‘Everyone needs to be in front of their TVs’
Last year's finalists Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain's will lock horns in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal and tonight's clash in Munich could set the tone for the rest of the tournament before it comes down to the final four.
Bayern Munich, partly because they are victim to the standards they set last year and partly because they will be without Robert Lewandowski, have been painted as the team that will have the tougher time in the tie.
Shining more limelight on the absence of Bayern's record-chasing goal-machine is Kylian Mbappe, who apparently decided to make the Champions League his stage by scoring a sensational hattrick against Barcelona in the Round of 16.
PSG's ever-busy social media team has already aired a video with some of the team's players reflecting on the defeat in last year's final, but their tone was tempered with hints of caution. That tone was also reflected in the words of their 22-year-old phenom.
"Bayern are a great team. Now, it's just about being calm and confident in preparation for the first leg in Munich. It's a game that people will be looking forward to watching. It'll be a good game, so everyone needs to be in front of their TVs, and we'll try to put on a good show and hopefully come away with the win."
From the Parisiens' perspective, it was understandable why they would err on the side of caution. Their form has dipped to the point that they are now staring at a three-point deficit in Ligue 1, trailing Lille with seven games to go.
Their last league outing, a crucial clash against the now league-leaders, was supposed to be a chance for Neymar to get some crucial minutes upon return from injury. It was his first start in two months but while the Brazilian showed glimpses of his genius, in the end all he had to show was a red card in a loss. Marco Verratti and Leon Parades missing out is another worry.
Bayern, meanwhile, are seven points clear at the top of Bundesliga and show no signs of slowing down, and are chasing Manchester United's record of 25 consecutive games unbeaten in Europe's elite competition. They are currently undefeated in 19 straight games.
All Bayern Munich would require is one trademark performance at home. That would be enough to set alarm bells ringing among Europe's elite. But Mbappe, who watched the Bavarians lift a sixth Champions League title on the same night he and PSG lost at their first attempt, welcomed the competition.
"For me, the Champions League holds a very important place. We've lost at different stages, we've suffered. I think that if I win it, there'll be a lot of emotion. Even though the World Cup is the Holy Grail, for me, at club level, the Champions League is the best. The Champions League is, as the song says, for 'les meilleures équipes' (the best teams)."
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