LOVE will not be in the air tonight in Paris and Milan as hostilities resume in the UEFA Champions League.
It is Valentine’s, the day specially set aside to express love, but it will be all about the battle to advance in Europe’s biggest club competition tonight when Paris Saint-Germain host Bayern Munich and AC Milan face Tottenham Hotspur.
In Paris, PSG will not be in the mood to show love to the German champions as they seek revenge for the 2020 final when Bayern denied them what would have been their first-ever Champions League triumph.
The round of 16 first leg tonight is another opportunity for the French champions to get one over on Bayern and progress in their bid for the elusive title.
PSG have been in dodgy form though, losing two of their last three matches and crashing out of the Coupe de France.
In contrast, Bayern Munich have recovered after starting 2023 slowly, winning their last three matches in a row heading into tonight’s encounter.
Obviously, injuries have had an impact on PSG’s recent form, with one or more of their superstar front three — Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe — missing from every game.
Two of them appear to be fully fit for tonight, with only Mbappe a slight doubt, giving manager Christophe Galtier some hope.
“Bayern are a good side, a team that have won everything,” the PSG boss said.
“Paris have been using two systems and I think we might start using a third in matches against teams of a certain level. I will ask the coaching staff to work on a new option.
“We need to find the most balanced model that will allow us to get the ball back as quickly as possible.”
Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is also hopeful, with Sadio Mane the only major injury absentee.
“Paris are difficult opponents: we didn’t get any reward for our perfect group stage campaign,” he said.
“Just like us, they have a lot of world-class players, but this is the Champions League, so it’s to be expected that there are no easy opponents in the round of 16.”
At San Siro, it is an encounter between two struggling sides hoping to bounce back through the Champions League.
While hosts AC Milan have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions, winning only one, visitors Spurs have suffered three defeats in their last six games, including last weekend’s 4-1 drubbing by Kelechi Iheanacho-inspired Leicester City.
The last time the two sides met at San Siro 12 years ago, also at this stage of the Champions League, Spurs snatched a 1-0 first leg win.
Milan manager Stefano Pioli will hope for a different outcome tonight.
“You cannot expect to find easy rivals in the last 16, but we will do our best to prepare: they will be exciting rivals,” he told UEFA.com.
“Tottenham are very compact and organised with really strong individuals and with many [players] who know Milan and Italian soccer. In theory, I think it could be an even clash.”
Spurs boss Antonio Conte knows San Siro so well after handling co-tenants Inter Milan for two seasons, and he will be plotting to lead his injury-ravaged side (Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentacur are out) to gain a first-leg advantage.
“We lack consistency this season. It’s difficult to remain focused for every game,” the Italian said as he previewed the match.
“Playing under pressure all the time is good for some players and not for others. We’re working on it. We want to make our players more resilient, but there are factors beyond our control like injuries to important players.”
