirit's win over the Houston Dash on Sunday and celebrating with a faux slumber.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• UEFA Champions League: Champions
  💰 THE PICK: Real Madrid to win the Champions League (+350) -- Picking Real Madrid to win the Champions League again might sound like the most boring bet to make, but it's actually the second-most boring pick -- Manchester City are actually the oddsmakers' favorites to win the title. The safe choice might not be the wrong one here considering the sense of inevitably that they played with throughout last season, which could only get better now that Kylian Mbappe is on the roster. Real Madrid may still be the team to beat, even if the odds favor City.
• UEFA Champions League: AC Milan vs. Liverpool

💰 THE PICK: Mohamed Salah to score (+145) -- Liverpool return to the Champions League after a year-long absence, and chances are high that manager Arne Slot will clinch a win in his first European match in charge of the team. Expect him to call upon the team's most reliable goalscorer Mohamed Salah to lead them to victory against an uneven AC Milan team, reversing course after Slot's first defeat for Liverpool.

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

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started 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, 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 Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 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+.