USMNT midweek viewing guide: Halfway to the knockout stage

The Champions League group stage has reached its midpoint, and this week begins the second half, as the knockout stage looms larger.

By Justin Moran@kickswish Oct 11, 2022, 8:39am PDT

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Three games down, three to go. The results will determine which USMNT players play in the Champions League knockout round. Let’s get into it!

Tuesday

Maccabi Haifa v Juventus, 12:45p on Paramount+, ViX, ViX+: Weston McKennie and Juventus need to pick up points, as they sit third in Group H, behind PSG and Benfica (7 pts each). Josh Cohen and Haifa have zero points and a -6 goal differential.
AC Milan v Chelsea, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Christian Pulisic and the Blues host Sergiño Dest and Milan in Group E, the reverse fixture from last week. Group E is very tight: Salzburg with 5 points, Chelsea and Milan, 4, and Zagreb with 3.
Borussia Dortmund v Sevilla, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Gio Reyna’s minutes may be limited for Dortmund, who sit second-place in Group G (Man City 9 pts, Dortmund 6, Sevilla and Copenhagen 1 each).

Also in action:

Celtic v RB Leipzig, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Cameron Carter-Vickers and Celtic host Shakhtar in Group F. Celtic have just 1 point from 3, and need to turn things around quickly if they hope to join group leaders Real Madrid in the knockout stage.
PSG v Benfica, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: John Brooks (2 appearances, 2 minutes total) and Benfica are joint-top of Group H, even with PSG at 7 points.

Rangers v Liverpool, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Malik Tillman, James Sands, and Rangers sit bottom of Group A, with zero points, zero goals, and 9 goals allowed.
Puebla v América, 8:06p on TUDN, fuboTV (free trial), TUDN.com: Alejandro Zendejas and Las Águilas go on the road to face Jozy Altidore and Puebla in Liga MX’s playoff quarterfinal.

Also in action:

Atlético Madrid v Club Brugge, 12:45p on Paramount+, ViX, ViX+: Owen Otasowie is unlikely to feature for Brugge, who are off to a splendid start, taking all 9 points. Atléti have just 3 points, and will be looking to turn the tables at home in the Calderón.
Tottenham v Eintracht Frankfurt, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Timmy Chandler and Frankfurt are joint-second in Group D, even on points with home favorites Spurs. Chandler has gotten off the bench one time for 11 minutes so far in the competition.
Independiente v Barracas Central, 6p on Paramount+, Fanatiz, AFA Play: Alan Soñora and Independiente sit 17th of 28 in Argentina, with 24 matches played.

Bodø/Glimt v Arsenal, 12:45p on TUDN, Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, ViX+: Matt Turner and the Gunners sit top of Europa League Group A, having won 2 of 2, scoring 5 goals, and giving up just 1.
Union Berlin v Malmö, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Jordan Pefok and Union are third in Europa Group D, with one win from three.

Also in action:

PSV v FC Zürich, 3p on Paramount+, ViX+: Richy Ledezma and PSV are tied with Bodø for second in Group A, and will look for 3 points. On paper, this is the easiest match of the group stage, as they face last-place Zürich at home.
Real Sociedad v FC Sheriff, 3p on Paramount+, ViX: Jonathan Gómez seems unlikely to feature for La Real, but I’ll continue to list him here, since he is included in their Europa League squad list.

That’s it! Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s see which USMNT players impress this week!