UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 schedule, live stream, storylines: How to watch UCL on Paramount+

After an entertaining debut for the new format two weeks ago, the UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday with another slate of much anticipated matches. Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Arsenal is the headlining act of Matchday 2 when they will offer a true glimpse of their potential post-Kylian Mbappe, but it is just one of a few high-profile matchups. Bayer Leverkusen will take on a resurgent AC Milan, buoyed by an in-form Christian Pulisic, while Aston Villa’s first Champions League night at home in four decades comes against top of the table Bayern Munich.

A handful of top sides, meanwhile, eye their first wins of the campaign after some very competitive games in Matchday 1. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will look for their first win of the campaign as they settle into life without Rodri, who picked up an ACL injury a week ago. Barcelona, meanwhile, could offer a debut to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after luring him out of retirement to pitch in while Marc-Andre ter Stegen recovers after tearing his patella tendon.

Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.

How to watch

Paramount+ will have every minute of Champions League action for Matchday 2, while CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will offer additional coverage. The UEFA Champions League Today pre-match and post-match shows will air on both Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, while Paramount+ will be the home of The Golazo Show and every game on Matchday 2. CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network will each have select games, while CBS Sports Golazo Network will close out each day’s action with new episodes of Scoreline and the Champions Club.

Matchday 2 TV schedule

All times Eastern

Storylines for Matchday 2

1. PSG’s big post-Mbappe test

Paris Saint-Germain might be off to an unbeaten start this season, but their 1-0 win over Girona to open their Champions League campaign offered a mixed bag of takeaways for a youthful team. They benefited from Paulo Gazzaniga’s 90th minute own goal, doing little with their 26 shots and 2.1 expected goals. Their otherwise dominant performance, though, suggests that there’s reason to be optimistic about Luis Enrique’s team as they map out life without Mbappe – even if the jury’s still out on how good they are right now.

Tuesday’s trip to Emirates Stadium should provide some answers to questions about PSG’s prospects. Arsenal boast perhaps Europe’s best defense, which will require Enrique’s attackers to improve upon their performance from Matchday 1 if they plan to find the back of the net on Tuesday. The match will also offer a valuable glimpse at PSG’s defensive shape, since they have gone fairly untested in that category to start the season, though the visitors’ saving grace might be Arsenal’s hit-and-miss offensive effort in Martin Odegaard’s absence. The final result is unlikely to be a true indictment on Enrique’s long-term vision for PSG, but rather a progress report on how much work a young team needs before they re-enter the conversation as a contender for Europe’s top club prize.

2. AC Milan’s redemption tour

This time two weeks ago, it felt like the lone bright spot for AC Milan this season was Pulisic, who was having no problem creating and scoring goals even if his team was struggling to win. Ahead of Matchday 2, though, Milan are correcting course and look like a real contender against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Pulisic has not stopped scoring – he’s now five goals and two assists in seven games – but he is now accompanied by a team that’s finally figuring themselves out. Alvaro Morata, Theo Hernandez and Matteo Gabbia have joined Pulisic on the scoresheet in the last couple of weeks, most notably in the 2-1 win over Inter that offered a first vote of confidence in new manager Paulo Fonseca. Milan are now on a three-match winning streak in Serie A play, a strong position to be in against Leverkusen on Tuesday. Though the German champions are in fine form, most notably in their 4-0 win over Feyenoord on Matchday 1, they have been fairly porous in the back, conceding 10 goals in five league games.

It could be the perfect set-up for a big performance from Milan, especially as they look for their first points of their European campaign.

3. Litmus tests for Villa, Bayern

The most high-profile match scheduled for Wednesday is Bayern Munich’s trip to Aston Villa, a matchup between two in-form teams. Bayern were the most dominant team in Matchday 1 with their 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb and remain top of the Bundesliga after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, a match they dominated despite being somewhat neutralized in attack. They are the oddsmakers’ favorites to win at Villa Park this week, though not for a lack of effort on Aston Villa’s part. They have four wins in six games to start their Premier League season and are just two points off leaders Liverpool, and also kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win at Young Boys.

For both, it still feels a little too early to say if this early form will last, which is why Wednesday’s faceoff comes with layers of intrigue. Scoring goals has not been a problem for Bayern at all this season while Villa have been vulnerable in the back, conceding nine goals in six league games. That pain point for Unai Emery’s team could benefit Bayern, especially since Villa have kept things tighter than need be in games against Ipswich Town, West Ham and Everton, but defense is not exactly Byern’s strength, either. Vincent Kompany’s side have conceded six goals in six games across all competitions, which could be good news for Villa after scoring 17 goals in eight games.

An entertaining game could be in store in the on Wednesday, which perhaps feels fitting for the first Champions League for at Aston Villa in four decades.