Former Bayern Munich midfielders Toni Kroos and Lothar Matthaüs hold opposing views on the German champions' chances in their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. The first leg takes place in Paris on Tuesday evening, with the return fixture scheduled for Munich next week.
Kroos, who won the Champions League with Bayern in 2013 before his move to Real Madrid, believes the tie is evenly balanced. Speaking to Sky Germany, the current Real Madrid star framed the match as a clash between Europe's two best teams. He praised Bayern's overall season, having already secured the Bundesliga title and being heavy favourites for the DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen. "When you get to this phase, which we are going into now in May and are represented everywhere, then you have done an excellent job," Kroos said. "And in the Champions League, I now see a 50-50 match between what I think are the two best teams in Europe at the moment."
In contrast, Lothar Matthaüs, a Bayern legend and Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning captain, has tipped PSG to advance. Writing in his column for Sky, Matthaüs argued that the French side has improved significantly since losing 2-1 to Bayern in the group stage last November. He pointed to PSG's strong second-half performance in that match, which was played with a man advantage after Bayern's Joshua Kimmich was sent off, as a sign of their potential. "I rate Paris Saint-Germain higher now than I did in November," Matthaüs wrote. "They built on that performance in the knockout stages. Therefore, I don't believe Bayern will be as dominant in Paris as they were in November, especially since that match wasn't a knockout game."
The divergent opinions highlight the unpredictable nature of the tie. Bayern travel to the Parc des Princes without the suspended Alphonso Davies, while PSG will be boosted by the return of star forward Kylian Mbappé, who was rested at the weekend. The historical context adds another layer, with Bayern having beaten PSG 1-0 in the 2020 Champions League final. For PSG, managed by Luis Enrique, this semi-final represents a chance to reach only their second final and justify their continued heavy investment in pursuit of European glory. For Bayern, winning the Champions League would cap a domestic double in Thomas Tuchel's first season in charge and salvage a campaign that has seen upheaval off the pitch.
