Benjamin Pavard to start for Bayern against PSG?
Bayern München defender Benjamin Pavard could be in for a start against Paris Saint-Germain, according to Lothar Matthäus.
| Benjamin Pavard. | Photo: Кирилл Венедиктов, Soccer.ru, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
After Bayern beat Chelsea 4-1 at the quarter-finals stage, Flick fielded an unchanged team for last week's 3-0 victory over Olympique Lyon in the semi-final, but Matthäus believes it's likely he will make alterations for the final.
With Benjamin Pavard having recovered from an ankle problem, the Frenchman could come in at right-back to provide stability and help Bayern cope with the pace of PSG forwards Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
Joshua Kimmich, who has played at right-back recently, would then probably move to central midfield, starting alongside Leon Goretzka at the expense of Thiago Alcantara.
"Mbappé and Neymar obviously have an advantage to Jerome Boateng and Joshua Kimmich in terms of pace. That's why I'm thinking Benjamin Pavard could come in at right-back," Matthäus told Sky.
It has also been suggested that Niklas Süle could partner up with David Alaba in central defence. Jerome Boateng, who was forced off with muscular problems in the semi-final, would then drop to the bench.
According to Bild, Boateng should be fit to start, so it's certainly possible that he will keep his spot in the starting eleven.
Under all circumstances, Matthäus expects Bayern to defend deeper against the French champions.
"I'm assuming that FC Bayern will stand 10 to 15 metres further back to cope with the speed of PSG," he said.
Speaking to Sky after the win over Lyon, Bayern coach Hansi Flick hinted at making changes for the final, but also stressed that the German champions will keep faith in the philosophy that has brought them this far.
"We know that Paris have very fast players. We'll have to see if we can organise our defence a bit differently," Flick said and added:
"Ultimately, putting pressure on our opponents and winning the ball early is one of our great strengths. I think we will succeed against Paris."