Key events
Good news for Paris Saint-Germain: Vitinha starts. He’s back after two domestic games out with a right heel problem, so the holders are able to name the same starting XI that beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield a fortnight ago. Warren Zaïre-Emery gets the nod over Fabián Ruiz in midfield, the latter having only just recently returned from injury.
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany will watch from the stand, having been handed a one-match suspension for picking up three yellow cards in this season’s tournament. The latest came during the tumultuous quarter-final victory in Munich over Real Madrid, for telling the referee how he saw it in the wake of a challenge on Josip Stanišić that didn’t lead to the award of a free kick but did lead to a Real goal. Alphonso Davies is in for Konrad Laimer, the only change to the Bayern starting XI from that match. Harry Kane, looking for his 54th goal of the season, leads the line.
The teams
Paris Saint-Germain: Safonov, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, João Neves, Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia.
Subs: Chevalier, Marin, Beraldo, Zabarnyi, Ruiz, Ramos, Lee, Hernández, Mayulu, Fernández, Barcola, Mbaye.
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Stanišić, Upamecano, Tah, Davies, Kimmich, Pavolvic, Olise, Musiala, Díaz, Kane.
Subs: Ulreich, Urbig, Kim, Goretzka, Jackson, Ito, Laimer, Ofli, Pavic.
Referee: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland).
♫ ♪ ♬ “Memorieeeeees light the corners of my mind …” ♪ 🎵 🎶 Here’s what happened when the teams met in the Big League phase back in November …
… plus a reminder of how things panned out in that 2020 final …
… but in the interest of balance, here’s the one time PSG have avoided defeat in their last eight meetings with Bayern, a whirlwind victory that led to their putting out the then-holders in the 2021 quarter-finals.
Preamble
It’s been a slow crescendo – little by little – but the Champions League has been building up to this: a summit meeting between the best two teams in the competition. On the face of it, you’d have a good job confidently predicting the outcome of a tie between the outrageously talented holders and a side who have won 11 of their 12 games in the competition this season and simply don’t know when they’re beaten. But then Bayern have won the last five games between the clubs, and seven in the last eight, including the 2020 final, so apologies for clouding your mind. The Paris Match begins at 8pm BST. Here we go!
