For the first time in his managerial career, Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann will have the challenge of game planning for Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi. Bayern Munich and PSG will meet in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
Nagelsmann sure has been watching plenty of match film on Messi as of late, and as he touched on during a pre-match press conference on Monday, he will look to have his squad limit the Argentine’s influence while in the attacking third.
“You can only do it as a team,” Nagelsmann said. “We have to cut out the passes to him, Neymar, and Mbappe. They’ve also got full-backs with a lot of pace. They have a number of really talented players.”
Nagelsmann added that this upcoming Champions League clash between the Ligue 1 powerhouse and the reigning Bundesliga champions will come down to “possession and ball control.”
Messi has recorded eight goal contributions in Champions League play so far this season.
Report: PSG’s Projected Starting 11 vs. Bayern Munich
There are plenty of storylines for PSG heading into this Champions League clash, including on the health of Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward was sidelined from PSG’s Ligue 1 away fixture against AS Monaco due to a hamstring injury. He did feature in PSG’s collective training session on Monday, and he was also included in its squad list for Tuesday’s fixture.
As noted by UEFA’s official website, PSG manager Christophe Galtier could call on these 11 players to start against the reigning Bundesliga champions.
Donnarumma; Danilo, Marquinhos, Ramos; Hakimi, Verratti, Ruiz, Mendes; Vitinha; Messi, Neymar
Gianluigi Donnarumma was a standout performer in PSG’s away league clash against AS Monaco. While AS Monaco did score three goals in the contest, the Italian goalkeeper managed to keep PSG in the match via the seven total saves that he recorded in the matchup. He sure will need to orchestrate an encore performance against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Messi rose to the occasion for PSG in the Champions League group stage earlier this season, tallying eight goal contributions over five such matches played. If the Argentine forward ends up making PSG’s starting 11 against Bayern Munich, then he must go on and put together the best performance of his PSG career.
Bayern Munich is currently riding a three-match winning streak in all competitions.
SOURCE: psgtalk.com
