Davies excels on the left side of defence, but repeated injuries have limited his appearances this season and he has yet to recapture the world-class form he showed in previous years.
Laimer, by contrast, has been a model of reliability for months. The natural midfielder has also impressed at both full-back positions. Prime co-commentator Benedikt Höwedes agreed with his former team-mate Hummels: “I’m surprised too. Laimer is probably having the best season of his career and is in great form. Defensively rock-solid, especially in the group-stage match we covered (2-1 to Bayern, ed.).”
He added, “Davies naturally brings pace to the game, which Kompany will have in mind, especially against the speedy Hakimi on his side. It’s still a surprise to me, though.”
On Saturday, in Bayern’s 4-3 win at Mainz, both Davies and Laimer started. The Canadian delivered a mixed display, whereas the Austrian was among the match’s standout performers for the newly crowned German champions.
Bayern’s official line-up for the first leg at PSG:
Neuer – Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Davies – Kimmich, Pavlovic, Olise, Musiala, Luis Diaz – Kane