“
These are two club projects which clash, two game projects.
” This is how Patrick Guillou envisages the double confrontation which will oppose PSG and Bayern Munich, in the Champions League.
A duel between two teams who know each other by heart having faced each other four times in the last six seasons and who started timidly after the World Cup.
One of the two has found the right path… “
After three draws against Leipzig (1-1), Cologne (1-1) and Frankfurt (1-1), Bayern remain on three victories, including a difficult one in Wolfsburg ( 4-2) in the German Cup, one in Mainz (4-0) and another last Saturday, against Bochum (3-0), without loss or crash, without having been brilliant either.
But in the end, thank you, goodbye and hello home
“, notes the beIN SPORTS
consultant
, a fine connoisseur of German football, slipping in passing “
that there are still some mishaps, like Alphonso Davies
”.
To discover
Champions League fixtures and results
And to add: “
On the forces present and the group dynamic, advantage Bayern.
On the collective, advantage Bayern too.
But afterwards, it's always the same thing: on an individual action, the Parisian players are able to make the difference at any time...
" Players who are called, for example, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, the latter being expected, at least, on the bench this Tuesday (9 p.m.), at the Parc des Princes.
The “MNM”, a magic trio.
Trio also imposed on Christophe Galtier, as on his predecessors moreover, to assume a certain imbalance.
At Bayern, it's different.
The imbalance is there too, but "
it's in the DNA of Bayern, the Bundesliga and my counterpart
", as the Parisian coach analyzes, imagining "
a lot of spaces in the transitions
”.
Imbalance accepted or imbalance suffered
Spaces that the former Lille coach hopes to exploit.
It would still be necessary to be technically fair enough and strong enough in duels to benefit from these situations… “
There is an imbalance accepted by Nagelsmann and the whole group
, confirms Guillou
.
To play, be offensive, give pleasure, they accept situations of one-on-one behind, of numerical inferiority and hope that Dayot Upamecano will be the fireman on duty and that he will arrive, thanks to his speed and his dynamism, to get it all back.
There is also an imbalance on the PSG side … except that it is not necessarily accepted by the whole group.
It is suffered by some who must suffer, the domino effect.
There is an imbalance in the game without the ball and in relation to the opponent's transition game, with several players who find themselves regularly eliminated on a pass... The progress of the ball will probably be easier on the Bayern side on certain first raises than PSG
", loose the
beIN
consultant , making a clear distinction between "
imbalance accepted or imbalance undergone
”.
In addition to its well-identified individual and collective qualities, its current form, its athletic potential, excuse me, Bayern can also rely on XXL experience.
“
My players know the big meetings
“, swears Christophe Galtier.
Those of Julian Nagelsmann, even more.
Not to mention the history of the club.
Eliminated in the quarter-finals for the past two seasons, including in 2021 by PSG, since the coronation against PSG in 2020, the Bavarians have suffered only one elimination in the 8th over the last 11 years (2019).
Period during which they climbed into the last four seven times, including three finals and two titles (2013, 2020).
Remember that the "Rekordmeister" does not forget to shine in Germany either, winning the last 10 titles in the Bundesliga.
The Munich residents are currently at the top of the standings, closely followed by Union Berlin (43 points against 42) and Dortmund (40).
Life without Mané
In addition to the series of three draws on recovery and some internal bickering (Neuer, Gnabry, etc.), Bayern, which activated in the winter transfer window (Sommer, Cancelo, Blind), must still deal with the absence of several executives, Manuel Neuer in the lead, but also the tricolor international Lucas Hernandez and the Senegalese star Sadio Mané, the latter being “
capable, on a stroke of brilliance, to make the difference.
Except that he is also a real club player, as we have seen at Liverpool and since his arrival at Bayern.
That's also why he's so loved everywhere he's been: he's very simple, he doesn't look like a star and blends into a group.
His joie de vivre, his eternal smile and his footballing qualities will be missed at Bayern.
He is also fuoriclass as
“, deciphers Guillou.
A priori, the former Reds player should quickly return to the field.
He will be there on the return, on March 8, at the Allianz Arena.
Read alsoGaltier maintains the suspense around Mbappé before PSG-Bayern: "He will not make an appearance on the bench"
Until then, Julian Nagelsmann can rely on an impressive attacking sector, including a certain Kingsley Coman, executioner of his training club during the 2020 final. Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané or even the young (19) and (very) talented Jamal Musiala will be the other Bavarian assets in front, not to mention Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Kimmich and another Leon Goretzka behind and in the middle.
What beautiful people...
"Choupo", mascot in Paris and holder at Bayern
As a centre-forward, coach Nagelsmann doesn't have much choice, except to use ex-Rennes Mathys Tel (17) or to ask one of his players to put on a costume that isn't the his.
Taking advantage of the departure of Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) in the offseason and a few injuries at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting took the opportunity to win, he who was more a mascot than anything else at the eyes of the supporters during his time at PSG.
The 33-year-old Cameroonian striker - whom Thomas Tuchel saw more as a side player than a 9 in Paris - has scored 13 goals (including 3 in C1) and delivered four assists since the start of the season (21 matches).
He had scored on the first leg and back against Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. "
Let's hope, for PSG, that it won't be... a Choupo and in bed
, ”concludes Patrick Guillou.
It's validated.
The previous 11 between PSG and Bayern
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