Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion, is waiting for FC Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. The French are in good form and their style of play is causing concern for their opponents. But not everything goes according to plan.
There are no easy titles to win in professional football anymore, but the class of opponents that FC Bayern Munich will face on the way to a possible Champions League triumph are particularly tough.
Tough list of opponents for Bayern
After meeting club world champions Chelsea (3:1), Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain (2:1) and Arsenal FC (1:3) in the league phase, they faced Europa League champions Atalanta Bergamo (6:1, 4:1) in the round of 16 before feared opponents Real Madrid (2:1, 4:3).
With the exception of the defeat against Arsenal, coach Vincent Kompany’s team did not fail in any of these challenges. As a reward, you can now play against PSG again in the semi-finals, before either Arsenal or Atletico Madrid await again in a potential final.
Great Bayern respect for PSG
You don’t want to look that far along the Isar. The focus is on the next task. In this case the duel with PSG. “We’ve now played against Paris three times in a relatively short space of time. Won twice, lost once. It was always very, very close,” Joshua Kimmich said after the quarter-final against Real.
There is great respect for the French, even though they swept over Paris in the first half of the league phase duel until Luis Diaz was sent off.
PSG with strong form before Bayern duel
But PSG is now acting differently. Ousmane Dembele and Co. have won seven of their last eight games in all competitions, keeping six clean sheets and only conceding three goals.
For comparison: Bayern have won all of their most recent eight matches, but have only kept three clean sheets. The German record champions have allowed eight goals in the last four meetings alone.
High pressing as PSG trademark
The truth, however, is that the Munich team continued to rotate massively due to the championship being finally decided, a luxury that PSG coach Luis Enrique can only afford to a limited extent. The Spaniard’s team leads the Ligue 1 table, but has RC Lens breathing down its neck with four games to go.
Even if PSG has had a mediocre start to the season, the 13-time French champions should not be underestimated at the moment. The aggressive pressing leaves opposing teams little time to build up the game. And despite the high start, the defensive stability is not lost, as shown by 25 goals conceded from 30 Ligue 1 games.
Interior defense as an anchor for the artists
The central defenders have a special role in Enrique’s system. While all other players rotate fluidly on the field, similar to the way they interpret their roles very variably under Kompany’s FC Bayern, the central defense is excluded from the wild interplay. Marquinhos and the 23-year-old Ukrainian Ilya Zabarnyi, who moved to Paris for 63 million last summer, act as anchors in the PSG system, providing orientation and security to the rest of the team. Captain Marquinhos and Zabarnyi bring the necessary physicality and duel strength to PSG’s delicate structure – and with their disciplined play they allow the offensive artists to take the necessary freedom.
Above all, a former Dortmund player benefits from this. Enrique ordered Dembele from the wing into the middle of the attack, where Dembele developed even more power than he already did. A tactic that was so successful that Dembele won the Ballon d’Or.
Impersonation will come with Champions League title rewarded
The time of the brilliant but lazy divas on the Seine is over. Instead of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, they rely on Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Joao Neves. Young, highly gifted players who are not above defensive work.
A concept that worked in the first year after Mbappe’s departure and was rewarded with the Champions League title. In addition to the changed team structure and the new style of play, one move by Enrique in particular was responsible for the greatest success in the club’s history.
Problems at PSG
However, not everything Enrique touches in Paris turns into gold. Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, signed in the summer as a replacement for Gianluigi Donnarumma, was unable to assert himself, so the team fielded regular number two Matvey Safonov.
In addition, AS Monaco (3:2, 2:2) and Olympique Lyon (1:2) recently provided illustrations of how you can annoy Paris despite their improving form. The personnel situation is not optimal.
Vitinha and Hakimi hit in front of Bayern
Director Vitinha was recently missing with an ankle injury and Achraf Hakimi was substituted in the 3-0 win against Angers. The duo was able to train on Monday, but is unlikely to be at 100 percent.
In contrast to the 2-1 win against Bayern in the first half of the season, Doue is fit for this. The 20-year-old was an important factor in the duel in the Club World Cup quarter-finals (2-0) with his 1-0 win. It is quite possible that he will also play a leading role in this duel.
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Source: BR24 Radio April 27, 2026 – 12:54 p.m
