Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain: Combined XI ahead of Champions League clash

Paris Saint-Germain will be up for a tough game when they face Bayern Munich in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final. The Parisians hold a short one-goal lead after their 5-4 home victory in the first-leg.

Ahead of tomorrow evening’s second leg clash between arguably the two best teams in the Champions League this season, let’s create a combined XI of PSG and Bayern Munich players.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich combined XI

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer

Neuer beats out Safonov and Chevalier to start in this combined XI, and its not particularly close. The German veteran may be ever so slightly past his very best, but has still been excellent this season, notably making some fine saves in the first leg of Bayern’s quarter final victory over Real Madrid. Safonov, while impressive at times this season, still has a clanger in him, and were most PSG fans given the chance to swap goalkeepers with Bayern, you’d be hard pressed to find one who’d turn down a swap deal with Neuer.

Right Back: Achraf Hakimi

Hakimi is better than Josip Stanišić in this position, and therefore he starts, without much debate. Hakimi has struggled with injury, but at full fitness there is a strong argument for him being the best fullback in the world, whereas Stanisic struggled to contain PSG’s star wingers in the first leg of the Semi final.

Centre Back: Dayot Upamecano

The first centre back on the teamsheet is a man whose stock will have risen over the course of a Champions League campaign in which he has vastly improved: his capacity to shine in big games has been clear to all – making crucial recovery tackles in both Madrid games, and in last week’s first leg. Upamecano still can make the occasional blunder, but has such brilliant and unique physical attributes that these errors can be overlooked.

Centre Back: Willian Pacho

The Ecuadorian centre half is the man I’ve chosen to partner Upamecano at the back, ahead of his teammate Marquinhos, and of Bayern options Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae. Pacho, while not quite as impeccable this season as he was last, has still been excellent this campaign, and could form a formidable and dominant partnership if paired up with Upamecano.

Left Back: Nuno Mendes

Nuno Mendes, like Hakimi on the other flank, is almost an unavoidable choice at fullback: he is the best left back in the world, and despite Alphonso Davies’s upturn in form this season, there was never any doubt as to who would play in the Left Back position, in this or any other PSG combined XI.

Central Midfielder: Joshua Kimmich

Another player who has been back to his very best under the tutelage of Vincent Kompany for Bayern Munich, Joshua Kimmich has had a quite brilliant season for Bayern Munich, being both defensively solid, excellent with his passing and occasionaly effective in the final third. He’s a brilliantly technical player who would make up a brilliant midfield along the other two players I have chosen.

Central Midfielder: Vitinha

Vitinha is perceived by some PSG fans as the single most important player in Luis Enrique’s system, and whether or not you believe that to be true, it’s certainly harder for PSG to control games without their Portugese chef-d’orchestre at the base of their midfield. Vitinha is arguably the most talented midfielder across both squads, and therefore it’s only right for him to start in this combined XI.

Central Midfielder: Joao Neves

Next to Vitinha and Kimmich I’ve opted for Joao Neves. The young Portugese midfielder has had another brilliant individual campaign this year, with a brilliant header in the first leg against Bayern last week the latest example of his knack for big goals. Neves always seems to up his game on the big European nights, a fine trait for any player to have. Fabian Ruiz misses out, in large part due to his recurring injury woes this season, and also due to Kimmich’s continued excellence. Pavlovic and Goretzka also fall short.

Left Winger: Ousmane Dembélé

When creating this front three, it’s almost impossible to choose between such a broad collection of the world’s deadliest and most in form attackers, so I’ve simply opted for the three most ‘undroppable ones’, even if that means dropping other brilliant players, such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Luis Diaz at the left wing spot, where I’ve instead gone for Ousmane Dembélé. It just seems to hard to drop the Ballon D’or holder, whose sensational individual form over the last few weeks has seen him bag braces in both of PSG’s last two Champions League games, away at Anfield and at home to Bayern last week. Dembélé has developed into arguably the most devastating player on the planet under Enrique, and seems to be someone who his coach can trust to deliver on the biggest of nights.

Right Winger: Michael Olisé

There is no one else who could really feature on the Right hand side of this front three. Desiré Doué has had another fine season for PSG, but Michael Olisé has truly competed with Lamine Yamal as the best right winger in the world this season, and has been in utterly devastating form for Bayern, notching an absurd 21 goals and 30 assists for the Bavarians this season. Truly outrageous numbers from the Frenchman who truly is in the form of his life.

Striker: Harry Kane

Kane goes in at striker (ahead, I guess, of Dembélé, who has been moved out wide) – with his only competition as out and out number nine being Gonçalo Ramos and Nicolas Jackson. Kane has been habitually devastating this season, with a frankly absurd record of 46 goals and 7 assists in 41 games this season. It’s honestly impossible for Kane to be dropped from this side – and PSG will have to make sure he doesn’t manage to exploit their defence too much tomorrow.

Manager: Luis Enrique

Enrique goes in as coach ahead of Vincent Kompany as coach of this side. The Belgian at Bayern has done a fine job this season, but overall it’s hard to compete with Enrique, who has won two Champions Leagues as a coach now, with two different sides. The Spaniard has created a truly incredible team at PSG, and is the more experienced manager, and therefore has to go in as head coach of this fearsome XI.

Starting XI: Neuer, Hakimi, Upamecano, Pacho, Mendes, Kimmich, Vitinha, Neves, Dembélé, Olisé, Kane.

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