The 2020 Champions League Final is finally set to take place at the Estadio de Luz this weekend and it will see both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich take centre-stage in the hope of being crowned champions of Europe.
The competition is incredibly popular around the world and attracts huge television audiences, as well as those that like to place a bet, including those that bet on the football in the UK on a regular basis.
PSG will be looking to lift their first ever Champions League title when they meet on Sunday, which leaves Thomas Tuchel with a rather big decision in regards to the starting XI that he picks.
There has been some scepticism about whether the French giants are progressing – considering they beat the likes of Atalanta BC and Red Bull Leipzig to reach the final – however, they will finally have the chance to end those thoughts.
As such, it would not be a surprise if the vast majority of his first-team stayed the same, but with perhaps one change: Marco Verratti coming in for Leandro Paredes.
With that change in mind, PSG’s starting XI could look a little like this: Rico; Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Verratti, Marquinhos, Herrera; Di María, Neymar, Mbappé
Taking a closer look, this is why Tuchel could go with that particular line-up (with all stats coming from WhoScored):
Defence: The aforementioned defence managed to keep Red Bull Leipzig quite as they maintained a strong foundation. Thilo Kehrer put in an impressive shift at right-back as he provided PSG with a total of four tackles, whilst Juan Bernat also chipped in with one.
There were a total of five interceptions, with Presnel Kimpembe achieving three of those, whilst there were also a total of 12 clearances recorded as well – the aforementioned centre-back achieved 10 whilst his veteran partner, Thiago Silva, managed a further eight.
Therefore, it could be a mistake for Tuchel to change things at the back before heading into a tie with a free-scoring Bayern Munich.
Midfield: PSG will likely go ahead with a 4-3-3 formation to try and neutralise their opponents and this is where the German boss could decide to make his only change for the game.
Although Leandro Paredes played rather well against Red Bull Leipzig (one interception and two clearances), Varretti could be called upon because of his experience and abilities to control the game. It would be a surprise to see either Marquinhos (who scored last time out) or Ander Herrera be replaced, as they protected the defence well and provided their front line with the opportunities to score.
Each of them achieved two interceptions and one clearance, whilst the Spaniard provided a key pass in the 82 minutes he was on the pitch.
Attackers: The remaining three up front are some of the best to have ever played the game and could certainly cause Bayern Munich problems if they do not deal with them.
Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappé and Angel Di María will all be up for the occasion and will want to guide the Ligue 1 side to success in the tournament for the very first time. The Argentine was in lethal form against Red Bull Leipzig as he had a hand in all three goals; scoring one and assisting with the other two.
If those three are on fire once again, Tuchel might just be able to provide PSG with their first Champions League title and one that will likely kickstart further successes in the future.
