Bayern to try to contain PSG in last 16 of Champions League

DUESSELDORF, Germany: Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann wants his team to “get at” Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Kylian Mbappé wants to add more goals to his PSG scoring record. They will get their chance on Wednesday when Bayern tries to defend its 1-0 lead in the second leg of the round of 16.

Bayern won the first leg in Paris with a goal from former PSG player Kingsley Coman, but the team’s approach in the return match will be closely watched. Under Nagelsmann, Bayern tend to defend one-goal lead by trying to score two or three more. Keeping up the attacking pressure worked in the group stage against Inter Milan and Barcelona, neither of which could score against Bayern, but they could allow PSG opportunities to get back into the game.

“Both we and PSG have enormous pace in attack. We want to get at them when they take possession and be physically present from the first minute,” Nagelsmann said Monday. “What we need in the second leg is to prevent them from using their pace.

If you give their attackers too much space and they can unleash their footballing qualities, it’s incredibly difficult to defend.” Either way, one of the two teams will face its earliest Champions League exit since both were eliminated by English opponents in the round of 16 in 2018-19. Bayern and PSG both expect to be in the quarterfinals at the very least, so a loss could affect the future of Nagelsmann or PSG coach Christophe Galtier. Hiring Nagelsmann on a five-year contract in 2021 was a statement from the Bayern hierarchy that they saw the then-33-year-old German as the architect of a long-term project.