The UEFA Champions League is back, and it brings along some of the finest football action available in the form of a round-of-16 face-off between the reigning French Ligue 1 champions and the German Bundesliga title holders.
PSG are set to face Bayern Munich in a crucial and mouthwatering Champions League round of 16 clash at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night. PSG have had a turbulent Ligue 1 season since the start of the year and haven’t been anywhere close to their best so far. PSG were the favourites to win it last year as well but were beaten by current champions Real Madrid, who are always favourites to win this competition.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, also enters the game as a true contender this season and surely knows how to pull the strings against the Parisian side, having done so two seasons ago in the Champions League 19/20 final. Since then, the Germans’ squad has undergone significant changes, particularly with the arrival of a new manager eager to make his mark following a shock exit in the Quarter Finals against Villareal last season.
Both teams are ranked first in their respective leagues, with PSG coming off two defeats in recent domestic matches against Marseille and Monaco. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, have won their last two matches in Germany and have been in good form overall. Below, we look at some of the stats for both teams from the current season.
PSG vs Bayern’s overall performance in UCL
The viz above shows the percentile rank of both teams’ stats compared to each other as well as to other teams in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23. It can be seen that Bayern Munich has better overall stats than PSG in most departments. Notably, the visitors have the upper hand in terms of shots, xG, and goals per 90. Alternatively, there are a couple of departments where the hosts have superior stats, such as passes per 90 and pass accuracy.
PSG maintains 56.16% possession and attempts 608.17 passes on average with an accuracy of 91.3%. They make 67.5 recoveries per 90 minutes. Whereas, Bayern keeps the ball for 57.33% of the match on average, attempting 563.33 passes with an accuracy of 88.7%. Additionally, Bayern makes 79.67 recoveries per match.
Both teams in front of the goal
Paris Saint-Germain finished second in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, with 14 points from six matches played. They won four matches and drew two matches. They scored 14 goals (9.01 xG) and conceded seven goals. The top scorer for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League is Kylian Mbappe with seven goals, and he is a key player for the Parisians. The team takes 13 shots every 90 seconds, with a 46.2% accuracy rate, for a total of 77 shots. The team has scored most of its goals from inside the penalty box, along with four goals from outside the box. Kylian Mbappe has scored the majority of their goals from the left flank.
Bayern Munich finished in first position in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, with 18 points from six matches played. They won all six matches and did so while only conceding two goals. They scored 17 goals (12.43 xG). The top scorer for Bayern Munich in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League is Leroy Sane, with four goals. Their goal output is decent in comparison to the number of shots taken; they have taken 100 shots in six matches, averaging 16.67 shots per 90 minutes. The above viz depicts the shot map for Bayern and shows how they attempted most shots from the penalty area. The team has a shot accuracy of 61% per 90 and has rarely found the back of the net from distance.
Progression up the pitch
The above viz depicts the ball progression made by PSG in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23 season. They are currently making 3.17 counterattacks per 90, with 42% of them ending in shots. They perform 25.83 positional attacks per 90, with 24.5% ending in shots. Additionally, they make 58.33 progressive passes per 90 with 77.7% accuracy. It can be seen that most of their intensity is seen on the left flank, and the team makes movement inside the box with the help of Kylian Mbappe.
In terms of attack, Bayern created 34 positional attacks per 90, with 29.4% ending in shots. The team was also making 4 counterattacks per 90, with 50% of them ending in shots. Additionally, they made 79.17 progressive passes per 90 with 78.9% accuracy in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League season. It can be seen that the team makes progress up the pitch by using wider areas. The team also makes attacks through central attacking zones. The likes of Gnabry, Sane, and Mane mean a constant attacking threat for Bayern up top.
Defensive actions
PSG’s defence has been strong this season, having conceded only 13 goals, of which they have let in only six on the road. The above viz shows the defensive territory of the team this season in Ligue 1. It indicates that PSG were involved in a lot of defensive actions in the defensive third. They have made 35.17 average interceptions, winning 48.5% of the aerial duels and 64.5% of the defensive duels contested per 90. Most of their defensive action comes in their defensive third and middle third. They have not committed a single foul in the box. They commit 8.33 fouls on average and concede 1.17 goals per 90 minutes.
The above viz shows Bayern’s defensive territory from their current UEFA Champions League campaign. Bayern have conceded a total of two goals, or 0.33 goals conceded per 90 minutes. The team makes 42.17 interventions, which is slightly better compared to their opponents this season. They haven’t given away any dangerous fouls, but they average 12.17 fouls per 90 minutes. They won 63.3% of defensive duels and 49% of aerial duels contested. They do not perform much defensive action in the final third, as can be observed.
Key Player
Mbappe is without a doubt the key player for PSG in the match. This time around, he has shone for his country in the World Cup and has been kept in PSG ownership’s squad primarily for the purpose of winning the ultimate prize. Kylian Mbappe has scored seven goals in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League and has an overall xG of 2.03. He has taken 20 shots, with 12 on target. He averages 3.36 shots per 90, has 61.9% accuracy, and has an average xG of 0.45 per 90. He has scored most of his goals from inside the box, along with one strike from long-range as well.
Team News
While Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele are ruled out, Fabian Ruiz may return to take his place in the starting lineup.
As for Bayern Munich, Yann Sommer is set to replace Manuel Neuer, who is ruled out for the rest of the season. Ryan Gravenberch, Noussair Mazraoui, Lucas Hernandez, and Sadio Mane remain sidelined, but Joshua Kimmich may return to the starting lineup.
Overall, this promises to be an exciting matchup between two of Europe’s best teams. Both sides will be looking to prove that they are the best on the continent, and it should be a thrilling game.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
