28th April 2026
April 28 – Bayern Munich face Paris Saint-Germain tonight in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final in Paris.
It’s a heavyweight clash between Europe’s two best teams – a game that feels it may have come a round too early. The tie revisits the 2019/20 final, when Bayern edged PSG 1-0 through Kingsley Coman. This time, however, PSG arrive as holders after dismantling Inter Milan 5-0 in last year’s showpiece.
Despite that, Bayern come in as marginal favourites, largely on the back of their attacking depth and consistency. Vincent Kompany’s side are used to seeing off teams of PSG’s stature, having beaten Real Madrid 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, while PSG have arguably had the more emphatic run – dispatching Liverpool 4-0 and Chelsea 8-2 across the knockout rounds.
There are, however, selection questions on both sides. Bayern travel with a growing injury list – Serge Gnabry, Raphaël Guerreiro, Lennart Karl and Thomas Bischof are all sidelined – leaving Jamal Musiala as the only natural option in the No.10 role. PSG’s main concern centres on Vitinha, who is a doubt but could yet feature; otherwise, Luis Enrique has close to a full squad available.
Kompany struck a measured tone pre-match: “Our plans are clear. I know up until which point I can do things and how I can support the team. It’s about dealing with it as a team. I have 100 percent confidence in the staff and everyone else.
“Things were always extremely tight when we played against them. Sometimes we won, sometimes they won. It could’ve gone either way. Both teams have incredible amounts of creativity in terms of positional play and finding solutions. It’s about details, intensity and energy. The belief and quality of the players will decide things
“We’re fighting for the title that PSG won last year. They deserve every praise. We want what they achieved last year.
“This is the first leg; there will be a second leg in Munich, and we hope that over the course of these two matches we’ll prove to be the better team.”
PSG boss Luis Enrique said: “The magic of the Champions League gives a special energy. We need to use our attacks as well as possible. When two teams who are so attacking face off, you need to know above all how to defend. That will be key.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [moc.l1777370912labto1777370912ofdlr1777370912owedi1777370912sni@g1777370912niwe.1777370912yrrah1777370912](javascript:;)