Another Mbappe magic or instance of Bayern’s resilience?
Holders Bayern Munich will endeavour to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg of their quarter-final with Paris Saint-Germain when they do battle in the French capital tonight.
An enthralling five-goal encounter at the Allianz Arena ended with Mauricio Pochettino's side claiming a slender lead at half time in the tie, and the two continental giants head into the game following differing fortunes in their domestic title defences.
PSG's weakened team cruised past Strasbourg 4-1 on Saturday, whereas a much-changed Bayern side could only muster a point from their clash with Union Berlin in a 1-1 draw.
With Bayern hotshot Robert Lewandowski helplessly watching on from the infirmary, his adversary Kylian Mbappe did what he does best at the Allianz Arena, as the Frenchman was once again unfazed by the magnitude of the occasion and the venue in Europe's elite competition.
'Serve chilled' was the classy headline in French sports paper L'Equipe after Paris's 3-2 first-leg win at Bayern, over a picture of Kylian Mbappe celebrating one of his two strikes in snowy Munich. It was a supremely composed performance from the striker, who is hoping to continue an exceptional goalscoring run in the return: eight goals in his last four UEFA Champions League matches.
Mauricio Pochettino, Paris coach said: "We need to congratulate the players on their sacrifice and we want to repeat this kind of performance. But we still have another match to play. We know the second leg will be difficult."
Thomas Muller, Bayern forward said: "We have to score a lot more. You can always talk about the goals you concede but I think nobody could have had any complaints had we won 5-3 or 6-3. Somehow we shot ourselves in the foot. Now we have to come from behind."
Meanwhile, with one foot firmly in the semi-finals, Chelsea once again travel to Seville for the 'home' leg of their Champions League quarter-final showdown with Porto tonight.
Goals from Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell propelled the Blues to a comfortable 2-0 win in the first meeting, and once again, the Portuguese champions have been left with a mountain to climb to salvage their European season.
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