1 year ago
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The teams are out! Bayern wear their red shirts, while PSG sport their third-choice white with broad blue stripe running down the middle. Think the classic 1970s Birmingham City effort, but in reverse. Zadok the Priest (Version) blasts out of the speakers. Rain pours from the Munich heavens. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Politics corner. “Shout out to Gary Lineker. Well done” – Jeff Sax.
Meanwhile over in Munich, local fans wave a banner picturing Bayern legend (and bratwurst manufacturer) Uli Hoeness metaphorically chopping off “the long arm of Qatar”, whose state airline appears to be one of the club’s less popular business partners.
Bayern Munich are coming off the back of a 2-1 win at Stuttgart last Saturday, their 16th win in 20 matches, and as ever they’re currently top of the Bundesliga. But they’ve not quite been at their dominant best this season, and having drawn seven and lost two of their 23 league games, are only ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Admittedly that difference is a whopping 25 goals, but the point stands: the title race in Germany is closer than usual.
PSG meanwhile beat Nantes 4-2 at the Parc des Princes last weekend. Their story in Ligue 1 is a little bit more predictable – they’re eight points clear of Marseille at the top – though they too aren’t quite their usual relentless selves this season, as illustrated by three consecutive defeats at the start of last month in the Coupe de France, Ligue 1 and the Champions League, by Marseille, Monaco and Bayern respectively.
If history teaches us anything, Bayern Munich are as good as through already. That’s because they’ve lost just one of the 27 European ties in which they’ve won away in the first leg. That outlier: Internazionale doing for them at this stage of the 2010-11 Champions League, winning 3-2 in Germany after Bayern won 1-0 at San Siro. Conversely, PSG have lost the first leg at home on six previous occasions and have gone on to lose every single tie. Bof. Previous results only carry so much weight, though, so the MBM’s not going to shut up shop yet. You never know.
Four players, two from each side, are walking the disciplinary tightrope tonight. Bayern duo Joshua Kimmich and Noussair Mazraoui, and PSG’s Marco Verratti and, surprise surprise, Sergio Ramos, are one booking away from a one-match European ban. Should any of them see yellow tonight, they’ll not play in the first leg of the quarter-final should their team make it through.
Bayern make three changes to the side selected to start their 1-0 win in Paris. Alphonso Davies, Josip Stanišić and captain Thomas Müller replace Leroy Sané and João Cancelo, who drop to the bench, and Benjamin Pavard, suspended as a result of crashing into Lionel Messi at the Parc des Princes.
PSG also make three changes to the starting XI they picked that night three weeks ago. Kylian Mbappé, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha come in for Carlos Soler and Warren Zaïre-Emery, who drop to the bench, and the injured Neymar.
The teams
Bayern Munich: Sommer, Stanisic, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies, Kimmich, Goretzka, Coman, Muller, Musiala, Choupo-Moting.
Subs: Ulreich, Gnabry, Sane, Wanner, Mane, Sarr, Cancelo, Blind, Gravenberch, Tel, Mazrqoui, Ibrahimovic.
Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Danilo, Nuno Mendes, Verratti, Vitinha, Fabian, Messi, Mbappe.
Subs: Letellier, Rico, Bernat, Sanches, Mukiele, Soler, Pembele, Bitshiabu, Zaïre-Emery, Gharbi, Ekitike.
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy).
Preamble
Three weeks ago this happened …
… and PSG are in their annual Champions League pickle. Will the biggest prize in club football remain tantalisingly out of their reach for yet another year? Or can they stun the six-time champions in their own back yard to turn this tie around and reach the quarters? Kick off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm in Munich. It’s on!
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