Penalty-gate continues to be an unwelcome distraction as Paris Saint-Germain faces their first major European test against the mighty Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
PSG superstar Neymar was bombarded with criticism after throwing a tantrum on the pitch. The Brazilian insisted on taking a spot-kick over designate penalty-taker Edinson Cavani during a Ligue 1 game, The Statesman reported.
The aftermath of that incident is still being felt. Les Parisiens have gone in to damage-control mode and should Unai Emery’s men be unable to beat Bayern, the ghosts of that unsavory incident will bog the team down for the rest of the season.
Neymar was missing in action on the weekend as PSG dropped points for the first time this season. The Brazilian, however, was rested more as a precaution.
Despite housing the talents of Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, among others, PSG cannot take a win for granted and Bayern will pounce upon any weakness they see.
The likes of Arturo Vidal and Thiago will have to be on their toes if they are to win the midfield battle and throttle the supply to the hosts’ sensational forward line.
Bayern has not begun their campaign in top gear and while they beat Anderlecht in their Champions League opener, the hosts seem to have a slight advantage over their pedigreed rivals.
Robert Lewandowski is banging in the goals but he is not the only player performing at a high level at Bayern.
Without their star goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, who is nursing a fractured foot, the visitors will be hard-pressed to keep PSG’s expensively-assembled attacking unit at bay.
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