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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash later tonight. The tie seems to be a mouthwatering prospect as the two dominant teams face-off in the early knockout stages of the competition.
PSG have never won the coveted Champions League trophy despite being highly successful in France over the last decade. Many great players, including Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, plied their trade in Paris but were unable to win the 'Big Ears'. Now, with Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe in their ranks, the Parisians will look to win it.
Bayern, on the other hand, last won the competition in the 2019-20 season when they defeated PSG 1-0 in the final. It was their sixth Champions League triumph in their illustrious history. With a young manager and young talent in the squad, the Bavarians will look to maintain their consistent performances in the knockouts.
While both sides have their strengths and weaknesses, the scales seem to be tipping towards Bayern rather than PSG. Here are five reasons why:
#5. PSG have faltered across competitions recently
The Parisians went into the World Cup break on a tear as they won 10 consecutive games. However, they have been unable to achieve the same heights since returning, winning five, losing four, and drawing one of their last 10 games.
The worrying part is that all of those defeats came against teams in and around the top four. PSG lost to RC Lens, AS Monaco and Stade Rennais in Ligue 1, while Marseille knocked them out of the Coupe de France.
PSG lost 2-1 to Marseille before Wissam Ben Yedder and Monaco humbled them with a scoreline of 3-1. It is the first time this season that the Parisians could be on the brink of losing three-in-a-row.
#4. Fitness concerns around Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has been one of the world's best players over the last few years, scoring and assisting goals for fun for both club and country. He has scored 25 goals and provided six assists in just 26 appearances across competitions for PSG this season. However, he was subbed off in the 3-1 win over Montpellier with an injury.
He had quite the 21 minutes before being forced off. Mbappe missed a penalty, was given a retake and missed that too, and topped it off by missing the rebound as well.
However, there is some good news for PSG fans as Mbappe has been named in the 22-man squad to face Bayern Munich.
Whether or not he makes it to the matchday squad remains to be seen.
#3. Neymar has struggled to replicate early-season form
Neymar made a stunning start to Ligue 1 as he hit the ground running with double figures in both goals and assists before the World Cup break. He racked up 11 goals and provided 10 assists in the league before traveling to Qatar with the Brazilian team.
However, since returning, Neymar has not been able to replicate the same form, scoring just one goal in four league appearances. With concerns around Messi and Mbappe and whether they will be a 100% for a crunch game against Bayern, all eyes will be on the Brazilian.
#2. Bayern Munich have the better squad depth
Bayern have a strong starting XI, which got stronger as Joao Cancelo joined in January on loan from Manchester City. In their Bundesliga win over VFL Bochum, theyed play an interesting 3-1-4-2 formation with Yann Sommer in goal, Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, and Mathijs De Ligt making a formidable defense.
Leon Goretzka played as the deep-lying midfielder, with Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala operating in half-spaces. Cancelo and Serge Gnabry were given the license to bombard wide areas with pace as Thomas Muller and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting occupied central areas.
Joshua Kimmich was suspended for that game, but could start tonight instead of a forward should Nagelsmann adopt a conservative approach.
Bayern have Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman, Daley Blind and youngster Mathys Tel as options off the bench. PSG, on the other hand, are quite short-handed with injuries piling up.
#1. PSG always seem to choke on the big stage
PSG are a team that always has enormous expectations of themselves considering the investments the owners have made into personnel and infrastructure. However, they have been unable to perform to their highest standards in the Champions League.
Since returning to the competition in 2012-13 after an eight-year absence, the Parisians have bowed out in the round of 16 five times, four times in the quarter-finals, once in the semi-finals, and lost the final 1-0 in 2019-20 to Bayern Munich.
They also seem to tuck their tails in front of other juggernauts across Europe. Out of those eliminations, three came at the hands of FC Barcelona, twice each by Real Madrid and Manchester City, and once against Bayern, Chelsea, and Manchester United.
However, Christophe Galtier will be looking to turn things around starting tonight.
