Champions League 2019-20 Final: PSG vs Bayern - Nigeria Legend Jay Jay Okocha inspires PSG as Bavarians write open letter to fans
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| First-time finalists Les Parisiens will lock horns with five-time champs Bavarians inside the Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday 23 August, 20:00 for the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Title. Photo of PSG: David Ramos/Getty Images. Photo of Bayern: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images. |
The Estadio da Luz plays host to the 2019-20 Champions League final on Sunday as first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain take on five-time winners of the competition Bayern Munich.
Both teams comfortably made it through their semi-finals with 3-0 wins over RB Leipzig and Lyon respectively and will now battle to be crowned kings of Europe - a title which would complete an historic treble for either club.
Match Preview
A fresh slice of history beckons in Lisbon for one of these giants as they face off in club football's most prestigious match, but their past history at this stage of the competition could barely be more different.
Bayern have been here and done it all before - only Real Madrid can top their tally of 11 European Cup and Champions League finals, while only Madrid, AC Milan and Liverpool have got their hands on the trophy more often.
It has not been all triumph and glory for the Bavarian juggernauts, though, and they have lost as many finals as they have won in this competition, Juventus being the only team to have been beaten more often at this stage.
PSG Manager Thomas Tuchel vs Bayern Munich Boss Hansi Flick - "The men behind the teams" ⬇
PSG know all about despair in Europe's premier club competition; their recent history has been littered by high-profile failures and it remains impossible to consider their Champions League past without thoughts immediately going back to their Neymar-inspired 6-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2016-17.The men behind the teams 🧗 FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 22, 2020
📊 Tuchel 🆚 Flick#MissionLis6on #UCLFinal #PSGFCB pic.twitter.com/sWNg38O4L2
Now with Neymar in their ranks and beginning to show the decisive influence PSG have been hoping for since his world-record move, the Ligue 1 giants have the chance to finally banish those memories and the hurt of seven successive seasons in which they failed to make it past the quarter-finals.
PSG's semi-final victory over RB Leipzig was more comfortable than Bayern's over Lyon, although their overall route to the final has not been quite as straightforward.
Team Update
Both teams should have all of their superstar names available for this showdown, which will make for a star-studded occasion in Lisbon.
There are some injury doubts on both sides, though, and given Bayern's goalscoring pedigree PSG will be particularly hopeful of having first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas back available.
Bayern Munich Polish striker Robert Lewandowski UCL record ⬇
The Costa Rican was forced off with a thigh injury against Atalanta and subsequently missed the semi-final, leaving him as a major doubt for this match with Sergio Rico again set to deputise.🤔 Best striker in Europe this season?— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 22, 2020
🔴 Robert Lewandowski in 2019/20 = 🔥🔥🔥#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/u6cy4OXyxQ
Layvin Kurzawa and Idrissa Gueye are also fitness doubts for Tuchel's side, but Marco Verratti did get some minutes towards the end of the semi-final and may earn a place back in the starting XI for the final as a result.
Icardi was a notable absentee from the starting lineup against Leipzig and, given how well the false nine system worked with Neymar, he may again be consigned to a place on the bench in Lisbon should Tuchel stick with a 4-3-3.
Bayern, meanwhile, will hope to be able to name an unchanged side from the semi-final but could be without Jerome Boateng, who picked up a knock in that match which forced him off at half time.
PSG French striker Kylian Mbappe UCL record ⬇
Flick has options in reserve - namely Niklas Sule, Lucas Hernandez and Javi Martinez - but he will give Boateng every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of the game.🇫🇷 World champion Kylian Mbappé = big game player 🔥#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/Q4SE50tGS0— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 22, 2020
Boateng is one of four likely starters who were also involved in the 2012-13 treble-winning season, along with Manuel Neuer, David Alaba and Thomas Muller.
Thiago Alcantara could be playing his final game for the club if he is granted his wish to leave, while free-scoring Robert Lewandowski needs two goals to equal Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time record of 17 in a single Champions League campaign.
Bayern Munich writes open letter to fans ⬇
Watch: Nigeria Legend Jay Jay Okocha inspires Paris Saint-Germain as they reach their first UEFA Champions League Final ⬇
🇳🇬 Ahead of the #UCLfinal, the one and only Jay-Jay Okocha with some words of encouragement 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/2Ql3NHh4yA— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 22, 2020
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