Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain put on a stunning show with their all-out attacking display in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, and the second promises to be just as much of a show-stealer.
PSG hold a 5-4 advantage at the halfway stage, with Ousmane Dembele scoring the winner in that match, which was the highest scoring European Cup semi-final since Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers 6-3 in 1959-60.
Across both legs, in major European competitions, the most goals in any semi-final was in that Eintracht v Rangers tie (16), which ended 12-4 on aggregate to the German side.
Whether the second leg will prove to be as wide open as the first is yet to be determined, but Bayern need to win by at least two goals to reach the final, while PSG will be determined to add to their already impressive tally.
In Champions League history, only one team has ever scored five goals in a knockout match and then been eliminated in that tie: Manchester City against Monaco in the 2016-17 last 16 (5-3 first leg, 1-3 second, out on away goals rule).
Ahead of the match, we dive into the Opta data to highlight the stories and players to watch.
What's expected?
PSG ended a five-match losing streak against Bayern with their 5-4 win in the first leg, but Bayern do, generally, have a good record against PSG, winning nine of their previous 16 matches against them (L7).
PSG have lost more away games against Bayern (five) than against any other opponent in the European Cup/Champions League, however.
Among teams they have faced more than once away from home across the two competitions, only against Manchester City (100% – 3/3) and Real Madrid (75% – 3/4) do they have a higher loss percentage than at Bayern (71% – 5/7).
As touched on, Bayern know only a win by at least a two-goal margin will take them through to the final without needing extra time, and the Opta supercomputer is expecting them to triumph.
Bayern won 52.8% of the 10,000 pre-match simulations, while PSG came out on top again in 26.7% of those.
A draw, which would be enough to send PSG through, has a 20.5% chance of occurring.
Bayern's midfielders the unsung heroes
Bayern have overturned a first-leg deficit four times out of 16 previous ties in the Champions League (since 1992-93), so they will feel confident they can do so again on Wednesday.
But, they have not done so in any of their previous such semi-final ties, being eliminated on five occasions.
They will certainly be putting on the pressure in the final third. They have scored 20 goals in five knockout games in the 2025-26 Champions League, with that average of four goals per game the highest ever since 1992-93.
Although the attackers took plenty of the headlines in the first leg, Bayern's midfielders quietly went about their business in the French capital.
Bayern players made 40 off-ball runs ahead of the ball in the first leg against PSG – their most in a Champions League match this season.
Eleven of those were by midfielder Aleksander Pavlovic, while that was also the most by a Bayern player in a single game in this edition.
Bayern pair Joshua Kimmich and Pavlovic made a combined 24 line-breaking passes in last week's fixture, more than the four PSG midfielders who appeared in the match combined (17 – Vitinha, Joao Neves, Warren Zaire-Emery, Fabian Ruiz).
Indeed, it was the only time this season that a midfielder playing against PSG has made more line-breaking passes than Vitinha (seven) in the match, with both Kimmich (14) and Pavlovic (10) doing so.
Attack the best form of defence for PSG
Only Real Madrid (18) have qualified for more European Cup/Champions League finals than Bayern, who are looking to reach their 12th (currently level with AC Milan on 11).
But there is a slice of history on the line for PSG if they can go through; they would become the French side with the most showpiece appearances in the competition (three).
PSG have scored 43 goals in the Champions League this season to Bayern's 42; the record for goals scored in a European Cup campaign (all-time since 1955) is 45 by Barcelona in 1999-00.
And like Bayern, they have shown their attacking flair in the knockout stages, netting 22 goals in their seven games, with only PSG themselves last season scoring more in a single campaign (24).
Though Luis Enrique's side had kept three straight clean sheets prior to the first leg against Bayern, they have proven that they will give up chances.
They have allowed at least 50 touches in their own box in each of their last two Champions League games (50 for Liverpool, 52 for Bayern) – in their first 13 games this term, the average touches by opponents in PSG's penalty area was just 17.
Both sides have goalscorers and playmakers that can light up any stage, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has emerged as a key figure in PSG's Champions League charge.
He has been involved in 15 goals in the competition this term (10 goals, five assists), a record by a PSG player in a single campaign.
Kvaratskhelia has scored seven knockout-stage goals, with only three players scoring more in a season for any club – Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14 (eight for Real Madrid), Lionel Messi in 2011-12 (eight for Barcelona), and Karim Benzema in 2020-21 (10 for Real Madrid).
Since the last 16 stage was introduced in 2003-04, the Georgian is just the fourth player to score or assist in six consecutive Champions League knockout appearances in one season, after Kaka (2006-07 for Milan), Edin Dzeko (2017-18 for Roma) and Dembele (2024-25 for PSG). None of those did it in seven in a row.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bayern Munich – Harry Kane
Kane has scored 13 Champions League goals for Bayern this season, just two shy of the record for goals in a major European season for the club, set by Jurgen Klinsmann in the 1995-96 UEFA Cup (15) and Robert Lewandowski in the 2019-20 Champions League (15).
He has also scored in his last six appearances in the competition – the longest-ever run by an Englishman in the European Cup (since 1955).
Paris Saint-Germain – Desire Doue
13 of Desire Doue's 17 Champions League goal involvements for PSG have come in the knockout stages (seven goals, six assists).
No other player has 10+ goals and assists outside the group stages before turning 21, and of players with 500+ minutes in the knockout stages, only Raphinha (every 59 mins) and Ivica Olic (63 mins) average a goal or assist more regularly than Doue (72 mins).