Champions League
Before Bayern game: PSG surprises with squad
May 5, 2026 – 8:32 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
PSG wants to reach the final of the Champions League like it did in 2025, but to do so they also have to survive in Munich. The coach relies on an unusual bench.
Paris coach Luis Enrique surprised with his squad for the semi-final second leg of the Champions League at FC Bayern. In addition to Matvey Safonov as number one and substitute Renato Marin, the Spaniard called two other goalkeepers into his squad: the young goalkeepers Arthur Vignaud and Bilal Laurendon. Paris Saint-Germain traveled to Munich with four goalkeepers.
For comparison: In the first leg there were only two keepers in the Paris Saint-Germain squad, Safonov and Merin. Bayern had three goalkeepers with them: Manuel Neuer, Jonas Urbig and Sven Ulreich.
Meanwhile, Enrique will be without right-back Achraf Hakimi, as the Moroccan suffered a thigh injury in the first leg. The former Dortmund player is likely to be replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery, who would move back from midfield. “I’m prepared for anything,” said the 20-year-old. Coach Enrique did not reveal his line-up for the second leg.
Instead, he motivated his players before the semi-final second leg with a reference to Rafael Nadal. The former world tennis star once said that the extra class of his long-term rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djoković made him want to become even better. This is what Enrique hopes will happen to PSG on Wednesday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online) in Munich. “We admire Bayern, they play very good football. But it’s an extra motivation for us to beat someone who is so excellent,” he said.
His team already achieved this in the first leg, which they won 5-4 after a furious exchange of blows. “We have a small advantage, but it doesn’t mean anything,” warned the Spaniard. “We know that Bayern can easily make up for this one goal. But we can also score goals. We are not there to manage a result. We are there to win.”
