By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Bayern Munich will host Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in a highly anticipated Champions League clash between two giants, both of them performing strongly in their domestic leagues.
The Matchday 5 league phase encounter will take place at 2000GMT at Allianz Arena. Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs is set to officiate.
Bayern Munich are 17th in the standings with six points while Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are 25th with four.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, PSG coach Luis Enrique highlighted the similarities between Bayern Munich and his team. He noted that both sides share a desire to press high, dominate possession, and adopt an aggressive approach in their pressing game.
"The stats say that we're very similar, in defense, attack, possession, chance creation. The problem is that tomorrow there will only be one ball. Whoever won't have it will suffer," he added.
Most recently, PSG currently led the Ligue 1 standings, with a 3-0 victory over Toulouse on Friday extending their advantage to six points over second-place Monaco.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany acknowledged the strength of their upcoming opponents, describing Paris Saint-Germain as one of the best clubs in Europe and likely among the top 10.
"They have a lot of individual quality and a very good coach. They have speed and ability on the ball. Both teams will want to win. We're playing at home. It's an absolute priority for us," he added.
Bayern Munich last Friday secured a 3-0 win over Augsburg, thanks to a second-half hat-trick from Harry Kane, extending their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points.
Tuesday:
Slovan Bratislava - AC Milan
Sparta Prague - Atletico Madrid
Manchester City - Feyenoord
Bayern Munich - Paris Saint Germain
Inter Milan - Leipzig
Barcelona - Brest
Bayer Leverkusen - Salzburg
Sporting - Arsenal
Young Boys - Atalanta
Wednesday:
Crvena zvezda - Stuttgart
Sturm Graz - Girona
Liverpool - Real Madrid
PSV - Shakhtar Donetsk
Dinamo Zagreb - Borussia Dortmund
Celtic - Club Brugge
Monaco - Benfica
Aston Villa - Juventus
Bologna - Lille