PSG vs Bayern Munich lineups, starting 11 for Champions League Round of 16 clash

The Champions League Round of 16 draw gifted fans with a matchup of two tournament favorites as defending French champions PSG face off against German title holders Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes.

The Ligue 1 giants play host to their old foes in a Round of 16 first leg tie, with both sides bidding for a place in the quarterfinals in March, and to avoid an embarrassing early exit from the competition.

The hosts boast a squad full of attacking talent, with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi both recovering from injury but expected to feature, while Bayern put their faith in the dynamism of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, and Jamal Musiala.

Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to this Champions League match. These will be updated with confirmed lineups once they’re official.

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PSG vs Bayern Munich lineups

The big pre-match news for PSG is the return to training of Kylian Mbappe ahead of this clash after his missed the 3-1 league defeat to former side AS Monaco last weekend due to a thigh injury.

Lionel Messi (hamstring) was also left out, but he returned to training on the eve of the match against Bayern and is expected to start.

Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann is still without long-term absentees including club captain Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez and Noussair Mazraoui, but he is boosted by Thomas Muller passing a late fitness test.

Below are the projected starting lineups for both teams ahead of their match the Parc des Princes on February 14.

PSG starting 11

PSG starting XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma (GK) — Hakimi, Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Mendes — Pereira, Verratti — Messi Soler, Neymar — Mbappe

• Injured: Sanches, Mukiele
• Suspended: None

Provided Mbappe is ready to start, PSG’s hotshot trio will lead the attack in front of Verratti, who will be anchoring the midfield.

If Mbappe is kept on the bench to start, the belief is that PSG could resort to a 4-4-2 with Messi and Neymar operating up top.

Spanish veteran Sergio Ramos has featured regularly for PSG since the start of 2023, but Galtier could recall Presnel Kimpembe to add pace to his backline.

Bayern Munich starting 11

Bayern Munich starting XI (4-2-3-1): Sommer (GK) — Cancelo, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies — Goretzka, Kimmich — Sane, Musiala, Gnabry— Muller

• Injured: Neuer, Hernandez, Mazraoui, Mane
• Suspended: None

Yann Sommer will continue to fill in for Neuer in goal, with the January arrival of Joao Cancelo on loan refreshing the right side of defence, opposite fellow full-back star Alphonso Davies.

Muller should spearhead the attack for the visitors, backed up by the pace and trickery of Musiala, Gnabry and Leroy Sane.

PSG vs Bayern Munich live stream, TV channel

This contest has the potential to deliver one of the finalists in this season’s Champions League with PSG and Bayern among the favourites to go all the way to the final in Istanbul.

PSG’s first appearance in the final came in 2020, when they lost out to Bayern, with the German champions pushing for a third final in the last 10 seasons.

Australia: Fans can watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League with all the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.

Canada: Every Champions League match in Canada can be streamed exclusively on DAZN. 

UK: The UEFA Champions League is carried by BT Sport’s TV and streaming platforms.

USA: Fans in the USA can watch the Champions League in English (CBS and Paramount+) and Spanish (Univision, TUDN, UniMas, ViX and ViX+).

When matches are televised on CBS or Univision channels, those same channels are streamed on fuboTV, which is available on a free trial for new users.