Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich. One team was a dominant continental force at the start of the decade, while the other one, flooded with cash, was looking to make it's mark. They were the ones to beat in this season's UEFA Champions League ever since the knockouts began. While Bayern walk into the final looking ruthless and dominant, PSG have had to fight extremely tough 'mental' battles to get here. After a comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the RO16 and squeezing past Atalanta in the final few minutes of the last eight, they came up with a dominant performance against Red Bull Leipzig in the penultimate round, with Neymar pulling the strings like a spider. Bayern on the other hand...well, I don't need to say anything other than this: they beat Spanish 'Giants' Barcelona 8-2 in the last eight. When they meet in today's final, the stage is set for perhaps one of the most awaited one's yet.
As both teams line-up and the UCL anthem plays, you would probably be able to feel the nerves of every PSG and FCB fan around the world, while neutral fans like me can hardly wait for kick-off. Both teams are star-studded, have the money-power to attract top stars and have made a name for themselves in their respective leagues, winning them this year as well. Head-to-Head, they've come up against each other in the group stages for eight matches, with PSG winning five of them. Who will come out on top in this one-off encounter? Let's break it down.
Starting from the back, we have Manuel Neuer for FCB and Keylor Navas (if he plays) for PSG. Although the former plays a more risky game, for Bayern it could be just what they need given how high of a defensive line they hold. Navas, who missed the semi-final due to injury, could be available for the final, and hence this battle will be reasonably even. However, should Sergio Rico have to fill in for the Costa Rican goalkeeper, we can clearly see Bayern has the edge in this area.
Both teams play the tried and tested four at the back, but Bayern seem to have a clear edge here in terms of the one's on the flanks. Bernat and Kehrer are good, but they aren't as good as Davies and Kimmich. The latter pair will start ahead of Pavard and Hernandez tonight, and lets keep in mind that they have benched a World Cup winning pair, shall we? While PSG have played with Thiago Silva and Kimpembe in the back during the past two games, the return of Verrati in midfield could push Marquinhos back into a centre-back role, but as to who he will replace remains to be found out tonight. Bayern of course, will start with Boateng and Alaba and will be playing an extremely high line, which they can afford given the pacey nature of their defence and Neuer's sweeping abilities, but is it wise to do so against PSG's forward line?
Let's keep the forwards away for now. Bayern playing a 4-2-3-1 have a very solid duo in the middle. The technically skilled Thiago and the physically gifted Goretzka. The latter plays a very huge role in the Bayern set-up. Because of his physical presence in the middle of the park, it affords Thiago acres of space and those precious extra seconds to play those killer passes from deep. By contrast, PSG have no notable names who can dominate the middle single-handedly, save maybe Verratti, and Bayern seem to have the clear edge here. PSG, playing a straightforward 4-3-3, will probably be replying heavily on their forward line.
While Bayern have Lewandowski alone up front, supported by Muller just behind and Perisic and Gnabry on the flanks, PSG have a trio of Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria, and thus obviously pack a much stronger punch. Although Bayern has the highest goals scored per game, and PSG the second most this season (yeah, this final will hopefully have a lot of them), most defenders would prefer to play against Bayern, even with the threatening presence of Lewandowski, who has 55 goals this season across all competitions. The reason being simple: they are relatively easier to defend and play against. Bayern attack in a very orthodox manner, with passes being played out wide and then crosses put into the box, or with long balls into the centre from deep which is then put into the net after one or two touches. With Gnabry and Perisic, they also have two players capable of scoring with flat, powerful strikes from the sides or just outside the box.
PSG on the other hand, are unpredictable. When you have a trio of Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria, which is very fast, creative and fluid, you do not want to be the opposing backline. The way Neymar pulls the strings for Di Maria and Mbappe to exploit is a joy to watch. He toys with defenders, drawing them in, buying fouls. Messi is known for drawing defenders to him, Cristiano Ronaldo wins several fouls with his step overs, but neither of them do it with the same aesthetic pleasure as Neymar. He truly is a joy to watch when it's his day. Standing tall, drawing defenders in, exploding with pace and finally slipping the ball ever so gently for someone to score. These Brazilians are truly the reason why it's called 'The Beautiful Game'.
By winning fouls in dangerous places, Neymar offers PSG the opportunity to score with a dead ball. We witnessed this once again in their semi-final against Leipzig, as Di Maria crossed deliciously for Marquinhos to head the ball in. The Argentinean was in impeccable touch, setting up two goals and scoring another in that game. He might well be the difference if not Neymar or Mbappe. Ah, Kylian Mbappe. Ever since taking the world by storm during Monaco's remarkable 2016-17 UCL campaign, the Golden Boy has only improved exponentially each season. With his devastating pace and trickery filled legs, Mbappe will be itching to run against this extremely high Bayern backline. Can he outrun Davies and Alaba? Let's find out tonight, shall we?
As for the substitutes, both benches are reasonably stacked although Bayern's may be better on paper. Names like Coutinho, Draxler, Icardi and Coman amongst others will be itching to have a run out there on the biggest night in club football. Will it be Bayern's sixth or PSG's first? I'm going with Bayern, whose experience and big game mentality may just see them through, but with this PSG frontline, you never know, do you?
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