Parisians look to bounce back against Bayern Munich
After defeat in Amsterdam in the opening game of the UEFA Women's Champions League last Wednesday (2-0), the Paris Saint-Germain women's team will hope to bounce back in the home leg against FC Bayern Munich in match day 2 of the group stage on Thursday at the Jean Bouin Stadium (6:45PM). Here's a closer look at the match to come for the Parisians.
Bayern Munich on the horizon
Getting back on track after their defeat by Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Last Sunday, the Rouge et Bleu were able to react and show their character to win in extra time against a valiant FC Fleury team (2-1). A successful stopover in the D1 Arkema before returning to the UEFA Champions League this Thursday against FC Bayern Munich, with Paris aiming to kick-start their European season.
A flagship club in Germany, Bayern marked the end of an era dominated outrageously by VfL Wolfsburg, with 4 consecutive German championship titles for Die Wölfe between the 2016/2017 and 2019/2020 seasons. Since then, the Bavarians have reversed the trend, winning 2 championships in the last 3 seasons, most recently in May 2023.
A europeAn Heavyweight on the menu...
A first-place finish ensured Bayern Munich's place in this season's group-phase, as they were placed in hat 1 alongside favourites FC Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais and Chelsea. This is also the Bavarian club's 10th appearance in the UEFA Women's Champions League, as many as Paris Saint-Germain.
The German club has reached the last four of the competition twice, in 2019 and 2021, without ever managing to reach the final. Last season, the Bavarians' adventure on the European stage came to an end in the quarter-finals after a double-header against Arsenal. The Parisians were eliminated at the same stage, losing to the other German giants: VfL Wolfsburg.
The two sides last met on March 30, 2022, when they played out a 2-2 draw in extra time at the Parc des Princes. A result which enabled the Rouge et Bleu to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. Many of the Parisian players in the current squad were part of this qualification journey, including Sakina Karchaoui, Grace Geyoro, Sandy Baltimore and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, all of whom were first-team regulars on the night. Elisa De Almeida, Ramona Bachmann, Laurina Fazer and Magnaba Folquet came on from the bench.
... for an eagerly awaited match
This season, Munich are still unbeaten in all competitions, with a total of 6 wins and 3 draws from 9 games played. They have also scored 17 goals and conceded just 5. Before being stopped by AS Roma last week in their UEFA Women's Champions League opener, Bayern were on a 3-game winning streak. And last weekend, the Bavarians resumed their winning ways with a 0-2 victory away to Werder Bremen, who are now in 7th place in the Women's Bundesliga.
Before facing the current leader of the German league, Elisa De Almeida has insisted on the importance of the fans, that she hopes will come in their droves to cheer on the Parisians this Thursday: "Everyone knows we didn't have a great match in Amsterdam. Now it's up to us to react, the cards are in our hands. We have to work hard and be ready for this match. We're looking forward to seeing our fans at the Stade Jean Bouin to come and support us!"
For the capital club's manager, Jocelyn Prêcheur, it's the same story: "I expect a winning spirit for this match. We need to believe in ourselves and not give up, even if it's going to be a very tough game. That's the spirit of Paris Saint-Germain. We've got to react, we've got to get our game going and, above all, we've got to let ourselves go. We need our fans more than ever to win this match. We know that the enthusiasm of our fans could give us the strength to topple the German champions."