The French top club Paris Saint-Germain, fed with billions from Qatar, has been chasing a triumph in the Champions League for years. All major investments have so far not borne fruit – and this season, too, the star ensemble from the city of love is threatened with premature failure in the “premier class”.
Because following the 1-0 away win in the round of 16 first leg in the Prinzenpark, the trend before today’s return match (9 p.m., ServusTV, Sky) in Munich’s Allianz Arena speaks for FC Bayern.
But a goal isn’t much and PSG’s offensive power is well-known beyond national borders. Even without Neymar, who has to end the season with a ligament injury, coach Christophe Galtier’s team is full of playfulness. That was underpinned by the recent 4-2 win over Nantes, to which Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe contributed goals.
The 24-year-old became the club’s sole record scorer with his 201st competitive goal in a PSG shirt. Mbappe had previously shared the record with Edinson Cavani. “I play football to make history,” emphasized the lightning-fast attacker: “I think we’re favourites. We’re going to Munich to win and get promoted.” And if it takes a hat trick of his own to do so, then so be it.
Image: APA/AFP/MICHAELA REHLE
But the first duel showed that FC Bayern, who are not celebrating high-gloss football at the moment, can also break their teeth. It’s not often that PSG have a zero in front. “This game is a global focus, the Allianz Arena will be great fun, we’re all excited for this match,” said FCB midfielder Leon Goretzka.
Defender Matthijs de Ligt verbally keeps the ball flat: “Mbappe and Messi are two very good strikers. It will be very difficult. We have to deliver a top performance and be extra focused.” If, like last time in the 2-1 win in Stuttgart, the sluggishness creeps in in the finish, Bayern will have problems. No ifs and buts.
Two hearts in one chest
Irrespective of this, the balance sheet in this show of the superstars – the PSG squad has a market value of 889.05 million euros, that of the Munich team even amounts to 995.70 million. In twelve matches in the Champions League, the victories were shared brotherly (6:6), there was not a single draw.
However, Bayern won the most important match: namely the 2020 final in front of a corona-related ghost backdrop in Lisbon. Born in Paris, Kingsley Coman was not only the match winner when it was 1-0, but also in the first leg three weeks ago. First with the head, then with the right foot. Versatility characterizes the 26-year-old international.
Spectacle with extension?
“We all know how much I love PSG, even if I don’t say it every time. I have a lot of respect for this club, which I’ve played for for seven years,” Coman explained. Sounds like two hearts beating in one chest.
The last showdown in Munich to date went to PSG on April 7, 2021. Mbappe contributed two goals, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – now Bayern goalgetter – one to the 3-2 victory. A result like that following 90 minutes would mean a long evening today due to the abolition of the away goals rule, then there would be extra time and maybe even penalties.
Author
Alexander Zambarloukos
Sports Editor
Alexander Zambarloukos
