UEFA Champions League 2025-26 semifinal 2nd leg: Refreshed Bayern, PSG ready for another classic

Following the box-office Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, if one were asked to recollect the last time nine goals were scored in a semifinal first leg, they would find themselves struggling for the answer.

That’s because it has never happened before.

The first 45 minutes in Paris were all it took for the match to live up to the ‘biggest clash of the season’ label, with four second-half goals further cementing its place as a Champions League classic.

While both teams operate in a hyper-active, front-foot system, their styles have been accentuated by the array of attacking talent at their disposal, who have produced individual moments of brilliance. From Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise on the wings to Ousmane Dembele and Harry Kane in front of goal, both teams are stacked with players who are more than capable of carrying the weight of a match on their shoulders.

But this freshness and energy come as no surprise, especially for the French giant. PSG’s reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Dembele, and Kvaratskhelia have started just nine and 16 games, respectively, out of 31 league games this season.

The duo accounted for four of PSG’s five goals in the first leg.

While injuries have played their part in their absence from the squad, easier opponents and curious fixture readjustments in France have allowed manager Luis Enrique to be liberal with his team selection.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is on the other side of the bracket, suggested that Premier League teams are a world away from being as fresh as their French and German counterparts.

“To deliver that much quality, you have to be very fresh, and the difference in the leagues and the way they are competing is night and day. You just have to see a lot of stats around it. We are comparing two different worlds,” the Arsenal boss said.

The Parisians, however, are likely to gravely miss the presence of the speedy Achraf Hakimi down the wings after the Moroccan full-back played the full 90 minutes last week before being sidelined with a hamstring injury. Spaniard Fabian Ruiz, who himself is returning from injury, seems the prime candidate to take his place in the squad, with Warren Zaire-Emery or Joao Neves likely to take over the duties at right-back.

Meanwhile, Bayern will be boosted to have its manager, Vincent Kompany, back on the touchline in Munich after he was suspended and forced to watch the first leg from the stands, an experience he termed “torture”.

For both clubs, winning their respective league titles has pretty much been a formality over the past 15 years, and their extensive success has made it seem like they’re falling short when they falter in Europe.

Four of Bayern’s six Champions League titles have come before 2010, while PSG lifted the trophy for the first time only last year. But, despite their patchy record in the continental showpiece, both teams will be driven by the chance to make history.

If PSG manages to become champion, it will become only the second team, after Real Madrid, to defend the Champions League in the modern era.

On the other hand, for Bayern, which has already won the league and reached the German Cup final, a potential European final presents it with the opportunity to become the first team to complete the coveted treble three times.

Predicted XIs

Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer (gk), Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, Michael Olise, Harry Kane.

Paris Saint-Germain: Matvey Sofanov (gk), Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Warren Zaire-Emery, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele.

Where to watch Bayern Munich vs PSG Champions League semifinal LIVE in India?

The match will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network in India. It will also be livestreamed on the SonyLIV app and website.

Published on May 06, 2026