When Paris Saint-Germain plays Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 match on Tuesday at Parc des Princes, the champions of France and Germany will square off in the Champions League.
While the Bavarians hope to win the Champions League trophy for the seventh time, PSG is hopeful that 2023 will mark the end of their lengthy wait.
Team Form
PSG
Christophe Galtier’s team travelled to the principality to play Monaco on Saturday, hoping to return to winning ways after being eliminated from the Coupe de France by Marseille.
However, PSG returned to the capital empty-handed after a humiliating 3-1 loss, with all four goals coming in the first half.
PSG had anticipated facing a little less difficult opponent in the round of 16. Still, despite being tied with Benfica on 14 points, they were forced to settle for second place in the group after falling short of the Portuguese powerhouses on away goals scored.
The French champions will need to take home advantage if they were to avoid a second consecutive last-16 exit (they were defeated by eventual winners Real Madrid at this stage last season).
Having won 12 and drawn three of their 15 home games this season, they will undoubtedly be confident they can take the lead to Germany.
PSG UCL Form: W W D D W W
PSG Form (All Competitions): W D W W L L
Bayern Munich
When Bayern returned from the winter break with three straight 1-1 draws, it amounted to a mini-crisis by their lofty standards, but Bavaria has since returned to normal.
In victories over Mainz and Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga, respectively, Julian Nagelsmann’s free-scoring team scored four goals. The following weekend, they warmed up for their midweek Champions League match with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bochum thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman, and Serge Gnabry.
Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin are only separated from Bayern by one point and three points, respectively, in the Bundesliga standings due to their previous draws.
Bayern breezed through a challenging group that included Barcelona and Inter Milan to advance to the knockout stages without dropping a single point.
They now have the opportunity to win their first seven games of a Champions League campaign for the second time, having already accomplished this feat in the 2019–20 season.
Bayern Munich UCL Form: W W W W W W
Bayern Munich Form (All Competitions): D D D W W W
A look back at our #UCL results so far this season 👀#packmas pic.twitter.com/n2vtsb9FgP
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) February 13, 2023
Squad Report
PSG
Due to a hamstring injury, Lionel Messi could not play against Monaco, but according to Galtier, the World Cup winner will be ready to face Bayern on Tuesday. Marco Verratti, who is also expected to make his return from injury, may also play.
After missing the previous three games due to a thigh injury, Kylian Mbappe participated in a training session on Sunday, but it is still unclear whether he will be ready to play in the first leg.
PSG hopes Fabian Ruiz can recover from a stomach ailment that prevented him from playing in the Monaco loss to take his place in the starting lineup. Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele are both absent due to their respective injuries.
Kylian Mbappé makes PSG squad for Champions League game vs Bayern. pic.twitter.com/tTzYxL874w
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 13, 2023
Bayern Munich
To replace Manuel Neuer, who is out for the remainder of the season, Yann Sommer was acquired from Borussia Monchengladbach in January. The Swiss international will look to keep his debut Champions League match for Bayern.
Sadio Mane, Lucas Hernandez, Ryan Gravenberch, and Noussair Mazraoui are still injured. Joshua Kimmich will join Leon Goretzka in the middle of the field after serving a suspension.
Although Muller has insisted the calf injury he suffered at halftime on Saturday is not serious, Nagelsmann may opt against taking any chances and choose to bench the 33-year-old.
Paris Saint-Germain’s possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mendes; Ruiz, Pereira, Verratti; Soler, Neymar, Messi
Bayern Munich’s possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Cancelo, De Ligt, Upamecano, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka, Sane, Musiala, Coman; Choupo-Moting
Head to Head
In the 11 games played between the two teams, PSG has won six, compared to Bayern Munich’s five, giving them a small advantage in the UEFA Champions League.
PSG has only lost one of their five home matches in the UEFA Champions League versus Bayern Munich, but they did lose their most recent matchup in April 2021.
PSG vs Bayern Munich head-to-head record: 🏆🇪🇺
PSG wins: 6
Bayern Munich wins: 5
Draws: 0Goals scored by PSG: 15
Goals scored by Bayern Munich: 15 pic.twitter.com/oDeivvLkWR— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) February 14, 2023
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Tuesday, February 14
Time: 08:00 pm, GMT
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
Prediction
The different defences may not contain the tremendous firepower each club has available in this intriguing match between two European giants.
Although we anticipate an interesting match on Tuesday, we anticipate back-and-forth momentum to lead to a drawn first leg.
