The Champions League semi-final pits the two currently best teams in Europe against each other: defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern. A comprehensive comparison ahead of the first leg.
The match kicks off on Tuesday at 9 PM in the Parc des Princes, Paris. The second leg will take place next Wednesday at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The winner of this tie will face either Arsenal or Atletico Madrid in the final in Budapest on May 30th.
PSG vs. FC Bayern: Starting Lineups
FC Bayern’s top-tier starting lineup has been clear for months, though a shift occurred in the number ten position in early April: just as Serge Gnabry, previously a regular, was injured, Jamal Musiala returned to his best form. This is likely to be the only starting lineup change for FC Bayern compared to their 2-1 victory against PSG in the group stage in early November.
The situation at PSG has not appeared as clear-cut recently. Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, and Vitinha have been nursing minor injuries. Fabian Ruiz is still working his way back from a knee injury and only returned to the starting lineup last weekend after two substitute appearances. The quartet participated in the final training session. «Everyone is ready, there are no question marks,» PSG coach Luis Enrique said afterward on club TV.
- PSG: Safonov — Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes — Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz — Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
- FC Bayern: Neuer — Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer — Kimmich, Pavlovic — Olise, Musiala, Diaz — Kane.
PSG vs. FC Bayern: Bench
PSG has been plagued by concerns up front lately, while FC Bayern’s problems lie more in squad depth: In addition to key player Gnabry, three important rotation players – Lennart Karl, Tom Bischof, and Raphael Guerreiro – are also absent. Due to the small squad, which has been closely scrutinized, especially before the start of the season, effective impact substitutes are already scarce.
While Nicolas Jackson has been scoring reliably in the Bundesliga recently, he sat on the bench for the full matches against Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. Sporting director Max Eberl confirmed at the weekend that the option to buy the loan player from FC Chelsea will not be exercised. For physical presence, Min-Jae Kim, Hiroki Ito, and Leon Goretzka are available. The currently most dangerous substitute is likely Alphonso Davies; the recovered left-back has consistently made good contributions after coming off the bench with his incredible pace. Who will actually be substituted on is, exceptionally in Paris, up to assistant coach Aaron Danks, who is deputizing for his suspended boss Kompany. Contact is not permitted during the match or at halftime.
Enrique, in any case, has significantly more options in reserve than Danks: Assuming his recently injured star players all start as expected, he has Lucas Hernandez (a former Munich player), Ilya Zabarnyi, and Lucas Beraldo for defense; Warren Zaire-Emery, Senny Mayulu, and Kang-In Lee for the midfield; and Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos for the attack – a number of high-caliber substitutes.
PSG vs. FC Bayern: Statistics
Statistically, FC Bayern is currently the best team in Europe. Across all competitions, the Munich team has averaged 2.71 points per game in their 49 competitive matches so far. No club from the major leagues surpasses this. PSG averages 2.27 points in the same number of games. FC Bayern has only lost to FC Arsenal and FC Augsburg to date. PSG has already suffered eight defeats, including in the group stage against Munich.
FC Bayern’s greatest strength is its impressive attacking machinery around Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, and Harry Kane. They have scored 167 goals this season across all competitions (PSG 125), setting new records almost weekly. Kane alone has scored 53 goals, and the Golden Boot for Europe’s top scorer this season is all but secured for him. PSG’s most dangerous shooters, World Player of the Year Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, have a comparatively modest 16 goals each.
While FC Bayern has a clear offensive advantage, the two teams are statistically at a similar level defensively: the Munich team has conceded 52 goals so far, and PSG 53.
Unlike FC Bayern, PSG has not yet secured the national championship. With four games remaining, they have a comfortable six-point lead over second-placed RC Lens. PSG won the League Cup in January but were eliminated in the Coupe de France round of 32 by the emerging city rivals FC Paris. FC Bayern will face VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final.
PSG vs. FC Bayern: Form
The Munich team travels to Paris with nine consecutive wins, including the brilliant triumphs against Real Madrid and the crazy comeback victory against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. A B-team fell behind 0-3, but after impactful substitutions, the final score was 4-3.
Like Kompany, Enrique also rotated heavily at the weekend, yet they secured a comfortable 3-0 victory against SCO Angers. In total, PSG has won eight of their last nine competitive matches, with a loss against Olympique Lyon a week and a half ago in Ligue 1. In the Champions League, PSG has recently won twice each against FC Chelsea and FC Liverpool, but they also benefited from the French Football Federation postponing league games in between for rest. This privilege is not available against FC Bayern due to scheduling reasons. PSG hosts FC Lorient on Saturday.
PSG vs. FC Bayern: Head-to-Head
PSG versus FC Bayern is increasingly becoming an evergreen fixture in European football. In the past nine years, there have been nine Champions League encounters; in this period, only Real Madrid and Manchester City have faced each other more often (13 times).
And mostly, FC Bayern has celebrated. In 2020, Munich triumphed in the final and won their last Champions League title to date. They have recently won five consecutive matches against PSG in the Champions League, including the 2-1 victory in November. At halftime, Munich was leading 2-0 at that time; for Joshua Kimmich, this first half was the best since his transfer to FC Bayern in 2015. Due to a red card for Luis Diaz, the second half turned into a defensive battle – but Munich managed to hold onto the victory.
However, FC Bayern was eliminated by PSG in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup in the summer. At that time, Munich not only lost the game but also Musiala, who suffered a fractured fibula with a consequential ankle dislocation. The culprit, Gianluigi Donnarumma, has since moved from Paris to Manchester City.