Revealed: Bayern Munich's plan to tackle PSG stars Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in Champions League clash
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Feb 14, 2023, 3:16 PM ISTAhead of Bayern Munich's UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), coach Julian Nagelsmann has dropped a key hint on the team's plan to tackle Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The stage is set for Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night at Parc des Princes. Ahead of the crucial tie, Julian Nagelsmann, manager of the German giants, has dropped a key hint on how his team would tackle PSG stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Due to a thigh injury that Mbappe sustained during PSG's clash against Montpellier, the French team initially stated the 24-year-old star would probably miss the crucial game. The Frenchman's absence has coincided with a bad stretch for PSG, who have dropped their previous two games across all competitions.
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Argentina's World Cup 2022-winning captain, Messi, too, joined the list of injured players a couple of weeks ago. However, both the stars returned to training on Monday, handing a massive boost to the Ligue 1 champions.
But Messi and Mbappe's return to the PSG squad for the Bayern Munich clash is not a cause of concern for Naglesmann, who will look to have his team limit the Argentine's influence while in the attacking third, along with Mbappe and Neymar's attacking skilling.
“You can only do it as a team,” Nagelsmann said. “We have to cut out the passes to him (Messi), Neymar, and Mbappe. They’ve also got full-backs with a lot of pace. They have a number of really talented players," the Bayern Munich boss revealed.
Nagelsmann added that the clash of the two European giants boil down to “possession and ball control."
At age 35, Messi finally has a World Cup title for Argentina. Now back to the business of winning a fifth Champions League. When the Argentine won his fourth title with Barcelona in 2015 Barack Obama was president, Britain was in the European Union and Jose Mourinho won a league title, at Chelsea.
Messi has not been to the final since and his first try with PSG ended in the round of 16 against Madrid. When he last faced Bayern Munich it was an 8-2 rout over Barcelona in the single-leg quarterfinals of the pandemic-hit 2020 edition.
Both PSG and Bayern have misfired since the World Cup. PSG was unbeaten entering 2023 then lost three in the league and is out of the French Cup. Bayern still leads the Bundesliga after restarting with three straight draws.
(With inputs from PTI)
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