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In a repeat of last season’s Champions League final, Bayern Munich face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Die Roten have been in sensational form of late, winning all of their last seven games across various competitions by an aggregate score of 23-6.
Crunch time ?#UCL #FCBPSG #packmas pic.twitter.com/gVfCT0hR3r
— ???FC Bayern English??? (@FCBayernEN) April 6, 2021
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been far from perfect in recent weeks, with two defeats in their last three Ligue 1 outings – including a damaging 1-0 loss at the hands of title rivals Lille last time out – meaning their bid to secure a fourth consecutive French crown hangs in the balance.
However, Hansi Flick’s side will need to be at the top of their game to overcome a team who dismantled Barcelona in the previous round following a Kylian Mbappe masterclass at Camp Nou.
With some of the best players in the world on show it’s sure to be a mouthwatering contest, and here’s 90min’s preview of the upcoming clash…
When is the match? Wednesday 7 April
What time is kick off? 20:00 GMT
Where is it being played? Allianz Arena
TV Channel: BT Sport 3 (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz
VAR: Alejandro Hernández
The reigning champions will once again be without talisman Robert Lewandowski, with Flick confirming he wouldn’t be tempted into rushing the frontman back from injury.
Douglas Costa and Corentin Tolisso are also sidelined and unavailable for the clash, however Alphonso Davies and Jerome Boateng will both return to the side having sat out the weekend win over RB Leipzig due to suspension.
?? Today’s training at the Ooredoo#FCBPSG pic.twitter.com/lkogkCgLem
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 5, 2021
The French champions’ trip to Munich is expected to come too soon to see the return of Mauro Icardi, whose injury-plagued season shows no signs of taking a turn for the better, while Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi will also miss out having returned positive COVID-19 tests.
Leandro Paredes will also be absent for the first-leg clash due to suspension, meaning Ander Herrera could be restored to the starting XI.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Muller, Coman; Choupo-Moting
Paris Saint-Germain: Navas; Dagba, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Diallo; Gueye, Herrera; Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe; Kean
Bayern Munich
RB Leipzig 0-1 Bayern Munich – Bundesliga – 03/04/2021
Bayern Munich 4-0 Stuttgart – Bundesliga – 20/03/2021
Bayern Munich 2-1 Lazio – Champions League – 17/03/2021
Werder Bremen 1-3 Bayern Munich – Bundesliga – 13/03/2021
Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund – Bundesliga – 06/03/2021
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG 0-1 Lille – Ligue 1 – 03/04/2021
Lyon 2-4 PSG – Ligue 1 – 21/03/2021
PSG 3-0 Lille – French Cup – 17/03/2021
PSG 1-2 Nantes – Ligue 1 – 14/03/2021
PSG 1-1 Barcelona – Champions League – 10/03/2021
The loss of arguably the best centre-forward in the world would be a blow to any team, but the Bayern juggernaut just keeps rolling on. A weekend Bundesliga win over RB Leipzig – their closest challengers for the German title – proved they’ve got what it takes to power on without the Polish hitman.
As for PSG, Pochettino’s time at the club probably hasn’t gone as smoothly as he would have liked, but with their fair share of world class players available to them they can blow any side away if everything clicks into place.
This should be a great game and it could be decided by a moment of brilliance or an individual error.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain
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