PSG, Bayern Munich Face at Least 5 Absences for Champions League Return Leg

PSG visits Bayern Munich on Wednesday, May 6, for the return leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. A little more than two days before the match, at least five absences are already expected. Before meeting Wednesday night at the Allianz Arena for a return leg that will be highly anticipated after the fireworks of the first leg (5-4), PSG and Bayern Munich prepared exactly the same way on Saturday, namely with a home draw while fielding heavily rotated teams.

There are still a few days left to prepare, but the absentees from both sides for this Bayern-PSG are generally known. On the PSG side, the first leg left its mark with the injury of Achraf Hakimi for several weeks, the tireless PSG right back whose hamstring gave way a few moments before the end of the match. He would be recovered for a possible final, according to the latest news, but that still requires his teammates to allow him to play it on May 30 in Budapest.

The day after the first leg, Lucas Chevalier also injured himself in training, so he will not play the return leg. He probably would not have played anyway, since Safonov is the clear starter. Quentin Ndjantou, still not fully recovered, will also not be part of this Bayern-PSG, which promises to be at least intense, so it would be best avoided for a player who has been absent for five months now.

On the PSG side, the real question concerns above all the fitness levels of various players. Luis Enrique rested several players this weekend, as Marquinhos, Dembele, and even Kvaratskhelia remained on the bench against Lorient (2-2). Slightly injured in recent weeks, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha were not even called up and were able to rest, as was Safonov, but the Russian only had cramps at the end of PSG-Bayern.