Soccer: Days of Reckoning in the UEFA Champions League - Miller picks Barcelona v Manchester United and Juventus v Ajax

It is the first of two days of reckoning for some of the biggest teams in Europe.

Tuesday has two ties that are very close, with Barcelona heading home to face Manchester United with a 1-0 advantage, while Juventus and Ajax will play in Turin even at 1-1, but with an away goal for Juventus.

Manchester United will attack, and will do its best to overcome a deficit much the way it did last round against PSG. Will this be a hill too high to climb against Lionel Messi and the Blaugrana?

Messi’s Ballon d”Or rival for the last decade, Cristiano Ronaldo, has lived for matches like Tuesday for years. He has won the competition three years in a row, four times in five years, and five times since 2008.

Ronaldo has made a career of scoring in meaningful matches, and against Ajax, he might be needed to score more than once.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Barcelona (-286) vs. Manchester United (+800), draw (+400), 3 p.m. (TNT and Fubo.tv)
THE PICK: Both teams to score yes (-110)

Juventus (-150) vs. Ajax (+400), draw (+290), 3 p.m. (Galavision and Fubo.tv)
THE PICK: Cristiano Ronaldo to score (-125)