Bayern Munich host Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg clash (catch the action on CBS Sports and Paramount+) with the Germans holding a 1-0 lead from leg one. The French giants have won all three of their games since their narrow defeat at Parc des Princes while Julian Nagelsmann’s side have lost one and won the other two. Both sides top their respective domestic leagues and Christophe Galtier’s men are eight points clear outright in Ligue 1 while Bayern are level with Borussia Dortmund. PSG are without Neymar and Presnel Kimpembe for this one after the Brazilian’s surgery was confirmed by the club on Monday with a “three to four-month” absence expected. Benjamin Pavard is suspended for the hosts and Manuel Neuer as well as Lucas Hernandez are out injured. Kylian Mbappe became PSG’s all-time top scorer with his 201st goal against FC Nantes in Ligue 1 over the weekend.
“We are well prepared and I am curious to see how PSG start the game,” said Thomas Muller pre-game. “We may have the chance to pressure them. I know PSG, but I do not watch five or six consecutive 90-minute games. When I see their highlights, you always see a contribution from Neymar. Sometimes he can decide a game with a single action.”
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“It’s an important match, we knew that after the first leg, there was still the second leg to play,” said PSG’s Marco Verratti later. “We lost 1-0 at home, so they have a slight advantage but everything is still to play for. To get through, we will need to put in a top performance against a top side. We believe in ourselves, we will need to perform very well to take the qualification back to Paris.”
“It’s important to arrive here feeling confident,” added the Italian. “After the defeat in the first leg, we spoke a lot and we picked up three wins on the trot, we have found our feet again, as well as the tactical system from the start of the season. We will need to be at our best to win this match, Bayern also want to qualify. There will be a lot of top players on the pitch. We want to enjoy ourselves and go out and qualify. Tomorrow, out on the pitch, we will need to show that we are strong and win here.”
“The season doesn’t come down to just this match,” argued Galtier. “Every match is important. It’s a very difficult competition, there will be a winner and a loser tomorrow. But we play every match with the ambition of winning it. The Champions League is a very important objective, we want to go as far as we possibly can. We will need to have a much more defiant approach than what we showed in the first leg. If we are in that mindset, we have the opportunity to qualify.”
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Mar. 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Arena — Munich
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Bayern +145; Draw: +225; PSG +190 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Bayern Munchen vs. Paris
Wednesday’s broadcast schedule
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Coverage starts each day at 2 pm. with Champions League Today on CBS and Paramount+. Paramount+ will offer a multicast feature allowing subscribers to watch two matches simultaneously in a split-screen view. You can try one month free by using the code: ADVANCE.
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Team news
Bayern: Neuer and Hernandez remain out for Nagelsmann but Leroy Sane could be available after coming on against Stuttgart over the weekend. Noussair Mazraoui also remains unavailable but Sadio Mane could also feature after missing the win in Paris.
“We were prepared for Mbappe in the first leg,” said Nagelsmann pre-game. “He is one of the world’s best and he changes his team’s game plan too. He will start on Wednesday and had three good moments in the second leg. However, you make life hard for yourself if you only set up to defend.”
“Mbappe is a player whose profile represents a danger,” added Muller ahead of the game. “He scores most of PSG’s goals. However, it is a team game and you have to be careful regarding passes to him and the space you allow him. He will be important for PSG on Wednesday. Every strength has a weakness, though.”
PSG: Neymar and Kimpembe are out for the long-term while Achraf Hakimi should be available to Galtier despite recent rape charges against the Morocco international. Renato Sanches is likely to miss out again and Nordi Mukiele took a knock during the win over Nantes as did captain Marquinhos who will not be fully fit for this one.
“Kylian is a player that we are lucky to have here with us, we need to have players like him,” said Verratti of Mbappe’s return to fitness. “We know that it’s not over, we want to put in a top performance tomorrow, we are playing for something huge, and we love this pressure. It’s important to be able to count on him. And he also can’t wait to be there.”
“He is a player that has scored a lot of goals and picked up a lot of assists since the start of the season,” said Galtier of Neymar’s surgery. “He is a top professional. He is the first person to be upset by his injury, and I really am thinking about him. Having Neymar in the squad would always be an additional asset to score goals.”
“There is the possibility that it could go to penalties,” added the French tactician. “I don’t see it as a lottery, we don’t work on penalties technically, because the match context is different. A lot of it comes down to the psychological side of things. And there is a lot of work that is done with Donnarumma, ahead of a penalty shootout.”
Prediction
PSG have shown since the first leg loss that they have rediscovered their scoring touch while Bayern remain vulnerable at the back despite a decent scoring record themselves. The French champions only need to win by a goal to take it beyond 90 minutes so expect them to do at least that. A two-goal winning margin is within the realms of possibility but a clean sheet for the visitors is unlikely. Expect Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi to feature prominently. Pick: Bayern 1, PSG 3 (after extra time).