Paris St. Germain – a big name in European football, even if the French are still waiting for the title in the Champions League. FC Bayern Munich has already won it three times and believes it is ready for the duel in Paris’s Prinzenpark.
For both teams, the dream destination this year is Istanbul, where the Champions League final will take place on June 10th. Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic wants “maximum success” and confirmed before leaving for Paris for the “treat for every football fan”: “We have respect, but not fear.”
Retirement would shake FC Bayern
The moment seems favorable to progress against the star ensemble of “PSG”, which comes up with world champion Lionel Messi, World Cup top scorer Kylian Mbappé and Brazil superstar Neymar. The French “giant” falters – for Bayern board member Oliver Kahn there are no excuses before the cracker duel in the premier class: “I’ve said many times that FC Bayern has to be successful internationally. We are measured by the fact that we are in play at the top of the Champions League!”
Another early exit after last year’s quarter-final defeat against outsiders FC Villarreal would indeed shake FC Bayern. With unforeseeable consequences, also for coach Julian Nagelsmann. “Everyone knows what kind of top stars they are, they are amazing players,” Salihamidzic warned of Messi and Co. Bayern would therefore “do well to concentrate on us. These are the games where you can show what you’re made of .”
Odds are fifty-fifty
Nagelsmann, who had seemed quite tense recently, expects “a game at eye level”, he estimates the chances like his sporting director “fifty-fifty”. But while his Bavarians have at least left their earnings crisis and the tiresome debate about captain Manuel Neuer (for the time being) behind them, PSG staggers alarmingly. The end of the cup at arch-rivals Marseille (1: 2) and the botched dress rehearsal in the league with a weak Neymar in Monaco (1: 3) have left their mark on the star ensemble from Qatar, who were supported with billions.
On Tuesday, however, Thomas Müller believes that none of this will play a major role. “We don’t have to talk about the extra class of Paris, it’s absolutely there,” he said – form or personnel problems. Paris, the veteran added respectfully, has numerous “magicians”.
Meet the best players in the world
The Bavarians know from painful experience what can happen when the artists get rolling. The 0: 3 in Paris in the group stage in 2017 cost coach Carlo Ancelotti the job. In the 2020 final, Munich prevailed thanks to Kingsley Coman and took the handle pot, but as the defending champions they failed the following year in the quarter-finals by a very narrow margin at PSG (2: 3 / 1: 0), who have so far been chasing the title in vain.
“The whole of Europe is looking forward to the new edition of the cracker,” said Leon Goretzka. Kahn expects “a great game with the best players in the world”, Nagelsmann sees a “tough opponent who has many world-class players”. But, he emphasized: “The same applies to us.” Paris will “not be extremely happy that they are playing against us”.
Nagelsmann is also spoiled for choice
Although he recently had success with a back three, Nagelsmann should choose the tried and tested line of four to counteract. Joshua Kimmich is back in charge of midfield after his ban against Bochum, while former PSG players Coman and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting could be preferred to Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry on offense.
And if it goes wrong? In the second leg on March 8th in Munich “we can straighten things out”, believes Müller.
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Source: BR24 02/13/2023 – 6:30 p.m
