Who: Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain
Contents: Champions League semi-final, second leg
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Date and time: Wednesday 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
PSG traveled to Munich on Wednesday for the second leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich, holding a 5-4 lead after a fantastic opening game that turned out to be one of the best games in the history of the competition.
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The highest-scoring Champions League semi-final in history saw some of the game’s leading attackers free to attack, with both managers vowing to further intensify their approach in the second leg.
Victory in the semi-finals will earn them a place in the final, which will be played against Arsenal or Atletico Madrid on May 30 at Budapest’s Puskas Arena.
What happened in the first leg?
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5-4 in an unusual encounter, with Juvica Kvaratschelia and Ousmane Dembele each scoring twice.
Last Tuesday night was a frenetic first half, with Harry Kane giving Bayern the lead with a penalty, but Kvaratschelia equalized before Joao Neves headed in ahead at the frenetic Parc des Princes.
Michael Oliseh’s goal made it 2-2, but Dembele’s penalty in first-half stoppage time gave the reigning champions a lead just before the end of the first half.
Kvaratschelia and Dembele then scored again and PSG looked to be out of sight, but Dayot Upamecano pulled one back and Luis Diaz made it 5-4.
The company promises more fireworks
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has vowed to stick to a strong, high-risk approach as the German champions and six-time European Cup winners aim to reach the finals.
“It would be nice to keep a clean sheet, but we can’t afford to lose what made us strong,” Kompany said.
He added: “PSG never intended to change the style that won the Champions League last year.
“We go into the game as the team that has won the most games and scored the most goals in Europe.
“Will anyone try to back down? No one will accept that.”
“We have to win.”
Already Bundesliga champions, Bayern have scored 116 goals in 32 games, a league record and the best anywhere in Europe.
However, their aggressive approach leaves them vulnerable. Bayern have conceded 16 goals in their last six games and have kept just one clean sheet.
Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich promised a similar performance against PSG on Saturday after Bayern went from down 2-0, 3-2 to a 3-3 draw with Olise’s goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
“We’re not going to change our style of play in three days, we’re just going to sit back and defend,” Kimmich said.
“Whether we win another 5-4, 3-2 or 1-0, we have to win.”
Luis Enrique brings PSG to the brink of the final again
If PSG can see off a brilliant Bayern team, Luis Enrique will move a step closer to becoming the fifth manager to win three European Cups or the Champions League, joining Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Josep Guardiola.
“It was the best match I was lucky to be a part of as a coach,” Luis Enrique said after last week’s first leg.
Still, he believes his team needs three more goals at the Allianz Arena to see off the German champions.
Enrique and his team don’t have to look too far into the past for inspiration. The previous visit to Munich ended with PSG defeating Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final to win the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
His side also lead second-placed Reims by six points with three games remaining and are on the brink of another Ligue 1 title, although their financial advantage over other French clubs makes it less noticeable.
“Last season we achieved goals that everyone around us dreamed of,” the Spaniard said on the eve of this campaign.
“But we want to keep making history and that now means winning the Champions League for the second time in a row.”
How did PSG reach the semi-finals?
Dembele scored twice at a rain-soaked Anfield to secure a 2-0 win over Liverpool and seal PSG’s place in the last four with a 4-0 aggregate victory.
How did Bayern reach the semi-finals?
In the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, late goals from Díaz and Olise helped the hosts secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over Real Madrid and advance to the last four with an aggregate score of 6-4 after a thrilling draw.
direct confrontation
The two clubs have met 17 times and have never drawn, with Bayern winning nine of those matches and PSG winning eight.
Last 5 encounters:
April 28, 2026: PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich (Champions League semi-finals) November 4, 2025: PSG 1-2 Bayern Munich (Champions League, league phase) July 5, 2025: PSG 2-0 Bayern Munich (Club World Cup quarter-finals) November 26, 2024: Bayern 1-0 PSG (Champions League, League Phase) March 8, 2023: Bayern 2-0 PSG (Champions League, Round of 16)
When did Bayern and PSG become European champions?
Bayern won the European Cup/Champions League title in 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013 and 2020.
Bayern defeated PSG 1-0 in the 2020 final with a goal from former PSG player Kingsley Coman in the 59th minute.
PSG won their only Champions League title last season.
stellar semifinals
Champions League semi-finals are often more memorable than title matches.
A year ago, the exciting match between Inter Milan and Barcelona was as widely praised as the opening game between PSG and Bayern. A 3-3 first leg in Barcelona was just the appetizer for Inter’s rollercoaster 4-3 win in extra time at San Siro.
In 2022, Real Madrid managed to fight back in stoppage time of the second leg to prevent Manchester City from winning. Madrid won 3-1 after extra time. A wild first leg saw City win 4-3 in Manchester.
The 2019 vintage knockout stage ended with stunning comebacks on consecutive nights in the semi-final second legs between Liverpool vs. Barcelona and Tottenham vs. Ajax.
bayern team news
No new injury issues were reported for the second leg, with Serge Gnabry and Rafael Guerreiro ruled out ahead of time with thigh and hamstring injuries respectively.
Teenage star Renato Carle may have recovered enough from a torn thigh muscle to feature someday.
Expected starting lineup:
Neuer (goalkeeper) Stanic, Upamecano, Tarr, Davis. Kimmich, Pavlovich. Olise, Musiala, Diaz. Kane
PSG team news
In a major blow for the Parisians, their main right-back, Achraf Hakimi, suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. Warren Zaire-Emery will replace the Moroccan.
PSG will also be without second-choice goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier due to a hand injury.
However, apart from these two missing players, coach Luis Enrique seems to have a full squad to choose from.
Expected starting lineup:
Safonov (goalkeeper); Zair Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes. Luis, Vicinha, Neves. Due, Dembele, Kvaratscheria
