So, Sunday’s Champions League final in Lisbon will be between Bayern Munich and PSG after the former recorded a 3-0 win over PSG’s compatriots Lyon on Wednesday night. The result was not a major surprise, as the Bavarian giants have been in top form in 2020. However, despite the win, Lyon did show that Bayern does have weaknesses.
Bayern are strong in every position
Firstly, Bayern Munich are without a doubt the form team of the calendar year in European football. They have quality in abundance in every area of the pitch. They have the competition’s top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 15 times in Europe’s elite competition.
Then there is Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and so on. In short, they are quality. Head coach Hansi Flick has done a tremendous job since his appointment in November, after only arriving last summer as Niko Kovac’s assistant.
The 55-year-old has managed to get the best out of a group of players who were underperforming under Kovac. The Bavarians coasted to the Bundesliga title and have won all ten of their games in the Champions League this season. Bayern’s numbers in the last nine or so months are quite frightening if you are an opposition team.
A caveat to Bayern’s Bavarian brilliance
It is strange to say about such a brilliant team, but they have a minor weakness. The German giants play a very high line, which played right could be exploited. Barcelona scored two goals against the Bavarian because of the high line, while Lyon also broke through on numerous occasions.
Had OL had more confident finishers, Bayern may have had a game on their hands. It is only a small chink in the German giants seemingly formidable armour. Teams have broken through that armour in recent months, but Flick’s side has simply outscored them. In fact, Die Bayern have scored 115 goals in their head coaches 36 games in charge.
The presence of 19-year-old Canadian left-back Alphonse Davies has been a major reason why that weakness has not been exposed to a greater degree. The youngster has the pace of an Olympic sprinter, so can get back quickly and cover his defensive teammates. This attribute has become key to making Bayern successful this season.
PSG will challenge Bayern at both ends of the pitch
If ever there was a team that could exploit that high Bayern defensive line then it is PSG. In Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, the Parisians have two of the quickest and most technically gifted forwards in the game today.
Neymar has played a key role in the last few rounds but has not scored. Maybe he is saving his best to last. Mbappe has only just returned from injury. However, he had a big impact in the quarter-final win over Atalanta. The pair offer Bayern a far greater defensive challenge.
At the other end of the pitch, the French champions have also kept clean sheets in seven of their last ten European games. Thomas Tuchel’s team should offer Bayern more of a challenge and only time will tell if the men from Munich can pass their toughest test yet.
[geosnippet id=3620]Don’t forget to check out our final preview on our soccer predictions page on Friday. If you fancy placing an early bet on PSG vs Bayern Munich, then why not visit our betting page for the bookmakers we recommend for your wager.
Can PSG get the better of Bavarian behemoths Bayern on Sunday night?
