The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season will resume this week with Matchday 4. The action on Tuesday will begin with two early matches before continuing with seven simultaneous games, including PSG vs Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have been the two best teams in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League thus far, and they have the same goal difference. However, the Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League holders have scored one more goal, putting them at the top of the standings.
While Barcelona gave the French champions a run for their money on Matchday 2, Les Parisiens cruised to comfortable wins over Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in the other two games. On the other hand, Bayern Munich did not break a sweat in the wins over Chelsea, Pafos FC, and Club Brugge.
The Bundesliga champions have been phenomenal in the 2025/26 season, as they have won all 14 competitive games thus far, hence setting the record of being the first team in Europe’s top-five leagues to win this many matches at the start of a campaign. The Bavarian giants have blown almost every opponent away, with Harry Kane smashing goalscoring records with each performance.
On the other hand, the Ligue 1 champions have not been as dominant as Bayern Munich in the French top flight. However, despite PSG’s inconsistent displays at times, they are sitting atop Ligue 1, two points ahead of Marseille.
PSG clinched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich when the two teams faced off in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year, with Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele finding the back of the net. However, Les Parisiens also saw two players being sent off, with Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez seeing red. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Luis Enrique has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The PSG manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Illia Zabarnyi is the latest absentee after being sent off against Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 3. The Ukrainian international has joined Lee Kang-in (illness), Fabian Ruiz (muscular), and Desire Doue (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Lucas Chevalier will take his usual spot between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The backline will feature Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes.
As for the midfield unit, Warren Zaire-Emery will line up alongside Vitinha and Joao Neves in the middle of the park. Finally, Ousmane Dembele will spearhead the Paris Saint-Germain attack against Bayern Munich, with Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Chevalier; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
Like his counterpart in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout, Vincent Kompany has no new injury concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to Parc des Princes. The Bayern Munich manager will be without three first-team players on Tuesday.
Jamal Musiala is the most notable absentee, with the German international recovering from a long-term ankle injury he picked up in the FIFA Club World Cup clash with PSG earlier this year. Musiala accompanies Alphonso Davies (knee) and Hiroki Ito (foot) in the treatment room.
Manuel Neuer is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs PSG on Tuesday. The backline will feature Konrad Laimer, Jonathan Tah, Dayot Upamecano, and Tom Bischof, with the full-backs likely being the weak point for the away side.
As for the midfield unit, Leon Goretzka will likely get the nod over Aleksandar Pavlovic as Joshua Kimmich’s partner in the double pivot. Harry Kane will reprise the no. 10 role, with Michael Olise and Luis Diaz being the two wide attackers. Finally, Nicolas Jackson will lead the line for Bayern Munich against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Bischof; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Kane, Diaz; Jackson
While Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Nicolas Jackson were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Harry Kane as the Player to Watch for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes.
The English striker has been in a league of his own in the 2025/26 season, and he could score in five successive UEFA Champions League appearances for the first time in his career (netting in last four – six goals). Only two other players have scored in five consecutive outings in the competition as a Bayern Munich player (Arjen Robben in October 2013 and Robert Lewandowski on three occasions). Expect Kane to be on top of his game again this week.
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at Parc des Princes pits the two most free-scoring teams in the world today. However, what separates Bayern Munich from Paris Saint-Germain is the defensive solidity that Vincent Kompany has shown thus far in the 2025/26 season. Additionally, Harry Kane and Michael Olise are unstoppable, giving the away side the edge.
So, while the familiar atmosphere will push PSG to take the game to Bayern Munich, they will not have enough quality to take anything from the game apart from a goal. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Vincent Kompany and his charges, with Harry Kane running riot again.
