The round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League begins with an intriguing heavyweight match between France and Germany, the current champions. Recent matches between PSG and Bayern Munich have been noteworthy, and this one seems to follow suit. So set aside your plans for Valentine’s Day and settle down for yet another classic instead.
The Champions League has been the ever-elusive holy grail for the Paris giants since Qatari Sports Investment took over in 2011, but up until now, their pursuit has been marked by a series of narrow misses and unheard-of exits.
The club’s extremely wealthy owners have spent millions and billions of dollars in an effort to take over Europe. The Greatest Footballer of All Time, Lionel Messi, is a member of their team and is still playing some of his finest games, and the mercurial Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are beginning to click as a unit. Could this be the year that makes a breakthrough? Time will only tell!
There is no denying that PSG is not in a good place as they prepare to face Bayern. The Parisians had a difficult start to 2023 and are coming off of back-to-back losses as they enter Europe. The French champs’ brilliance this season has been diminished by losses in Marseille and Monaco, but it would be foolish to write them out right away, especially as they are capable of fielding the world’s deadliest front three.
Bayern is the favorite despite PSG’s dismal performance, but it’s important to remember that the visitors have lost half of their games since returning to competition, playing out three straight 1-1 league matches to begin 2023.
Since then, the Bavarians have found their form and have won all three of their recent games handily, with a combined score of 11-2. The preparation for a game with such high stakes is scarcely improved by tearing apart several average to sluggish German sides in order to play an exceptional side in Paris Saint-Germain.
Having said that, Bayern has a special kind of football heritage in Europe. Their performance in the Champions League this season has been flawless; they have won all six of their games during the group stage, overcoming formidable opponents like Bayern and Inter twice.
These two teams squared off in the 2020 championship game and again in the 2021 quarterfinals. The French powerhouses have fought valiantly against their German rivals in each of those encounters, even eliminating Bayern Munich from the Champions League in 2021 on away goals after the match ended 3-3 on aggregate after failing to win the title the year before.
The Hard Tackle delves further into the thrilling confrontation in Paris ahead of the most recent match between the two European titans.
