Overview
Both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich chose an open attacking style in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals last week, creating a breathtaking score chase with a total of 9 goals.
The trio Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia helped PSG dominate for most of the match, directly contributing to 7 goals. However, Bayern still managed to narrow the score from 2-5 to 4-5 in just the last few minutes, making the second leg more unpredictable than ever.
Coach Vincent Kompany had to watch the match from the stands due to suspension and witness Bayern concede 5 goals in a Champions League match for the first time in 31 years. More worrying for the German representative is that history is not on their side. Bayern has lost the first leg of the European Cup semi-finals 10 times and been eliminated 9 times.
Bayern's recent form also contains many instabilities. The 3-3 draw against Heidenheim last weekend caused them to go through the longest winless streak of the season. However, the German team's attack still maintains a terrifying performance with 22 goals in the last 3 matches.
On PSG's side, coach Luis Enrique rejected the view that a match with many goals means poor defense. He believes his team still controls the game and is in a big advantage before the second leg.
History also favors PSG when they qualified for the next round in 36/43 first leg wins in European knockout rounds. In particular, the French team is possessing extremely impressive away form with six consecutive victories in all competitions and 5 recent clean sheets.
However, Allianz Arena is still a huge challenge. Bayern has won five of the last six home games against PSG, scoring 15 goals against the French opponent.
Both teams are currently close to the scoring record in a Champions League season set by Barcelona in 2000. PSG has 43 goals, and Bayern has 42 - signaling another explosive attack at Munich.
Personnel situation
Bayern Munich has no further concerns about the force before the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against PSG. Kompany confirmed that the personnel situation is improving positively in the pre-match press conference.
Lennart Karl and Raphael Guerreiro have recovered from injuries and are ready to return, while Serge Gnabry is the only notable absence for the home team.
Many key players such as Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz and Harry Kane are likely to return to the starting lineup after resting in the Bundesliga last weekend.
Meanwhile, PSG suffered a big loss when Achraf Hakimi suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg and had to be out for a few weeks. The absence of the Moroccan defender forced Enrique to adjust the squad, likely to use Warren Zaire-Emery in the full-back position.
This also helps Fabian Ruiz reunite with the duo Vitinha and Joao Neves in midfield - the framework that played an important role in PSG's previous successful season.
Expected lineup:
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Davies, Kimmich, Pavlovic, Olise, Musiala, Diaz, Kane.
Safonov, Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves, Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
The match between Bayern Munich and PSG takes place at 2:00 AM on May 7 (Vietnam time).
