Bayern take on holders PSG in semi-final first leg at Parc des Princes

The world of football will be watching as Bayern take to the Parc des Princes pitch on Tuesday evening to face holders Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie (kick-off at 21:00 CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our text commentary and free web radio). “There’s a lot of excitement. For me, it’s a completely even game where nuances will make the difference,” said board member for sport Max Eberl prior to travelling to France. Here’s all you need to know about the big game in our preview.

Recap all the build-up to the first leg on Monday:

Latest news from Bayern

Saturday’s remarkable comeback at Mainz, where Bayern trailed 3-0 but managed to win 4-3, will have given the team plenty of additional momentum for their trip to Paris. The Bavarians appear in excellent form at just the right time in the season. Days on from wrapping up the defence of their Bundesliga title, Bayern progressed to a first DFB Cup final in six years. They are now looking to repeat that feat in the Champions League after an already exciting European campaign. Across all competitions, Vincent Kompany’s men have won their last nine fixtures and are unbeaten in 19 going back to January.

However, the coach will be among the spectators at the Parc des Princes this time. Kompany received his third yellow card of the Champions League season in the 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the quarter-final second leg, meaning he serves a touchline suspension in this game. Aaron Danks will deputise for the 40-year-old in managing the team during the match. “Our plans are clear. I know up until which point I can do things and how I can support the team. It's about dealing with it as a team. I have 100 percent confidence in the staff and everyone else,” Kompany said in his press conference on Monday evening.

Find out more about Danks here:

Bayern have already played at the Parc des Princes this season, producing a thrilling and high-quality encounter in the league phase. Luis Díaz scored twice in the first half before being sent off. The Reds then put in a superb defensive display to see out a 2-1 victory. The expectation this Tuesday is of a similarly pulsating fixture. “It’s two excellent teams facing each other. It’ll come down to the little things,” said sporting director Christoph Freund. Defender Dayot Upamecano added, “It’s a big game for us. We’re totally focused on ourselves and obviously want to win.”

“Things were always extremely tight when we played against them. Sometimes we won, sometimes they won. It could’ve gone either way. Both teams have incredible amounts of creativity in terms of positional play and finding solutions. It’s about details, intensity and energy. The belief and quality of the players will decide things,” Kompany explained further.

Treble hero Kingsley Coman previews this big clash between two clubs he knows well:

Opponent: Paris Saint-Germain

The defending European champions are having another excellent season. After winning the treble last term, the Parisians are again on course for the Ligue 1 title – their fifth in a row. A 3-0 win away at Angers saw Luis Enrique’s side open up a six point lead over Lens, who were held to a 3-3 draw at Brest. PSG finished 11th in the league phase of the Champions League, needing to see off domestic rivals Monaco in the play-off (5-4 on aggregate). They then advanced past Chelsea in the round of 16 (8-2) and Liverpool in the quarters (4-0) to reach the final four again. “They have an incredibly good team with quality,” stated Harry Kane. “We’re fighting for the title that PSG won last year. They deserve every praise. We want what they achieved last year,” Kompany concluded.

Find out what form PSG are in:

Team news

Bayern have arrived in Paris without Raphaël Guerreiro (hamstring), Serge Gnabry (adductor), Lennart Karl (hamstring) and Tom Bischof (calf) available to play.

PSG are missing Quentin Ndjantou (thigh), but Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernández, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha are expected to be fit to return.

Read up on the facts ahead of the game:

What the coaches say