Bundesliga
5 reasons Bayern will beat PSG
Bayern Munich’s quest to climb the UEFA Champions League table continues with a tough test against PSG, who will also be discontent with their current ranking. There are plenty of reasons for the German record champions to be confident going into Tuesday's encounter.
Vincent Kompany's side got back to winning ways last time out in the Champions League, winning 1-0 at home to Benfica and bringing their overall record in this year’s competition to two wins and two defeats. This leaves them 17th in the overall standings of the new league format, six points adrift of top spot, but two points and eight positions ahead of Tuesday’s opponents from Paris.
bundesliga.com has compiled five reasons why Bayern will get the win under the lights of the Allianz Arena...
1) Strong home record in the group stages
You have to go back to 5 December 2013 to find the last time Bayern suffered defeat at home in a Champions League group stage match, when a James Milner winner saw Manchester City to a 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena. For reference, City head coach Pep Guardiola was in the dugout for Bayern, Jamal Musiala was just ten years old, and current boss Kompany was an unused sub for the Citizens on the night, having just recovered from a hamstring injury.
Since that night, the German record champions have not suffered defeat in any of their next 32 home fixtures at this stage of the competition, including two victories in this year’s campaign, in which they thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 and eventually overcame a tough Benfica side. When PSG arrive at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, they will be entering a fortress and facing a ruthless Bayern side who will be seeking to establish their dominance in the form of a home victory.
2) Bayern scoring for fun
It has been raining goals at Bayern this season, with Kompany’s team netting 52 times already in 2024/25. Eleven of these goals have come in four Champions League fixtures: only Barcelona (15) and Borussia Dortmund (13) have scored more often in the competition. PSG will need to be wary of this free-flowing Bayern attack, but with goals coming from across the front line, they may prove too much for Luis Enrique’s side to contain.
Watch: The best of Jamal Musiala in 2024/25
Of course, the main source of these goals has been talisman Harry Kane, who is already on 17 for the season in all competitions (11 in the Bundesliga, five in the Champions League, one in the DFB Cup).
3) Bayern fired up for crucial game
The two away defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona somewhat burst Bayern’s bubble and have left them lingering in mid-table in the overall standings. They also mean that each game thereafter has become even more important. Bayern are three points off the top eight, and should they wish to guarantee themselves a spot in the round of 16 as well as a home second leg, then they will need to pick up as many points as possible from their remaining four fixtures, starting with the visit of the Parisians on Tuesday.
Watch: Analysing Harry Kane's penalty routine
Not only is the match against PSG significant in terms of progressing through to the next round in as favourable a position as possible, but a victory over a top side like the champions of France would be something of a statement victory for Bayern on the continent.
It has been a solid start to the season for the German record champions, but draws in the league against Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt and the two UCL defeats mean that Bayern’s campaign is so far lacking a big result in a key fixture. In the context of their season, they will undoubtedly be desperate to send a message to the rest of the competition by doing the business against PSG.
4) Good attacking depth
With Bayern’s front four struggling to break down a deep-sitting Benfica defence in their last Champions League match, Kompany brought on Leroy Sané for Michael Olise in the 57th minute to try and ignite their attacking play. The Germany international was a real bright spark off the bench, running hard at tired Benfica legs, creating clear chances and testing goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin on several occasions.
It was Sané who picked out Kane at the back post with a cross before the number nine squared it for Musiala to head home in the 67th minute, a goal which proved decisive for the home side.
Up until that point, Bayern’s attack was failing to make a breakthrough, but thanks to their depth in attack, super sub Sané and later Kingsley Coman, they were able to cause Benfica problems. Bayern's breadth of options up top makes them a nightmare for defences, because just when they think they’ve got the attack where they want them, on come decorated, prolific attackers to apply further pressure which sometimes cannot be contained.
5) Bayern boast better head-to-head record
Tuesday’s hosts have won seven of the 13 meetings between the two sides, which is a marginally better record than their opponents, who have won on six occasions. The two teams faced off most recently in the round of 16 of the 2022/23 edition of the competition: Coman scored against his former employers to help Bayern to a 1-0 win in Paris, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry netting in the 2-0 victory in the return leg to comfortably see the German record champions through to the last eight.
The most notable Bayern victory over PSG came back in August 2020, when the two sides met in the Champions League final. Coman’s second-half header proved decisive as Bayern bested the French side to win their sixth UCL title. PSG had never been closer to Champions League glory and haven’t come as close since.
That day may well therefore be at the forefront of the players’, coaches’ and fans’ minds as they prepare to face Bayern for the fifth time since that night in Lisbon. The Parisians currently find themselves in 25th place in this year’s competition, the first of the elimination spots, raising the stakes yet further for Tuesday’s match.