Champions League: Can Bayern Munich Prolong Title Reign in Paris?

Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich’s reign as European champions is in serious danger of coming to an end. The Germans head into their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain down 3-2 after a terrific performance by Kylian Mbappe and the Parisians in Munich.

The Bavarians are now faced with a tough task to overturn that deficit in Paris without star man Robert Lewandowski and potentially a few more injured players.

But while the Champions League 2021 betting odds still have Bayern as slight favourites to win the match, PSG remain in prime position to move on to the semi-finals.

Talking Points

PSG hoping for Verratti return

PSG had the perfect preparation for their second leg against Bayern as they smashed Strasbourg 4-1 away from home over the weekend. The Parisians have had their problems in Ligue 1 this season, but they made short work of Strasbourg as they went 3-0 up by half-time.

Kylian Mbappe eyes to replicate his first leg form in PSG vs Bayern Champions League quarter-finals second leg — Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a goal for PSG during the first leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich

Kylian Mbappe, fresh off producing more Champions League 2021 highlights in the first leg in Munich, kept up his fantastic form with a goal and an assist. The 22-year-old has now scored 33 goals this season, including eight in the Champions League.

PSG delivered this impressive performance despite missing a handful of key players, including Neymar, who was suspended after getting sent off in their previous match against Lille.

Meanwhile, veterans Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos didn’t play after picking up injuries in the first leg, and the Italian pair of Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi are still out due to Covid.

Although, there is still a chance Verratti can feature in the second leg. The Italian would be a massive addition in midfield as his terrific passing can make the PSG counterattack even more dangerous.

The return of Leandro Paredes, who was suspended for the first leg, will also be huge for the home side. The Argentine midfielder had a goal and an assist in the win over Strasbourg.

Mauricio Pochettino played an aggressive counterattacking style in the first leg, which paid off with three away goals. It’s doubtful he will be that aggressive again at home, especially if Marquinhos will be unavailable to help protect their lead. But with Mbappe and Neymar, PSG will always be a major threat on the break.

Banged-up Bayern have a bunch of injury concerns

With Bayern’s huge quarter-final second leg coming up and a sizable lead atop the Bundesliga to spare, Hansi Flick fielded a second-string side to face Union Berlin over the weekend. Youngsters such as Jamal Musiala, Tiago Dantas, and Josip Stanisic were all handed rare starts.

But despite Musiala giving the German champions the lead, they were held to a 1-1 home draw after conceding a late equaliser.

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UEFA – Champions League

Like PSG, Bayern have a host of injury concerns at the moment. Leading scorer Robert Lewandowski, who was sorely missed in the first leg, will be out once again. And now, many others are in some doubt for the second leg.

Defenders Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez and midfielder Leon Goretzka were all ruled out over the weekend due to injury. Meanwhile, Serge Gnabry is still not ready to play due to Covid.

Flick subbed Sule off in the first half of the first leg due to his lack of pace against PSG’s forwards, and it remains to be seen whether he will actually start in the second leg. David Alaba also moved to defensive midfield against PSG after Goretzka was taken off, but the Austrian may need to fill in at centre-back if Hernandez is not fit to play.

Meanwhile, Bayern desperately need Gnabry to return in attack, especially with Lewandowski still out. They certainly created enough chances in the first leg – 31 shots in total to PSG’s six – but the likes of Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting, Kingsley Coman, and Leroy Sane were not clinical enough in front of goal.

History

This will be the 11th all-time Champions League meeting between PSG and Bayern Munich. PSG’s first-leg win has extended their head-to-head lead over Bayern, with six wins to four. There has yet to be a draw in their encounters.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are still yet to win a single game at Paris, losing all four of their visits to the French capital.

Betting Tip

	PSG vs Bayern Munich	1X2 Draw @ 3.65
	April 14, 03:00 (GMT+8)

Despite Lewandowski’s absence, SBOTOP odds still have Bayern installed as slight 2.32 favourites to beat PSG in the second leg in Paris. The French side are priced at 2.74, while a draw is 3.65.

There’s certainly a good case for Bayern to win the second leg. Despite going down 3-2 in Munich, they absolutely battered PSG for most of the match. And their overall approach for the second leg will not be all that different as they know they need to win by at least two goals to go through.

But Bayern’s need to score will likely leave them more vulnerable to PSG’s counterattacks led by Mbappe and Neymar, who can punish them dearly.

Bayern will valiantly fight till the end to defend their title. However, PSG should have enough to hang on for a draw at home and move on to the semi-finals.