Paris Saint-Germain: Bayern's Champions League semi-final opponents

On Tuesday night (21:00 CEST), Bayern take on holders Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League semi-finals. It’s a rematch between two of Europe’s top clubs, who already faced each other in the league phase – with Bayern winning 2-1 at Parc des Princes. Here’s the lowdown on PSG and what makes them such a threat.

Since Qatar's sovereign wealth fund bought PSG in 2011 and their subsequent rise to the top of world football, all of their encounters with Bayern have been played at the very highest level. In September 2017, the Bavarians suffered a 3-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes, but FCB later won three consecutive games against Paris sides featuring Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi from the Champions League quarter-finals second leg in April 2021 to March 2023.

The PSG management then changed course and focused less on big stars and more on a close-knit squad, which nevertheless impressed with its individual class. This development culminated in the 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the 2025 Champions League final at the Allianz Arena - the highest winning margin in a final in the competition’s history. However, on the way to finally being crowned European champions for the first time, Luis Enrique's team were also beaten 1-0 by Bayern at the Allianz Arena in the league phase. “I think we're very similar to Bayern Munich. Both teams want the ball, both press aggressively. The stats say we're very similar,” said the PSG coach for that November 2024 encounter.

The two European heavyweights also met in last summer’s Club World Cup as the Parisians ended a run of four straight defeats at the hands of Bayern to advance to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win. It was a result that perhaps didn’t reflect the course of the game, as Vincent Kompany’s men had their opportunities to eliminate the Champions League holders. They got revenge of sorts in this season’s league phase, producing one of their best performances of 2025/26 to earn a 2-1 triumph in Paris.

Both teams had won their opening three fixtures of the league phase prior to November’s meeting at the Parc des Princes. Bayern had brushed aside Chelsea (3-1), Paphos (5-1) and Club Brugge (4-0), while the Parisians had seen off Atalanta (4-0), Barcelona (2-1) and Bayer Leverkusen (7-2). But the first half in the French capital was a real demonstration by Bayern. They pressed high, won their duels and were clinical in front of goal, Luis Díazstriking twice inside the first 32 minutes.

However, the Colombian was sent off on the stroke of half-time for a foul on Achraf Hakimi, meaning Bayern had to defend their lead with the utmost resolve in the second half. They did just that until João Neves finally got a goal back in the 74th minute, but Jonathan Tah and the defence repelled everything else that came their way. The game was so thrilling that Kompany ran onto the pitch at full-time to celebrate victory with his players. “Tomorrow won’t decide who’s the best team in Europe or the world, but we’ll see at the end of the season,” the Belgian’s opposite number Enrique had said ahead of the game. He could be proven right, given the winner of this semi-final tie will likely be the favourites in the Budapest final, on the back of Bayern’s excellent campaign and PSG’s current form.

The holders are once again through to the last four after two relatively comfortable victories over Liverpool in the quarter-finals. Enrique’s side won 2-0 at home in the first leg through goals from Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but they had chances for several more. The return leg at Anfield produced the same result as Arne Slot’s team pushed for a way back in, before Ousmane Dembélé put the tie to bed with two late goals.

PSG’s successes

Before the Qatari acquisition of the club, the Parisians had finished 15th, 16th and 13th in Ligue 1 between 2007 and 2010. Between 2013 and 2025, PSG have been champions 11 times in 13 seasons, a run only interrupted by Monaco in 2017 and Lille in 2021. Recent years have very much filled the club’s trophy cabinet after a much more modest start since their 1970 founding, when Bayern had already existed for 70 years. A total of 13 league titles, 16 Coupe de France wins and the 1996 European Cup Winners' Cup have now been complemented by the Champions League trophy and the UEFA Super Cup in 2025. The latest honours are an incentive for the current team to remain at the top of Europe.

Team news: Sweating over Vitinha

There’s a doubt over midfield strategist Vitinha going into the first leg in the French capital. The Portuguese suffered a heel injury in the league match against Olympique Lyon a week ago. That aside, coach Enrique has everyone available.

Vitinha’s absence would likely affect any team in Europe, but PSG’s squad is packed with so many alternatives, like a menu at a Michelin-star restaurant on the Champs-Élysées. Doué, Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé and Gonçalo Ramos all provide different options up top. The former three have a combined 17 goals in the Champions League this season, split as four for current Ballon d’Or holder Dembélé, five for Doué and eight for Georgia’s Kvaratskhelia. There are also many young emerging talents in Lucas Beraldo (22 year old), Neves (21), Warren Zaire-Emery (20), Senny Mayulu (19) and Ibrahim Mbaye (18).

Filling Donnarumma’s gloves

Last summer’s transfer window was rather quiet by PSG standards. Centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi and goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier were the top new arrivals. Frenchman Chevalier replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma, who then moved to Manchester City, as the new number one. Players such as former Bayern midfielder Renato Sanches (to Panathinaikos) and Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham Hotspur) were loaned out. While Chevalier played in the league phase encounter with Bayern, he’s since been replaced as first choice by Matvei Safonov, who will likely play in the semi-final meetings. Coach Enrique usually employs a 4-3-3 system in front of the 27-year-old Russian.

How do the Champions League holders play?

The defending European champions have impressed above all with their tactical finesse and flexibility. Ex-Eintracht Frankfurt man Willian Pacho and veteran Marquinhos will likely start in central defence, but Enrique could also bring in former FCB player Lucas Hernández, who was sent off for an elbow in the Club World Cup clash. In addition, the Parisians have one of world football’s most feared full-backs in Hakimi, who likes to create overloads and new passing angles going forward with his runs in behind.

Neves or Zaire-Emery act as the link between defence and attack in build-up play. Ahead of them, Kvaratskhelia provides dynamism and a change of pace in between the lines, while Dembélé adds additional unpredictability to the French side's attacking play with his dribbling and variable positioning. If Bayern can keep the world-class trio of Doué, Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia in check as much as possible – as they have done in many recent meetings – it will significantly increase their chances of victory. “It'll be very intense and high class. It's the kind of game we all love to play, where we can show how well we perform as a team,” said Vitinha ahead of November’s clash, adding: “It'll be one of the challenges we're looking for. What will be key? Difficult… As I said, it’ll come down to little things - sometimes an individual action, sometimes by the whole team. Maybe the ball will just hit the post, maybe it'll glance off it and go in. It'll be difficult to say what made the difference in the end.”

PSG's pressing is characterised by collective coordination, targeted trigger points and perfectly orchestrated positioning. They don't wait for mistakes to happen, they force them. The team sees possession as a means to control and gain space. Enrique's side combine surprising changes of position with getting back in a disciplined manner. “We have players who can perform well in different positions,” said the coach of his team. “We’re a real example of a team whose players can also change position during the game.”

Despite potential absences, PSG remain one of the most dangerous and modern teams in Europe thanks to the depth of their squad and their tactical versatility. It means both sets of fans and every football lover can look forward to the next showdown between these two European heavyweights.

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