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The free-scoring Bayern Munich will take on the exciting Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of an intense 12-day knockout tournament in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
The Bavarians scored 18 goals from their 4 knockout matches and simply never looked like they could be stopped on their way to the finals. However, Paris Saint-Germain could prove to be their toughest test yet with the Parisians tenacity being a driving factor behind their reaching the finals.
It has been pretty straight forward for Robert Lewandowski and co. so far but it is going to be anything but that tonight. Let's take a look at 5 reasons why Bayern Munich will struggle against Paris Saint-Germain.
#5 Neymar and Kylian Mbappe's form
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have been in red hot form and they are two players that no defenders want to go up against one-on-one. The twinkle-toed Brazilian has been breaking ankles for fun through the knockout stages, leaving defenders lost in his wake or playing catch-up.
It was Mbappe's late entry as a sub that changed the game against Atalanta and with him fully fit, the duo are expected to pose a lot of problems to Bayern Munich's defence.
Alphonso Davies has been enjoying a good spell and has been getting involved in attack a lot lately as well. However, he will be pegged back more than usual because he will have Mbappe to contain.
#4 Paris Saint-Germain pace can destroy Bayern Munich's high backline
One of the main reasons why the Bundesliga champions have been able to dominate teams in the knockout stages was because they overload the opposition half with their central defenders maintaining a very high backline.
As a result, Bayern press very high up the pitch and always have a lot of options to turn to when they are on the ball. The most efficient way to circumvent a high-line is to get your attackers to use their pace to make runs in behind the defence.
Once the high backline is breached, Paris Saint-Germain's attackers will have acres of space ahead of them. As such, with the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, Icardi and Di Maria, Paris Saint-Germain always pose the threat of releasing one of them into Bayern's half and catching their defenders flat-footed.
As such, Bayern Munich will need to alter their tactics or be on their toes throughout the course of the game. This will, in itself, hamper Bayern Munich's momentum.
#3 Marco Verratti returns for Paris Saint-Germain
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that both Marco Verratti and Idrissa Gueye have been training with the team and that both are available to play the final for Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich.
He said,
"Marco and Idrissa trained with us after the Leipzig game without any problem... they are both available,"
"[Verratti's] injury was a knock. It wasn't muscular, so the risk is not big."
"It will be difficult for him to last 120 minutes or 90 minutes in the midfield tomorrow, but as long as nothing happens to him in training yes (he can play), and then we will see in the morning if he can start."
Ander Herrera, Leandro Paredes and Marquinhos had played as the midfield 3 for Paris Saint-Germain against RB Leipzig and did a very good job. However, now with Verratti back in the fray, Paredes is expected to lose his spot in the XI.
It is not sure if Gueye will be used from the start but the Verratti-Gueye partnership has worked excellently for Paris Saint-Germain more often than not. The Senegalese hounds opposition midfielders and storms into the final third to cause problems while the Italian dictates play from a deeper position.
#2 Boateng's fitness concerns exposes Sule
Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng will face a late fitness test on Sunday as he remains a doubt for the final. Paris Saint-Germain are one of the best attacking units in Europe and Bayern Munich will need their best defenders on the pitch to be able to negotiate the threat they pose.
If Boateng does not pass the fitness test then Hansi Flick will have to go with Niklas Sule and the 24-year-old is not yet equipped to dispense his duties at the heart of defence as well as the experienced Boateng can.
Bayern Munich manager Flick, meanwhile, insists that a personnel change does not translate to a tactical change.
“They have a lot of quality in their attack, perhaps similar to Barcelona on that score. Lyon played in a very direct style, they went straight towards goal and often played long balls forward into that spacing behind the defence.
“So it’s very important we are able to cut out those passing lanes so that we don’t afford the opposition space to play the ball into. Of course, Paris Saint-Germain have a lot of pace in the side. They’re a top team with some incredible players and it’s a very exciting match.
“But over the last 10 months, we’ve always tried to impose our style of play on the opposition. We’ve always played with a high line against the opposition and ultimately we’ve got results doing that. So we won’t change too much on that score,”
#1 Bayern Munich will not have the majority of possession as usual
With the likes of Verratti, Herrera, Marquinhos, Gueye and Di Maria always running around to have a look in, Bayern Munich might not be able to dominate possession against Paris Saint-Germain as they have often done so far this season.
But in all likelihood, Thomas Tuchel might set his team up to sit a little deeper in order to exploit the space left behind by the Bayern Munich defenders. As such, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielders might not be tasked with actively running balls down in midfield.
But whenever they win the ball back, they have experienced campaigners in the centre of the pitch who can hold on to the ball and keep it before looking to release their attackers
This will, in turn, cause Bayern Munich to be less adventurous and more conservative as well as they're well aware of Paris Saint-Germain's attacking impetus. Also, Paris Saint-Germain have the kind of players who can keep hold of the ball and dictate play if they need to.
