Since the demoralizing 4-1 loss to Hansi Flick and FC Barcelona, Vincent Kompany has led Bayern Munich to six consecutive clean sheet wins. Bayern has flexed a different version of domination in each victory but this fresh confidence will be severely tested in the next three matches, starting with Tuesday’s Champions League clash against PSG.
Since 2001, Bayern has won five out of the last six matchups against PSG. This includes the glorious 1-0 win in the 2020 Champions League final that was decided by Kingsley Coman’s famous “eyes closed” header.
PSG is six points clear of second-place Monaco in France’s Ligue One, but that success has failed to translate to the Champions League this season. PSG lost to Arsenal (2-0) and Atletico Madrid (2-1), drew against PSV Eindhoven (1-1), and barely beat Girona (1-0). PSG needs to find points quickly if the team wants to progress to the knockout rounds.
Team news
German outlet kicker published lineup predictions:
For Bayern, there are not any real surprises in the selection. Kompany has not shown a lot of rotation, and this is the same starting lineup as the Augsburg match with the exception of Konrad Laimer inserted at right back over Raphaël Guerreiro. Backed by Alphonso Davies, Coman’s pace on the left flank will be crucial in cancelling out the outrageous speed from Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi.
Guerreiro will likely be used in the second half, along with Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry. Thomas Müller, Sacha Boey, and Eric Dier will be available as subs in the final 15 minutes, but should not expect to be big contributors. If the result is clear, it is possible that Adam Aznou earns his first Champions League minutes but he won’t be waiting on the edge of his seat.
Bayern will continue to play without the services of Aleksandar Pavlović, João Palhinha, Josip Stanišić, Mathys Tel, Hiroki Itō, and Sven Ulreich.
PSG has used the 4-3-3 all season but switched to a 4-2-3-1 in their last league match, a 3-0 win over Toulouse. PSG’s style is more on the defensive end of the spectrum and will likely park the bus with the hopes of springing the counterattack if Bayern’s backline commits too high up the pitch.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over FC Augsburg? Awesome, because we have a lot to say about a game that was thoroughly dominated by the Bavarians, but did leave something to be desired from the league. Find out what we mean on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
