Here it is. It’s the big one for Paris Saint-Germain, whose season could well hinge on the result they secure against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Dumped out of the Coupe de France by Marseille and humbled by Monaco at the weekend, PSG’s form is about as bad as it has been in the last decade and there’s even speculation that Christophe Galtier’s job could be on the line if this tie ends in defeat.
With the pressure growing, here’s how PSG could line up for this one.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Donnarumma is still looking for his first clean sheet of this Champions League campaign, having conceded in each of the six group games.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – Rested for the Monaco loss, expect Hakimi to return to the lineup without hesitation.
CB: Marquinhos – Marquinhos has spoken publicly about his disappointment towards recent results. As captain, it’s up to him to stabilise things at the back.
CB: Sergio Ramos – The return of Ramos, who has been dealing with some minor injury issues, will go a long way to helping PSG’s cause.
LB: Nuno Mendes – Mendes sat out the full 90 against Monaco, ensuring he’s fit enough for this one.
DM: Marco Verratti – Injuries have kept Verratti out for the past few weeks but the Italian was back in training on Sunday and there’s confidence that he’ll be ready to start this one.
CM: Danilo Pereira – Danilo has been more of a centre-back this season but has had to shift into midfield to help cover for Verratti, offering more than the alternatives when it comes to defending. That could be crucial for a game like this.
CM: Vitinha – Galtier has not been scared to trust in Vitinha. No midfielder has played more minutes than him this season, with only four outfield players topping his numbers.
AM: Neymar – The goals have been slowing down for Neymar but he will be relieved to see more firepower returning to training.
ST: Lionel Messi – Messi missed the Monaco game but should be ready to face Bayern for the first time since the infamous 8-2.
ST: Hugo Ekitike – Kylian Mbappe may be back in light training but, given he was initially ruled out of this one, the chances are he won’t be ready to start, so there will likely be another chance for Ekitike.
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