The final of this special Champions League season will take place on Sunday evening in Lisbon between the European superpowers Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Both teams have reasons to kick off with confidence. Who seizes the most important prize in club football?
Paris Saint-Germain:
In the quarter finals of this Champions League, the French still got through the eye of the needle. By two very late hits, Atalanta Bergamo was defeated by the team of coach Thomas Tuchel (1-2). From the start of the semi-final against RB Leipzig, the Parisians showed that they did not want to defy fate again. A well-playing PSG was clearly too strong for the surprising semi-finalist RB Leipzig. Opportunities soon came, and the opening goal was also not long in coming. With an inspired Neymar playing in the lead, the French made an excellent impression. The final 0-3 victory was a good reflection of the balance of power on the field.
The club from Paris is now very close to the long-living dream. Ever since the Qatar treasure fleet entered the city of lights, the big goal has always been to win the Cup-with-the-Great-Ears. “We have to stay calm,” Tuchel said in the run-up to Sunday’s game. ‘We have to prepare in the same way as for other competitions. We will not do special things, the game itself is special enough, ‘said the coach of the Paris club. Keylor Navas had to miss the semi-final, and there is a chance that the goalkeeper will not be able to play on Sunday either. In that case, Sergio Rico is again his replacement. Furthermore, Tuchel has little reason to change many things in his starting elf.
Bayern Munich:
FC Bayern Munich qualified for this final battle last Wednesday, as expected. After the gala performance in the quarterfinals against FC Barcelona, which resulted in an 8-2 victory, the German series champion against Olympique Lyonnais was the big favorite. But initially Bayern had a hard time against the French subtopper. They escaped a deficit before Serge Gnabry scored the 0-1 in an unparalleled way. The margin was doubled by Gnabry himself, virtually deciding the game. Who else but Robert Lewandowski took care of the 0-3 final score with a striking header. The Lewandowski / Gnabry couple, the statisticians calculated, are the most scoring duo in the history of the Champions League with 24 season goals.
However, Bayern’s success in this season is not only due to the attack. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also achieves a high level again, after a number of lesser years. Clubman Oliver Kahn – a former goalkeeper of course – also noticed this. “As a Bayern goalkeeper you don’t get much to do, but if you need to, you have to be there,” Kahn said. ‘That is anything but easy. Manuel proved himself in one-on-one duels. He avoided the 2-1, ”Kahn referred to the rescue of Neuer from the bet of Karl Toko Ekambi. Normally, Neuer will of course also be under the bar on Sunday in Lisbon. Trainer Hansi Flick will hope that Jerome Boateng is fit for the final in time. If not, Niklas Süle starts centrally in the back.
PREDICTION: Bayern Munich to win @ 2,07
