Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is preparing for their second leg against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League last 16 tie.
While PSG might trail behind Bayern after their first leg, they have five good reasons to believe they can overcome them.
The first among these reasons is Kylian Mbappé – he is fit and firing on all fronts with a record-breaking performance that makes him the next player capable of dominating the Ballon d’Or.
Add to that his status as PSG’s all-time top scorer at just 24 years old — he even moved past Edinson Cavani onto 201 goals as Paris beat FC Nantes 4-2 last Saturday.
Plus, Bayern had no answer for Mbappé during the first-leg game so it’s unlikely they’ll find a solution for him this time around.
The other reasons why PSG could win this game include the M and M > MNM factor.
With Neymar Jr.’s absence due to a sprained ankle, PSG appears more balanced with Lionel Messi around.
Then there is also the fact that PSG has recently bounced back from defeat with three straight victories, including one against rival Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1 Uber Eats where Mbappé and Messi combined for all three goals in a 3-0 win.
In addition, the four previous meetings between these sides resulted in away day victories with Maurcio Pochettino’s side coming out on top in the last encounter during the quarter-finals of the 2021/22 edition.
Lastly, Bayern goalie Manuel Neuer’s broken leg led to Yann Sommer being drafted from Borussia Monchengladbach as his replacement.
Although Sommer matches Neuer for almost every goalkeeper stat imaginable, there’s still a difference when it comes to defensive actions outside of the box where Neuer averages twice as many as Sommer over the last year.
This disparity could create an area of concern for Bayern when facing Mbappé’s relentless pace and pressure.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
