Bayern Munich look for revenge as they host Paris Saint-Germain in the final match of the ’17-18 Champions League group stage.
Bayern Munich bounced back from their defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach with a convincing win over Hannover on Saturday. Jupp Heynckes will be hoping to take this momentum into Tuesday’s big game against Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern clinched a narrow 2-1 win over Anderlecht in their last group game, but the Bavarians were humiliated in their first Champions League match against PSG. Bayern suffered a 3-0 defeat against the French side which led to the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti. The German Champions will need a 4-0 win or excess of that against PSG in order to win this group. However, even with a loss they have qualified for the next round.
Unai Emery’s men suffered their first defeat of the campaign on Saturday against Strasbourg. The French club are still leading the Ligue 1 table with a lead of nine points. They have been blowing teams in Champions League and are likely to be Heynckes biggest test in his new tenure.
Team News
Bayern Munich received a much needed boost on the injury front against Hannover. Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery got crucial minutes under their belt after a long period on the sidelines. Heynckes confirmed in his pre-game press conference that he will have the same squad on Tuesday which played on Saturday.
#Heynckes: "We'll take the same squad from the Hannover match into #FCBPSG tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/TR6ANvePLC
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) December 4, 2017
This update from Heynckes surely confirms that Arjen Robben is not going to play tomorrow. Juan Bernat is another player who will not feature on Tuesday as he is still recovering from a minor muscle problem. Thiago Alcantara and Manuel Neuer remain the only players who are out due to major injuries.
Predicted XI
Heynckes said in his press conference that the team will play for pride despite already qualifying for the next round. The German is likely to field his strongest lineup with the available players. Sven Ulreich will play in goal for the German Champions. Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba are likely to be deployed in the full-back roles. Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels will slot in the heart of defense.
A big performance from Javi Martinez will be needed in this game. The Spaniard is a key player for Heynckes and is likely to partner Arturo Vidal in the midfield. In order to win the midfield battle Bayern could go for another central midfielder and Corentin Tolisso is likely to play this role.
Heynckes is not going to risk Muller and Ribery by starting them as they have just recovered from serious injuries. James Rodriguez is going to play so he is likely to feature on the right flank while Kingsley Coman will play on the left flank. Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the German Champions.
"UlreichKimmich-Boateng-Hummels-AlabaVidal-Martinez-TolissoRodriguez-Lewandowski-Coman"
Opposition Focus
PSG have been the best team in Europe this season. The French side have been blowing teams away in all competitions. Bayern Munich will have to bring their top game on Tuesday to win against PSG. The Bavarians have to win the midfield battle in order to stop their midfielders from feeding their attacking players.
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The attacking trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani have been ruthless in the final third. Bayern’s defense will have to avoid concentration lapses to contain this trio. The Bavarians will need to dominate possession and will have to be efficient in the final third. A win in this game will help Bayern Munich to get back to their top gear.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 3-2 Paris Saint Germain