Full-strength PSG raring to go against Bayern in semifinal

Vitinha: Key PSG player comes back [AP Photo]

Wednesday, 03:00
PSG v Bayern Munich
H 2.38, D 4, A 2.87

Thursday, 03:00

Atletico Madrid v Arsenal
H 2.9, D 3.25, A 2.7

Oddschecker.com

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique joked that picking his team against Bayern Munich will be like a “lottery” because he finally has a full-strength squad to choose from.

That means midfielder Vitinha could start against the six-time champion in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal in Paris Tuesday [Wednesday, 3:00]. He missed the last two Ligue 1 games with a right heel injury sustained during a 2-1 loss to Lyon.

“It’ll be a lottery. Everyone’s ready,” Luis Enrique said yesterday at a pregame news conference. “But be warned, we’ll need all the players who are apt to play, and on that point I think we’re more than ready.”

With so many players pushing for places, rather than recovering from injury like earlier in the season, Luis Enrique was faced with a new task.

“It’s all about calming everyone down,” he said.

Midfield battle

Vitinha’s presence alongside João Neves and the returning Fabián Ruiz is crucial in a contest pitting arguably the two best midfields in the competition.

Bayern boasts physicality, tactical assuredness and slick passing with Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka, allied to the goals and assists of right wing Michael Olise and the prolific scoring of burly striker Harry Kane. On the left wing is Luis Díaz, who scored both goals when Bayern won 2-1 in Paris in the league stage in November.

Holding midfield is key to stopping Bayern dictating the game like it did in the quarterfinals against Real Madrid, and against PSG last time they met.

Vitinha has been in sterling form and is on course for his best season in terms of goals, with seven so far, having scored nine for PSG two seasons ago. He was third in the men’s Ballon d’Or vote last year.

Defense is the key

PSG is appearing in its third straight semifinal and faces a Bayern side which has not lost in any competition since Jan. 24 and scored 19 goals in the past five games.

“With two teams who attack so well the key will be defense,” Luis Enrique said. “Defensive statistics also matter, and these are the two best teams in Europe in that respect as well. In terms of consistency, Bayern are slightly ahead of us.”

PSG was sloppy at the back against Bayern in November, and a frustrated Luis Enrique criticized his players after that game.

But when PSG failed to qualify in the top eight teams and directly reach the last 16, Luis Enrique boldly predicted his team would come good later in the competition.

In an upbeat mood, he reminded journalists of that.

“There is no team better than us,” he said. “When we didn’t qualify in the top eight teams in the group stage I said I couldn’t see a team better than us.” JEROME PUGMIRE, Sports Writer, MDT/AP