Who gets the pot that rolls through Lisbon in a red sports car before the final? Bayern or PSG? Flick or Tuchel? Lewandowski or Neymar? It could also be decisive whether Munich's coach plays the French card in the very last triple step.
Lisbon (dpa) - Now Hansi Flick's final triple master plan has to work - and against the diva-like football virtuoso Neymar, turbo-kicker Kylian Mbappé and compatriot Thomas Tuchel.
In the coronation game of the Champions League with the many big names, FC Bayern, unbeaten in 2020, wants to make the better collective and complete the triumphal procession in Europe and in the corona-related ghost game operation. The football player Franz Beckenbauer expects a "nice final" with a 50:50 chance. The almost 75-year-old sent an imperial warning to Portugal to his Bavarians on Friday, which he crossed for the TV on Sunday (9 p.m. / ZDF, Sky, DAZN). "Paris are a damn good team," said Beckenbauer.
The key question in advance is: Will Flick draw the French card? On the 32nd birthday of striker Robert Lewandowski, Flick had the secret PSG tactics rehearsed on Friday on the premises of the Portuguese association. Shortly before 11.00 am local time, the two red Bayern buses drove through the strictly guarded entrance gate of the "Cidade do Futebol" accompanied by a police escort.
Neither reporters nor PSG spies were allowed to observe what was happening there. Flick seeks calm before the last triple step. "We all worked a lot to get to the final," said the 55-year-old. "It's nice that we went through the door against Lyon. But against Paris we want to give it all again." And win!
There could be an exciting offensive spectacle - with the premium comparison Lewandowski versus Neymar. The Brazilian 222 million man, who leads the rapid PSG storm with the only slightly cheaper young star Kylian Mbappé, meets the Bavarian goal factory around Lewandowski (15 goals of the season) and Serge Gnabry, who showed off Lyon in impressive form. It is 24: 8 after goals for Lewandowski / Gnabry before the final against Neymar / Mbappé.
Flick is betting on a big day for Lewandowski, who could crown his career with the most important club title and would also love to be crowned FIFA World Player. In the most important game of the year, the Pole should deliver again. "For me he is the world's best center forward. I'm excited and hope that he will score against Paris," said Flick. The next Bayern goal is the total of 500 in the Champions League.
The big Bayern issue in the run-up revolves around defending and ball control, because otherwise, as Oliver Kahn warned, it would "bang" against Neymar and Mbappé or the not-to-be-forgotten Argentine Angel di María. "We had too many simple ball losses," said Flick after the Lyon game, "we have to stop them."
Is that why he's rebuilding the starting eleven in the third tournament game? Does Flick dare to mobilize Frenchman Benjamin Pavard, who has just recovered from a foot injury, after his short comeback against Lyon at the back right against Neymar? Flick likes to call Pavard his "Mister Reliable".
Pavard in would mean Thiago out. Flick could then offer Joshua Kimmich again as a stabilizer in midfield. And on the left wing he could field the Frenchman Kingsley Coman instead of Ivan Perisic. The 24-year-old sparked a lot of momentum against Lyon as a joker. Coman was born in Paris and played in PSG's youth from 2004. At 16 he made his debut in the first team. "It will be an open match with many goals," said Coman.
Flick will certainly not shake the courageous style of play with a high defensive line and intense opponent pressing. "It is our great strength to put our opponents under pressure. We will also be able to do that against Paris," he said confidently.
The team's confidence in Flick's strategies is unwavering. "Regardless of who we played against, we were well prepared and always had a plan. It can only be based on a philosophy that is dictated by the coach," said captain Manuel Neuer, as goalkeeper the last Munich instance against Neymar or Mbappé. The 2020 team is even better positioned than the 2013 triple group: "The difference is that we are now better positioned across the board."
Flick or Tuchel? One year after Jürgen Klopp with Liverpool FC and Ottmar Hitzfeld (1997 / Dortmund, 2001 / Bavaria) and Jupp Heynckes (1998 / Real Madrid, 2013 / Bavaria), who will be the fourth German coach to win the Champions League? The 46-year-old Tuchel would fulfill the dream of the club owners from Qatar, who have pumped almost two billion euros into the critically viewed PSG project since 2011 for the Champions League win.
"I've seen a team that is hungry to win," said Tuchel enthusiastically after the dominant 3-0 win in the semi-final against RB Leipzig. After winning the last 16 against Borussia Dortmund, will he now also triumph against the third, but also best, team in the Bundesliga? Four years ago, Tuchel competed in a final against Bayern and lost to Dortmund on penalties in the DFB Cup final. 75,000 spectators were eyewitnesses in Berlin.
The fan blocks in the Estádio da Luz will remain empty. At the final location in Lisbon, there is no football fever due to the corona. Also on Friday, no fans from Bayern or PSG lined the streets when the silver Champions League trophy for advertising photographs was displayed on a bright red sports car and driven through the city center. Flick regrets the unworthy ambience: "We would all have liked our fans to experience this live here." Now they should at least be able to celebrate the second triple in front of the television.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200821-99-255422 / 2
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