Paris Saint-Germain welcome Bayern Munich to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night as the pair face off in the first leg of a blockbuster UEFA Champions League semifinal. Luis Enrique will be hoping his side can take advantage of their intimidating home atmosphere and lay a platform for progression into a second successive UCL final.
PSG come into the game on the back of an important win over Angers with a heavily-rotated side, which saw them open up a six point lead to Lens with four games to go in Ligue 1. Having strolled past Liverpool in their UCL quarterfinal by a 4-0 aggregate scoreline, PSG have their eyes on a league and UCL double.
Bayern, meanwhile, have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title, and Vincent Kompany afforded a few of his stars some rest as they came back from 0-3 down to beat Mainz 4-3 over the weekend. The Bavarians will be aiming to repeat their 2-1 win over PSG in Paris from the UCL league phase earlier this season, where Luis DÃaz scored a brace before getting sent off close to half-time.
Bayern have defeated PSG in their last five games, and will be hoping to continue that run come Tuesday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Prime Video in the UK, Paramount+ in the U.S., SonyLiv in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET; 12:30 a.m. IST and 5 a.m. AEST)
Venue: Parc des Princes, France
Referee: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain)
Injury News
Paris Saint=Germain
Quentin Ndjantou, M: OUT, hamstring
Vitinha, M: DOUBT, heel
Bayern Munich
Sven Ulreich, GK: OUT, muscle
Cassiano Kiala, D: OUT, ligament
Lennart Karl, M: OUT, muscle
Serge Gnabry, F: OUT, thight
Tom Bischof, M: OUT, calf
Wisdom Mike, F: OUT, tendon
Talking Points
Attack vs Attack
It’s no secret that this is the UCL semifinal match-up that most are looking forward to. Bayern Munich are statistically the best attack in Europe, having scored a scarcely believable 167 goals from 49 games in all competitions this season, averaging 3.4 goals per game. PSG aren’t much further behind, only behind Barcelona (136, 2.61 gpg) and Bayern in Europe’s Top 5 leagues, with 125 goals from 49 games (2.55 gpg).
Both teams are also top-scorers in the UCL this season, with 38 goals each. It’s all set to be a goal-fest as these two attacking heavyweights slug it out — especially as PSG have never played out a goalless draw in 63 UCL knockout phase games.
Attempting to glean anything from the league phase fixture earlier this season would be injudicious, as while Bayern Munich held on to a 2-1 win despite going down to ten men at the break, PSG were a different beast. Luis Enrique’s side have now made a habit of late-season charges, and are much more fluent in attack than they were in November.
Ultimately this game could come down to how much of an appetite each manager has for risk — both Bayern and PSG rely on pinning their opponent in their own half, but with excellent transitional attackers on either side, it could go either way.
0:37
Luis Enrique: Ousmane Dembélé is a world class player
Paris Saint Germain manager Luis Enrique has praised Ousmane Dembélé’s performance in their 2-0 victory over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
Who will win the midfield battle?
With both teams equally dangerous in attack, one would naturally look at which defence is weaker to identify where the difference lies, but given the way both teams play, it’s their midfield that is usually decisive. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic overpowered Real Madrid‘s midfield in the quarterfinal, and should they repeat that performance this tie could very well be Bayern’s.
The midfield could prove even more complex for Luis Enrique as Vitinha is a doubt for this game as he recovers from an inflammation of his heel. Reports in France claim the Portuguese midfielder ought to be fit in time, but PSG might be cautious with his fitness. In João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Warren Zaïre-Emery they boast of a fantastic midfield anyway, but Vitinha’s combination of tenacity and calm on the ball might prove crucial when up against Bayern’s double pivot that leaves the opposition no room.
That was the case in the first half in the league phase tie in November, where PSG constantly lost the ball in midfield and Luis Diaz profited. However, if PSG’s quarterfinal tie against Liverpool is any indication, they seem to have sorted their balance, with PSG comfortable sitting off in the second leg, as well as imposing themselves in the first leg. That ability to be tactically flexible might prove crucial, especially since Vincent Kompany’s Bayern have stuck to their high-risk, high-pressing style all season long — even against Real Madrid’s transitional threat.
Could Manuel Neuer be the difference across two legs?
The margins are too close to call with two teams that are peaking at the right time of the season, the tie could be decided by the custodian in either net. Manuel Neuer had a nightmare against Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarterfinal, but his mental strength in never letting mistakes get to him saw the German legend make crucial saves late on.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was the difference in PSG’s semifinal against Arsenal last year, and while Matvei Safonov has been quietly impressive, he’s not yet a match-winner of Donnarumma’s ilk. Luis Enrique might well rue the decision to let Donnarumma go, especially as Lucas Chevalier‘s arrival as his replacement has not worked out.
Should this tie even go to penalties, Neuer’s experience in a shootout might prove crucial — and this is one aspect of the contest where Bayern have PSG firmly beat.
Time for the Ballon d’Or candidates to step up
1:50
Klinsmann: Kane is the player Bayern need to win the Champions League
Jürgen Klinsmann is full of praise for Harry Kane’s leadership skills on the pitch as Bayern Munich progress to the UCL semifinals.
Harry Kane has scored an incredible 53 goals this season in all competitions, which is already the most prolific of his career. He already has 12 goals this UCL campaign — a record for an Englishman — but he has yet to score against PSG, drawing a blank in two appearances against the French giants. Kane is certainly one for the big occasions and should he guide Bayern to the UCL crown, a Ballon d’Or that has evaded him all his career might finally be his.
Ousmane Dembélé might not have had as prolific a season as last year’s campaign, but he can still defend his Ballon d’Or title should he guide PSG to the final, and UCL glory once more. The Frenchman’s displays as a central striker allow the likes of Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to flourish, and against a Bayern defence that could physically overpower PSG’s frontline, Dembele’s nous could prove crucial.
While Kane and Dembele are putting up the numbers, it is Michael Olise who is grabbing all the headlines, and he did all the hype surrounding him no disservice with a stunning goal to end the tie against Real Madrid. The French winger has captured the attention of football’s younger audience with his nonchalance and style, but has backed that up with numbers as well with 48 goal involvements this season (19G, 29A). He faces quite the test in squaring up against Nuno Mendes however, who has kept some of the best wingers in the world quiet.
What do the numbers say?
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PSG could become the first-ever French team to win 100 UEFA Champions League games.
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Should Marquinhos make an appearance, he will equal Roberto Carlos’ record of the most UCL appearances (120) by a Brazilian.
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Nuno Mendes (23y, 313d) could break Cristiano Ronaldo‘s record (24y, 83d) of the youngest Portuguese player to reach 50 UCL appearances.
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Bayern Munich have lost their last five two-legged semifinals in the UEFA Champions League, winning the 2020 UCL semifinal against Lyon (which was a one-off tie).
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PSG have won only three of their last 11 games against German teams (3-2-6 W-D-L).
