It's a case of the Champions League final reloaded! In the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition, defending champions FC Bayern will face Paris Saint-Germain. The draw was made by ex-Bayern star and ambassador for the final in Istanbul, Hamit Altintop, in Nyon on Friday afternoon. The men from Munich will play the first leg at home on 6/7 April, with the second leg to follow on 13/14 April.
Straight after the draw, FCB board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić assessed the opponents, whom the men from Munich beat 1-0 in the final in Lisbon in August: "Paris are a very good team. They’re second in their league at the moment, but it’s a challenge at the highest level for us." fcbayern.com takes another look at the club from the French capital:
PSG laid down a marker against Barcelona
PSG finished top of their group ahead of RB Leipzig and Manchester United and then laid down a marker in the round of 16 with an emphatic win over Barcelona. After the 4-1 away win in Spain, a 1-1 draw in the second leg at home was enough to see them through. Despite the strong performances on the European stage, the French giants, currently lying second in the Ligue 1 table, haven't been able to match their dominance of recent years. Head coach Thomas Tuchel was forced to resign at the start of the year, despite having taken the club to a first-ever appearance in the final of Europe's premier club competition just a few months earlier.
"They have a new coach in Mauricio Pochettino. He’s a good coach and doing good work," said Salihamidžić, once again highlighting the French side's excellent squad: "They have top players, and in Mbappé a striker who has it all and is very dangerous," added the 44-year-old, describing the attacker who, with four goals in the two clashes with Barça, was arguably the most influential player in the last 16.
Tips von Choupo-Moting
Overall, the French perennial champions narrowly lead the stats after nine head-to-heads (five PSG wins, four FCB wins) - but in addition to the momentum gained from winning the final around seven months ago, Bayern can now also get tips from a real expert on how to stop the club from the capital: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting moved from the Seine to the Isar in the autumn. The striker had previously scored nine goals in 51 competitive matches for PSG over two years.
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