PSG and Bayern Munich delivered an exhilarating match that transformed the perception of modern football, moving away from cautious play to a more thrilling style. The game showcased a high-scoring, dynamic approach that could redefine strategies in the sport.
Key points
PSG and Bayern Munich played an exhilarating match
The game shifted away from possession-heavy football
It showcased a high-scoring, dynamic approach
The match could redefine football strategies
PSGBayern Munich
Kane and Marquinhos
YOAN VALAT/Shutterstock
This was four glorious games in one. A breathless 90-minute scoreline that looked like a two-leg aggregate. It felt like the death-knell for the era of careful, possession-heavy football – replaced by something much more reckless and thrilling that could make a manager look like a visionary one moment and a novice the next.
This may also have been Luis Díaz’s finest hour, because when the elite in the game turn it on like this in a Champions League semi-final it says something about the measure of the man who stands out. The great Colombia international, formerly of Liverpool, was the beating heart of this Bayern Munich resurgence, a team put on the canvas repeatedly by the European champions, and yet unwilling to accept it was over.
Harry Kane scored the penalty that was the first of this nine-goal extravaganza and for the Englishman the dream of a second Champions League final next month in Budapest is still alive. This was the highest-scoring semi-final game in the Champions League and its predecessor since and Rangers shared nine goals in the second leg for a 12-4 aggregate for the Germans in the 1960 European Cup. Still time for more to come in Munich next Wednesday, although it will be hard to repeat the raw energy of this night.
Q&A
What was significant about the PSG vs Bayern Munich match?
The match marked a shift from cautious, possession-heavy football to a more dynamic and thrilling style, showcasing high-scoring action.
How did the match impact the future of football strategies?
It suggested a potential end to the era of careful football, encouraging teams to adopt more reckless and exciting tactics.
What were the key moments in the PSG vs Bayern Munich game?
The game featured several high-scoring plays and intense moments that captivated fans and highlighted the shift in football dynamics.
What does this match mean for football managers?
Managers may need to adapt their strategies, balancing visionary tactics with the risk of reckless play as the game evolves.
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Paris St-Germain were a sensation – they often are, but they could not shake the Bavarians snapping at their ankles and shouldering ahead of them from set-pieces. Between them, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé scored four of the five goals and the second leg is set in PSG’s favour – but only marginally. There was a period from the end of the first half to the hour mark when this semi-final looked to be over as the scoreline climbed from 2-2 to 5-2 in PSG’s favour. The goals from Dayot Upamecano and then Díaz made it a contest all over again.
Neither team put much emphasis on defence. Their defences played high, their full-backs went missing. The game was stretched and frantic, with neither settling for long for the horseshoe passing sequences and careful probing. That era ushered in during the late 2000s by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side has had many tepid impersonators and this felt like a notable break with that recent past. This tie was played from the start like the last few moments of a World Cup final, and just when it looked like Luis Enrique’s side had finally broken the game so they lost the thread of it.
That was chiefly a result of Díaz’s remarkable power to drive with the ball up the pitch and also, on the opposite side, a masterful performance from Michael Olise, who scored Bayern’s second. A Colombian from the indigenous Wayuu people from the north of the country and a Frenchman born in Hammersmith. Between them they took on the great PSG machine in a very direct fashion.
Playing off the left, Olise showed he could beat as accomplished a defender as Nuno Mendes down the touchline on his left foot. For Olise’s goal at the end of the first half he picked his way through the PSG defence with the deliberate approach of a man committed to doing things in his own time.
In the Bayern technical area, with the suspended Vincent Kompany in the stands, in his stead was an Englishman. Kompany’s Birmingham-born assistant Aaron Danks, best remembered as a short-lived Aston Villa interim manager between Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery, has his own little piece of Champions League history. “Difficult for me to watch from the stands,” Kompany said. “We’re at home [in the second leg] with 75,000 people in the stadium. I want more [from them]. We want that weight to be there and then the Allianz Arena is a place where anything can happen.”
The blemish was a dubious VAR-recommended review that persuaded referee Sandro Schärer to award a penalty for handball at the end of the first half. The ball seemed to strike Alphonso Davies’s body before clipping his hand. Dembélé would bury the penalty for 3-2. “A harsh decision,” Kane said later. He felt there had been enough chances for Bayern to “kill the game before then”, although PSG may have felt the same. It had been all thrust. Díaz’s quick feet winning the penalty from Willian Pacho’s lunge. Kvaratskhelia turning Joshua Kimmich inside out for the equaliser. João Neves’s feathered header from a corner and then Olise’s goal for Bayern’s second.
There was much else besides – gaping holes where full-backs might have been – and then, at the start of the second half, a change in momentum. In the stands, Kompany was surrounded by Bayern analysts on laptops presumably trying to locate the team’s full-backs. Unmarked on the right, Achraf Hakimi would cross for Kvaratskhelia, unmarked on the left, to drive in his second and PSG’s fourth goal. Dembélé scored his second from the same side just after the hour. Bayern looked finished at 5-2. They never gave up.
Bayern’s third was the slightest graze of a header from Upamecano from a Kimmich free-kick won by Díaz. The Colombian scored the fourth when Kane’s ball got him one-on-one with Marquinhos. From the moment they faced up it never seemed like Díaz would not create the space for the shot and he duly did, twisting and feinting the Brazilian defender into neutral gear. It was flagged offside and given by VAR. The substitute Senny Mayulu hit the bar in the closing moments for PSG, but this scoreline seemed to fit this memorable occasion. “The best match I have ever managed as a coach,” Enrique said.
10:55pm
Kompany’s view from the stands
It was different for me to watch, but I would have preferred to be on the pitch, going with the emotion of the game and trying to help. The staff did fantastic to prepare the team.
We suffered but we were dangerous. Five goals away from home in the Champions League normally means you’re out but the chances we had, made us believe.
If you’ve got nothing at the game at 5-2 then it’s hard to make a case to turn it around but being as dangerous as we were then I feel like it’s about getting your head back in the game and take our chances.
I’ve seen a lot of good defending today but the game is such fine margins, you either go full into the battles, or retreat fully. The in between doesn’t work against that level of players.
We’re at home with 75,000 people in the stadium, I want more. We want that weight to be there and then the Allianz Arena is a place where anything can happen.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany watches from the stands
Kompany will be back on the touchline for the second leg - Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
10:51pm
Enrique: This was the best match I ever coached
It was amazing. I think it was the best match I have ever managed as a coach. It had amazing rhythm, trying to play offensive football, trying to show their quality. I think everybody had fun watching the match. I’m happy because we won.
10:45pm
Marquinhos on a ‘crazy game’
Every football fan loves a game like that. It was a crazy game, two teams who play similar, aggressive and intense. We are so happy that we were able to come away with the win.
We are frustrated with the goals we conceded but we still have the one-goal advantage. We need to go in with the right mentality. We are really happy with the quality of the goals we scored.
I think next week will be the same crazy game, two teams that want to score. We need to go there with the same mentality and personality so we can get the same amazing job done. We need a lot of effort to win. We need to rest because this game made us tired.
Paris St Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrates scoring their first goal
Marquinhos celebrates with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
10:35pm
Kane’s thoughts: ‘There was some amazing defending’
You saw two high-level teams in attacking play and transition. Overall, we look at their goals, the penalty was harsh but we could have killed the game earlier on.
We fought and we clawed and we’re back in the tie. I thought there was amazing defending even though there were nine goals. Sometimes the forwards will come out on top but the back line was outstanding today.
You will always feel there are areas to improve on. We go to the Allianz with nothing to lose, we’re at our best when we’re intense and physical.
It’ll be who takes their moments next week, with the crowd behind us, we hope that can push us over the line.
10:21pm
Nine goals from 13 shots on target
10:17pm
Alan Shearer’s view
It’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever been to. Two teams that believe in their own ability to outscore their opponent.
It’s advantage PSG, just. It’ll be more of the same next week with the attitudes of each team. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be here.
10:01pm
FT: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
The Hagler vs Hearns of the modern Champions League, a slugfest between two teams boasting irresistible collections talent. Nine goals traded, and weight added to the argument that this would have been a great final. Bayern will feel relieved to head home with a one-goal deficit having trailed by three in the second half, but PSG know they are going to Budapest if they avoid defeat in the second leg. All to play for.
Paris St-Germain's Brazilian defender #05 Marquinhos
Marquinhos led PSG from the back - Franck Fife/Getty Images
Harry Kane
Kane and his team-mates will be confident they can turn things around - Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
09:58pm
93 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Nicolas Jackson is now on for Pavlovic. Jackson has the chance to run towards the penalty area, but Dembele defends well.
Vitinha then plays a loose pass to the feet of Olise, and his pass flicks off a PSG foot out for a Bayern corner.
Safonov punches away, Kimmich heads back towards goal, but Pacho headed away from a few yards out.
That is surely that.
09:54pm
90 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Just the four minutes of added time to play. Time for one more?
09:52pm
90 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Better news for PSG and Hakimi: he looks to be walking without too much discomfort so maybe it was just cramp for the maruading right-back.
09:52pm
88 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
An injury worry here for PSG: Hakimi looked to pull up abruptly, holding his right hamstring. Unless that is cramp, and he is one of the game’s marathon runners, then Hakimi will be out of the second leg and maybe the season.
09:50pm
86 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
There hasn’t been a clear sight of goal for almost 10 minutes now, probably the longest in the match.
But all of sudden PSG have a four-against-four through Vitinha, and he slips a pass through to Mayulu, and the youngster hits the post from a tight angle!
09:47pm
82 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Nuno Mendes, who went off at Anfield with some muscle tightness, is about to come off again with Lucas Hernandez ready to come on.
Joao Neves caught on the ball by Pavlovic, but he is handed a reprieve when Goretzka decides against running on to a Olise scooped pass.
Mayulu is on for Kvaratskhelia, as well as Hernandez for Mendes in that double PSG change.
09:43pm
79 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Olise’s delivery from the free-kick was whipped towards the head of Kane, but Safonov threw himself at the cross to punch clear. Then Hakimi is booked for some dissent.
09:41pm
77 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Bayern are growing stronger now, and Fabian Ruiz has barged Olise over at the expense of a booking. Bayern are about to bring Goretzka on, and they have a free-kick in a dangerous crossing position wide right.
09:38pm
74 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
Olise taking the fight to PSG again, and he wins Bayern a corner. Flicked out for another corner on the far side. Safonov punches away well under pressure.
09:36pm
70 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 4
There have only been 10 shots on target in this game, and nine of them have gone in!
09:33pm
GOOOOALLL! Diaz goal stands
Bayern Munich are back within one. And there are more than 20 minutes still to play. Barcola on for PSG.
09:32pm
68 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 3
Luis Diaz has the ball in the net but the flag goes up for offside! Great run in behind, chop, and finish into the far corner. The chances was created by a fantastic Kane pass, clipped over the top of the PSG defence.
But this is very, very tight. VAR is going to be checking this one.
It is very, very marginal.
09:31pm
66 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 3
Barcola is about to come on for PSG. Bayern can smell another goal or two. Musiala skips to the byline and Pacho struggles to clear with Kane lurking, but the home team eventually clear their lines.
09:30pm
GOOOOALLL! Upamecano pulls one back
The second set-piece goal of the night, it’s not so unlike the Premier League after all. Kimmich floats a free-kick to the back post and Upamecano arrives unmarked to nod home Bayern’s third. They are back within two.
Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano scores their third goal
Dayot Upamecano reduced the deficit - Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
09:25pm
61 minutes: PSG 5 Bayern Munich 2
This first leg has transformed since that, frankly, wrong penalty decision on the stroke of half time. Still so much time to play though, and so many goals on the pitch for Bayern.
It has been such great entertainment but the Bayern defence might as well be manning the laptops alongside Vinny Kompany in the stands. Every time PSG break the Bayern defence is nowhere to be seen
09:23pm
GOOOALLL! Dembele gives Neuer the eyes
As well as Bayern have played in spells, PSG now have five and could run away with this. Brilliant finish from Dembele, teed up by Doue, and their man man wrapped a shot in off the near post when the goalkeeper was waiting for the curler to the far corner.
09:20pm
GOOOOALLL! Kvaratskhelia has his second of the night
Hakimi with a characteristic burst forward from right-back, and a feeds a low cross through the penalty area. It may have been intended for Dembele but the ball ran past him and beyond the scrambling Bayern defenders, and there was Kvaratskhelia in acres on the far side to sweep the ball home.
09:19pm
54 minutes: PSG 3 Bayern Munich 2
Bayern still look menacing whey come forward, Laimer has made some thrusting runs from left-back, but PSG have settled into some smooth possession in the last few minutes. Neuer does well to deal with an awkward ball back to him.
09:14pm
50 minutes: PSG 3 Bayern Munich 2
Kane picks the ball up 10 yards outside his own box, passing to Musiala in midfield, and PSG centre-back Pacho fouls him. Defenders on both teams are having to push into areas that would give even some great centre-halves nosebleeds.
Appeals for another PSG penalty, but Kvaratskhelia kicked the leg of Upamecano when trying to shoot. The correct decision is reached, this time.
09:12pm
47 minutes: PSG 3 Bayern Munich 2
Laimer not far away from winning a penalty after a heavy pass from Musiala, but Hakimi just about got his toe to the ball in front of him. Olise was involved in the move again. So many great pieces of skill that precede the final pass or shot, that will not necassirly show up in the basic headline stats.
09:09pm
We are back under way!
Bayern will not want to have a deficit to retrieve, so this should remain just as open.
09:08pm
Half-time change from Bayern
Alphonso Davies off, Laimer on. Is that a change of shape or Laimer at left-back? He has played plenty as a full-back but is a natural midfielder.
09:04pm
Mourinho might call it a ‘hockey score’
08:56pm
HT: PSG 3 Bayern Munich 2
One of the great halves of Champions League football, with neither team fully capable of nullifying the intoxicating attacking quality the other possesses. Were this a boxing match, I’d say Bayern would be slightly in front with the judges but it has been a strong PSG response after going 1-0 down, very nearly 2-0 down.
Paris St Germain's Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring their third goal
Ousmane Dembele scored a penalty on the stroke of half-time - Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
08:51pm
GOOOALL! Dembele converts
Neuer guesses the right way but there was too much power behind Dembele’s penalty. Bottom-right corner and PSG are back in front.
08:51pm
PSG PENALTY!
That is a bit of a nonsense after such high-quality fare for the previous 45 minutes. But PSG have the chance to go in ahead through Dembele from the spot.
08:50pm
The referee is going to the screen!
We know what usually comes next, but there was a deflection off Davies’ thigh on to his arm. This should not be a penalty.
08:49pm
45 minutes: PSG 2 Bayern 2
Just before the whistle blows for half-time, there are loud appeals for a PSG penalty. They want a handball against Davies. He moves his arm slightly away from his body, but the cross came in from just a few yards away. They have a low tolerance for handball in Uefa competitions, but I don’t think it should be.
Diaz and Olise have taken the battle to PSG. It has been hard for Bayern to defend against Paris and they have made mistakes but those two wide players have given them such a confidence in attack. It’s an incredible spectacle.
08:47pm
45 minutes: PSG 2 Bayern 2
Just the one minute of stoppage time to be played. There surely should be more, on the strength of the celebrations alone!
08:44pm
GOOOALLL! Olise levels for Bayern
Another cracking goal, although it was too easy for Olise to cut through the middle of the PSG defence. Nevertheless, what a burst he showed over a few yards before slamming the ball beyond the goalkeeper. An unerring finish.
08:42pm
39 minutes: PSG 2 Bayern 1
Olise involved into another superb attacking, attracting defenders and then feeding Stanisic in the space. The right-back could have passed across the area but tried to take on the shot, then went down looking for a penalty. Nothing doing. Kvaratskhelia holding his hamstring.
The chances continue to come. While Bayern had a man down, Dembele had the chance to run at Upamecano who was last man but the Bayern defender did well to get a foot in. Then Musiala turned down a chance to shoot from eight yards, but a sweeping PSG move ended with Doue shooting wide of the far post. Breathless.
08:36pm
GOOOOALL! Joao Neves with a glancing header
One of the smallest players on the pitch scores with his head. It was a sharp dash across the near post, and the midfielder flicked the ball into the far corner. Those ones are unsaveable. John Terry or David Platt would have been proud of that one.
08:35pm
32 minutes: PSG 1 Bayern 1
End-to-end stuff, almost a goal at both ends. It was slippery play from Olise to wriggle his way into the penalty area, and his lox cross almost deflected up and over Safonov. Then Doue skipped through the challenges and fired not far wide of Neuer’s post with the help of a deflection.
08:32pm
29 minutes: PSG 1 Bayern 1
No let up in the tempo and no backward step from either team since the equaliser. That goal came at a good time for PSG, the holders looked the less stable of the two teams early on.
08:27pm
GOOOOAAL! Now PSG are level through Kvaratskhelia
That is a sensational piece of wing play from the Georgian. Spins in behind Stanisic to receive the pass over the top, before chopping inside his man and rolling the ball into the far corner. This is living up to the hype so far.
What a chance for PSG to equalise, Dembele with a horrible miss. In behind the Bayern defence for the first time tonight and he had so much time to think. Steadied himself, and tried to pass the ball around Neuer into the far corner, but got no curl at all and he poked it a long way wide.
That was a wild finish from Dembele, missed by a big margin for such a high level striker.
08:23pm
21 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 1
A sensational start to the game. Counter-attacks on counter-attacks. Recklessly high lines. It is high quality stuff. Luiz Diaz carried the ball on and on up the pitch for the counter and then won the penalty. How Liverpool fans must watch with regret. But when it comes to taking a penalty for the away team in the Parc des Princes with all that hostility, there are few better than Chingford’s finest. Harry Kane never looked like missing. A brilliant Kane ball for Michael Olise shortly after and Bayern should be two goals up.
Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring a penalty
Harry Kane celebrates - Christophe Ena/AP
08:22pm
19 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 1
Bayern oh so close to a second in quick time! Kane involved again after Musiala won possession and Pavlovic poked the ball forward. The England captain opened up to pick out Olise’s run, but Safonov rushed out of his goal to get just enough on the winger’s shot.
08:19pm
GOOOOALLL! Kane converts from the spot
Sends Safonov the wrong way, rolling the ball into the bottom-right corner, and that is Kane’s 54th goal of the season, his 13th in the Champions League. And he has scored in six consecutive European games. Advantage Bayern.
08:18pm
PENALTY BAYERN!
The man who scored twice and was sent off here earlier in the season, Luis Diaz, is hacked down in the area by Pacho. Was it more a case of Diaz kicking Pacho? I don’t think the defender made enough contact with the ball. VAR checking, but Kane has the ball in his hands. PSG had just had their best move after a Kimmich slip, with Kvaratskhelia flashing in a cross.
Decision stands, Kane to take the penalty.
08:16pm
14 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
Vitninha heads that Bayern free-kick behind with Kane lurking and the visitors have a corner.
PSG defend, but Bayern are on the attack again after Olise scoops a delightful forward pass forward to Stanisic but the move slowed down from there.
08:14pm
12 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
Dembele tried to find a yard to shoot but it was good defending from Pavlovic at the edge of the box, and from there Bayern broke at pace. Luis Diaz had the PSG defence exposed, and Marquinhos stepped out to block him off at the expense of a free-kick. The Brazilian is shown a yellow card, too.
08:13pm
10 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
Bayern’s defenders have made an assured start, sweeping up well and nipping in front of the PSG frontline. Kane is then fouled by Zaire-Emery, around 40 to 45 yards from goal, very central.
Hard to work an angle with these, so Kimmich goes wide to Olise. Doue defends well up against his fellow jinking wide player.
08:09pm
7 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
There was a moment there when Kane looked to be marking Neves, but the striker has now released himself further forward. PSG starting to enjoy longer spells of possession now.
Doue takes the ball down well on his chest before the crowd greets Kvaratskhelia beating Olise with a roar. Bayern defend well though, and Kane does well to keep the ball under some pressure.
08:07pm
5 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
Someone in the crowd has a whistle, which is proving an annoyance. Both teams breaking up the game with fouls in the last few minutes, with such aggressive defensive strategies you cannot afford to lose your man. Olise with a low cross, collected by PSG goalkeeper Safonov. Bayern shading things in the very early exchanges.
Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi on the ball for PSG - Alain Jocard/Getty Images
08:04pm
2 minutes: PSG 0 Bayern Munich 0
Quick thinking from Bayern right-back Stanisic to release Musiala in behind the PSG defence from a throw-in, before Stanisic’s subsequent cross is headed away. As expected it looks a game of one-on-one duels across the pitch, no wonder which team has the ball.
Good defensive word from Zaire-Emery to pinch the ball when Olise had some space.
08:02pm
KICK OFF!
PSG ping a diagonal straight out for a throw-in, as has become customary.
08:01pm
Bayern fans have a tifo of their own
It wouldn’t be a Champions League night without a battle of the tifos. I realise this is an English perspective, but until a few years ago I barely heard the word other than from the odd Italian football enthusiast. Now everyone is an expert.
07:56pm
La Marseillaise is playing at Parc des Princes
Quite unusual to have a national anthem before a Champions League game, but there again few are as rousing as that. German opposition... draw your own conclusions.
A French military band playing Star Wars numbers and a big PSG tifo displaying what looks like a take on Napeleonic era oil painting of French forces fighting ... Bavarians? Prussians? Band now playing the Marseillaise. It’s an assault on the senses.
tifo
Paris St-Germain fans have been getting creative - Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
07:48pm
The Brummie taking charge of Bayern
With Kompany suspended, 42-year-old Aaron Danks – former Aston Villa assistant under Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard – will be on the touchline for Bayern.
There he is with the lanyard around his neck:
Aaron Danks
Aaron Danks is Vincent Kompany’s assistant - Alex Grimm/Getty Images
07:37pm
Bayern Munich’s man-marking
When Bayern won at the Parc des Princes earlier in the season, they made it a game of one-on-one battles all over the pitch whenever PSG tried to build play. Sometimes this involved a centre-back, usually Dayot Upamecano, following one of PSG’s attacking midfielders.
Speaking on Amazon Prime, Clarence Seedorf suspects Bayern might have more of a mixed approach tonight, with more at stake and more miles on the clock at the end of the season.
When Kompany was still bedding in Bavaria at the start of last season, Aston Villa exposed that man-to-man approach and high line in the league phase.
07:28pm
Recent history with Bayern
07:27pm
An interesting comparison from Wayne Rooney
He says that Harry Kane’s development in recent seasons – comfortable dropping deep and looking for space around the edge of the box – is reminiscent of Francesco Totti with Roma.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane is looking to win the Champions League for the first time - Maja Hitij/Getty Images
07:20pm
Holders PSG are worthy favourites
Greetings from the Parc des Princes, where the home team has been greeted with dry ice on arrival outside and Luis Enrique has just been interviewed pitchside by a silver fox David Ginola. It’s a Euro-classic. Even at this stage of the season, for two sides that are domestically dominant, there are very few of the big names missing injured. The two sides met in the league phase here and Bayern won 2-1 despite having Luis Diaz sent off halfway through – after he had scored both their goals. These are two fine teams but PSG, the defending champions, are the favourites. Only eight clubs have retained the European Cup/Champions League in its history over two or more seasons: Real Madrid, Benfica, Inter Milan, Ajax, Bayern, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and AC Milan.
Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele leads PSG’s attack again - Maja Hitij/Getty Images
07:18pm
PSG fans relishing the pyro as usual
Paris Saint-Germain supporters
PSG supporters with their flares before the game - Simon Wohlfahrt/Getty Images
07:02pm
PSG team news
No surprises by now with the PSG team in the absence of Fabian Ruiz. Luis Enrique has the luxury of picking the same side that started both legs of the quarter-final against Liverpool. Doue is firmly ahead of Barcola in the pecking order.
Kompany has gone with Jamal Musiala in the attacking midfield position, replacing the injured Serge Gnabry who played that role against Real. Good to see Alphonso Davies fit and playing again at left-back after a rough time with injury.
Subs: Ulreich, Urbig, Kim, Goretzka, Jackson, Ito, Laimer, Ofli, Pavic.
06:43pm
PSG’s players have arrived...
06:41pm
... as have Bayern’s
Harry Kane before the game against PSG
Harry Kane is Europe’s top goalscorer - Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
06:36pm
The best of the best?
Chris Bascombe wrote after Bayern’s victory over Real Madrid that the speed and technical excellence of the football on display shone a light on this season’s Premier League fare.
Measured by sheer quality, this season’s Premier League has been one of the most dishearteningly poor in memory, the desperate attempts to persuade supporters that what they are seeing is any good suggesting there has been a recent surge in gaslighting courses.
06:26pm
Two of Europe’s most fearsome attacks face off in final-worthy contest
A case could be made that the Champions League semi-finals, even more so than the final itself, produce the highest-quality football in the world and Paris St-Germain vs Bayern Munich is certainly rarefied company.
While Barcelona and Manchester City also have claims to this mantle, these are the two most fearsome attacking forces in European football and their bold approaches should mean we are in for goals, goals, goals.
That was certainly the case when Bayern played Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, when Vincent Kompany’s team prevailed 6-4 on aggregate after a glorious second leg at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title, scoring a ludicrous 113 goals in 31 league games. PSG have not quite won Ligue 1 yet, but they are six points clear with four games to play, so they are well on their way to doing so. Regardless, the Champions League holders have the luxury of resting key men before every game in this competition.
The contest will be billed as a battle of the front threes: PSG lining up with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue against Bayern’s trio of Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise.
Bayern have beaten Luis Enrique’s side in both this season’s and last season’s Champions League league phase, but lost when the teams met at the Club World Cup in July.
When asked about the qualities of both teams, Kompany said: “Both teams are extremely creative, the position play, and also the one-on-one duels, and finding solutions in tight spaces. So there’s no real secrets. It’s about details. It’s about intensity, about energy.
“The only thing we have, and the advantage that we have, is that we’ve been playing against PSG quite a lot, but this is the same for them. They have to solve our problems as well.”
Kompany will not be on the bench in Paris or in the dressing room as he serves a one-game ban after his third yellow card of the competition.
PSG welcome back Vintinha, who has missed their last two league games, from injury and Enrique has a full squad to choose from, joking in his press conference that his team selection will be a “lottery”.
