Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups | OneFootball

Bayern Munich will be looking to hit the final nail in Paris Saint-Germain’s dreams of a European triumph this term when both sides trade tackles at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

The teams will face off for the 13th time in the Champions League, with each side winning six of the previous 12. It will be the most time PSG have ever faced a particular opponent in the competition.

Kingsley Coman’s second-half strike was enough to sink his former club at the Parc des Princes, and PSG will be out for blood when both sides renew hostilities in Germany.

With one foot already in the quarter-final, Bayern will do well to avoid a second last-16 exit from their last 12 Champions League campaigns. The last time they bowed out at this stage was in the 2018/19 campaign against eventual winners, Liverpool.

The German champions are facing a fight to retain their coveted crown for an astonishing 11th year in a row, with Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin giving them a run for their money.

However, Julian Nagelsmann’s side will head into the mouth-watering showdown off the back of consecutive wins with a combined scoreline of 5-1.

Bayern will be keen to push past Christophe Galtier’s side as they search for their first triumph in the competition since they overcame Thomas Tuchel’s PSG in the 2020 final.

Galtier’s long-term future at the French capital could hinge on the outcome of Wednesday’s showdown with the club desperate to finally clinch the trophy that has eluded them for several years.

Since faltering in the opening act three weeks ago, PSG have been on a rampage, swatting aside Lille, Olympique Marseille and Nantes.

The more recent 4-2 win over Nantes at the weekend will go down in the French club’s rich history as Kylian Mbappe etched his name into their record books as the club’s all-time top goalscorer surpassing Edinson Cavani.

However, there is little time for the 24-year-old superstar to bask in his glory while their European destiny hangs in the balance against familiar foes once again.

With the axe hovering dangerously above his head, Galtier knows what is coming if PSG are eliminated from the Champions League last 16 for the fifth time in seven seasons.

What is a worrying statistic to the French manager is the French giants have only progressed from one of their six Champions League knockout ties in which they have lost the first leg.

Match Preview

Bayern Munich

Bayern have not been eliminated from the Champions League after winning the first leg of a knockout tie since Inter Milan prevailed over them in the 2010/11 campaign.

The Bavarians have also won 15 of their last 17 top-tier European games at the Allianz Arena, including all three group-stage games this season (D1, L1) – although their only defeat in that run was against PSG in 2021.

Bayern also recorded three clean sheets in a row in that run. Meanwhile, not since April 2018 have they failed to score on home territory in the Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG are the only side left in the Champions League who haven’t kept a clean sheet in the competition this season.

Since October 2020, they have also failed to keep a European clean sheet on the road – a run of 12 games where their shaky defence has been breached.

Their first-leg defeat in Paris was just the sixth time in 19 games that they have lost the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie. They’ve progressed just once from this position, at this stage of the tournament against Borussia Dortmund in 2019/20.

Mbappe, whose last-minute strike against Nantes etched his name in PSG’s folklore, is on the verge of achieving another feat.

The Frenchman has scored in both of his Champions League away games against Bayern Munich, netting three goals in total. If he scores on Wednesday night, he will become the first player to score in three consecutive visits to the Allianz Arena in the competition.

Meanwhile, teammate Lionel Messi is also one goal away from becoming the second player to score 50 goals in the Champions League knockout stages (49 goals in 76 games), after Cristiano Ronaldo (67 goals in 85 games).

Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain Potential Line-ups

Bayern Munich (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs De Ligt; Kingsley Coman, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies; Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala; Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Paris Saint-Germain (3-5-2): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Danilo Pereira, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos; Achraf Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Marco Verratti, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes; Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe.

How to Watch?

Bayern vs PSG, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams.

And if you are interested in attending a future UCL game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.

Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain Prediction

Galtier will not have the full force of his fearsome attacking trio to call on with Neymar injured, but Messi and Mbappe have shown they can complement each other to devastating effects.

However, PSG’s shaky defence means Bayern will also have free reign to counter and exploit whichever weak links present themselves.

Both sides should have a fair go at it, but Bayern’s first-leg triumph should propel them to the next round through aggregate.

Bayern Munich 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain