Bayern Munich host Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg clash with the Germans 1-0 up from leg one. The French giants have won all three of their games since their narrow defeat at Parc des Princes while Julian Nagelsmann’s side have lost one and won the other two. Both sides top their respective domestic leagues and Christophe Galtier’s men are eight points clear outright in Ligue 1 while Bayern are level with Borussia Dortmund. PSG are without Neymar and Presnel Kimpembe for this one after the Brazilian’s surgery was confirmed by the club on Monday with a “three to four-month” absence expected. Benjamin Pavard is suspended for the hosts and Manuel Neuer as well as Lucas Hernandez are out injured. Kylian Mbappe became PSG’s all-time top scorer with his 201st goal against FC Nantes in Ligue 1 over the weekend.
“We are well prepared and I am curious to see how PSG start the game,” said Thomas Muller pre-game. “We may have the chance to pressure them. I know PSG, but I do not watch five or six consecutive 90-minute games. When I see their highlights, you always see a contribution from Neymar. Sometimes he can decide a game with a single action.”
“It’s an important match, we knew that after the first leg, there was still the second leg to play,” said PSG’s Marco Verratti later. “We lost 1-0 at home, so they have a slight advantage but everything is still to play for. To get through, we will need to put in a top performance against a top side. We believe in ourselves, we will need to perform very well to take the qualification back to Paris.”
“It’s important to arrive here feeling confident,” added the Italian. “After the defeat in the first leg, we spoke a lot and we picked up three wins on the trot, we have found our feet again, as well as the tactical system from the start of the season. We will need to be at our best to win this match, Bayern also…
