It will take at least a win by a one goal margin for Bayern Munich to take things into extra time against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinal second leg Wednesday night, and a two-goal win to advance to the final in Budapest, Hungary. At 5-2 during the second half in Paris, it looked like Bayern’s chances were done and dusted by goals from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Díaz kept hope alive for Vincent Kompany’s side, who have only lost one home match so far this season across all competitions.
Bayern legend Arjen Robben paid a visit to Säbener Straße last weekend and he was also in attendance at the Allianz Arena for the dramatic 3-3 draw with Heidenheim. For that occasion, Kompany made a handful of changes to his starting lineup with leg two vs. PSG on the horizon, having already clinched the Bundesliga title — so much rides on Wednesday night.
When the former Dutch winger was asked whether or not Bayern would win the second leg by Bild (via @iMiaSanMia), he boldly replied, “Bayern will advance, 100%.” With the recent evidence of comebacks against the likes of Mainz in the Bundesliga and Real Madrid in the Champions League there’s no reason to suggest Bayern cannot overturn the 5-4 deficit, but they will certainly have to shore up their defense. Conceding 11 goals from just 3 matches is not very Bayern-like, but it’s a tall ask to keep the likes of Khivcha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé quiet in front of goal.
Of course, Robben is no stranger to going the distance in the Champions League with Bayern, having been a part of the famous 2012/13 treble and scoring the winner at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund. That season, with the old Champions League format, there were no situations where Bayern had to overturn an aggregate deficit, though they went through on away goals (3-3) in the round of 16 against Arsenal, having won the away leg 3-1. It was also Robben’s penalty in the 3-3 draw at Real Madrid in the 2012 semi-finals that sent the match into extra time and penalties that Bayern eventually won.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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