May 6 – Bayern Munich host Paris Saint-Germain tonight at the Allianz Arena with their Champions League semi-final finely balanced as they go into the tie a goal down after the chaotic 5-4 first leg in Paris.
The winner will face Arsenal in the final in Budapest on May 30, after the Premier League side edged past Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate.
Domestically, both Bayern and PSG arrive off the back of low-key draws. Bayern were held by Heidenheim in the Bundesliga, though with the title already secured they rotated their squad. PSG’s 2-2 draw at the weekend followed a similar pattern, with Luis Enrique managing minutes as his side close in on the Ligue 1 title – they currently lead the league by six points.
“Can people expect the same game as last week? It will always depend on both teams,” said head coach Vincent Kompany. “If one decides to take a step back and defend more, then there could be some calmer phases in the game. Otherwise, there won’t be. It’s difficult to imagine that either team will change what brought them here in the first place. We’re playing at home, we want to win and will do everything to achieve that.”
Striker Harry Kane added: “It’ll be who takes their moments. There were a lot of moments out there [in the first leg], and it’s probably going to be the same. So, us being at home with the crowd behind us, we hope that can push us over the line.”
PSG, however, travel with confidence that they can go toe-to-toe once again even with the away disadvantage.
“We will look to be more competitive than ever,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique. “Rafa Nadal once said that at one point in his career, his matches against [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic were the best motivation for him. That’s what we want. We admire Bayern, but it’s a motivation to be better. Tomorrow we’re going to try to overcome a team that plays sensationally.”
After nine goals in the first leg, a place in the final remains wide open – and likely to be decided by whichever side handles the chaos best.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]