Munich

Bayern Munich remain top of the league standings after staging a road win over reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern Munich have made it 16 wins from 16 games this season to underline their credentials as early UEFA Champions League favourites, beating holders Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 away as Luis Diaz scored two goals and was shown a red card.

The Colombian winger struck twice on Tuesday before being sent off for a violent tackle on Achraf Hakimi on the stroke of half-time.

PSG, who reduced the arrears through Joao Neves, dominated possession after the break but failed to make it fully count and slipped to their first defeat in the competition since last season’s quarterfinal second leg against Aston Villa.

The result kept Bayern top of the 36-team league on a maximum 12 points with PSG in third, three points adrift and with more injury concerns after Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele were replaced early.

“Most importantly I hope that it’s not too bad for Hakimi. We went through this in the US [at the Club World Cup against PSG] with [Jamal] Musiala,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said at a news conference.

“What I tell players is that when there’s some hype, don’t believe it. We’ve won 16, but from tomorrow onwards, it’s back to zero. Nobody has won the Champions League today.”

His PSG counterpart, Luis Enrique, echoed that point of view, saying: “Today’s standings mean nothing. What matters is February, March, April, May.”

“It’s always hard to lose at home. We need to assert ourselves and play better. We faced a well-organised team, especially physically. We couldn’t get our game going,” PSG captain Marquinhos said.

“There are still some positives to take from this match. The team remain ambitious, but we have to do better. They were superior to us. In the second half, we were on top, but it was after the red card.”

Ten-man Bayern hold on for dramatic victory

Dembele made his first Champions League start of the season, but his night was short-lived, the France forward being replaced by Lee Kang-in after 25 minutes.

PSG, who had beaten Bayern 2-0 in the Club World Cup quarterfinals in July, came out flying with their trademark high pressing but were caught cold in the fourth minute when Diaz smashed home after Lucas Chevalier had parried Michael Olise’s effort.

Dembele thought he had levelled midway through the half, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside as PSG pressed but looked unusually fragile at the back.

Moments later, Manuel Neuer pulled off a spectacular save to deny Bradley Barcola, who had raced to a pinpoint long ball from Fabian Ruiz.

Bayern stayed a step ahead, and after Serge Gnabry struck the post, Diaz pounced on a sleepy Marquinhos to steal the ball and slot home a second in the 32nd minute.

Diaz’s evening ended abruptly just before half-time when he was shown a straight red card for a brutal lunge on Hakimi, who limped off in tears with a suspected ankle injury.

Long possession spells ensued for PSG in the second half, but the hosts lacked a cutting edge until the 74th minute when substitute Neves reduced the arrears with a spectacular scissor kick from Lee’s cross.

Neves came close to levelling a few minutes later with a header as PSG further increased the pressure. Despite the hosts’ late flurry, Bayern held firm.

Harry Kane says his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled and he is willing to open talks with Bayern Munich about a new contract.

Kane is halfway through the four-year deal he signed when joining from Tottenham Hotspur for £86.4m in the summer of 2023.

The 32-year-old has scored 103 goals in 106 appearances for the German club, helping them win the 2024-25 Bundesliga title – the first honour of his career.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has said he would like to see Kane return to England, where he needs just 48 goals to eclipse Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record of 260.

But the England captain says he is no longer as keen on returning home as he once was, and would consider extending his stay in Bavaria.

“In terms of staying longer, I could definitely see that,” he said.

“I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.

“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else.

“In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back.

“Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.

“What I have learned in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place. Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”

Oct. 4 (UPI) — Germany’s Munich International Airport resumed flights on Saturday morning after drone sightings closed the airport for 7 1/2 hours, the second disruption in 24 hours.

Drones have affected aviation throughout Europe with Russia suspected of launching them. Several European Union members want a multi-layered “drone wall” to quickly detect, track and destroy drones.

The airport said flights stopped at 9:30 p.m. Friday, affecting around 6,500 passengers.

It reopened at 5 a.m. local time when flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe, a call handler fielding passenger inquiries told CNN.

In a statement Saturday, the airport said 23 arriving flights were diverted and 12 into Munich were canceled. And 46 outbound flights were canceled or postponed.

On Thursday night, 17 flights were grounded because of several drone sightings near the airport.

“As on the previous night, Munich Airport worked with the airlines to immediately provide for passengers in the terminals,” airport officials said in a statement. “Camp beds were set up, and blankets, drinks and snacks were distributed.

“When a drone sighting is suspected, the safety of travellers is the top priority. Reporting chains between air traffic control, airports and police authorities have been established for years. It is important to emphasise that the detection and defense against drones are sovereign tasks and are the responsibility of the federal and state police,” the officials said.

Also Thursday, authorities in Belgium were investigating 15 drones spotted above the Elsenborn military site near the German border, according to Belgian media. The drones then reportedly flew from Belgium to western Germany.

Recently, Russian drones reportedly crossed into Poland and Russian MiG-31 jets entered Estonian airspace in separate incidents.

Russia has denied involvement in the drones in southern Germany in Bavaria, about 18 miles northeast of Munich, is the second-busiest in Germany, behind the one in Frankfurt, handling 41.6 million passengers in 2024.

Munich International is a hub for German flag-carrier Lufthansa. The first flight to touch down after the delay was Lufthansa’s flight from Bangkok at 5:25 a.m., according to the airport’s tracking website. Then starting at 6 a.m., several other flights landed.

The first seven departures were at 5:50 a.m.

The German airport says that 46 flights had been cancelled or delayed, affecting 6,500 passengers.

Germany’s Munich airport has reopened after authorities shut it down the previous night for the second time in less than 24 hours after more suspected drone sightings, as fears heighten across Europe that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill over across the continent.

The airport, one of Germany’s largest, reopened gradually from 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Forty-six departures from the airport had to be cancelled or delayed until Saturday, affecting 6,500 passengers.

Munich airport said that on Friday, “from 9:30 pm air traffic was restricted and then cancelled due to drone sightings”, meaning 23 incoming flights were diverted and 12 bound for Munich were cancelled, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded.

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency that there were “two simultaneous confirmed drone sightings by police patrols just before 11pm around the north and south runways”.

“The drones immediately moved away, before they could be identified,” he added.

Authorities were not immediately able to provide any information about who was responsible for the overflights.

Airports in Denmark, Norway and Poland have recently suspended flights due to unidentified drones, while Romania and Estonia have pointed the finger at Russia for drone incursions on their territory. Drones were also spotted overnight in Belgium above a military base.

Some experts have noted, however, that anybody with drones could be behind them.

Earlier on Friday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told newspaper Bild that the first night’s incident was a “wake-up call” on the threat from drones, adding that “more financing and research” on the issue was urgently needed at the national and European levels.

The disruptions came as the country celebrated German Unity Day on Friday – a national holiday – and as Munich geared up for the final weekend of Oktoberfest.

The annual beer gala and fun fair had already closed for half a day on Wednesday after a bomb scare.

The German government is expected on Wednesday to sign off on plans for a change in the law to let the army shoot drones down if necessary.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Europe on Thursday that the recent drone incursions showed Moscow was looking to “escalate” its aggression.

Germany is on high alert, saying a swarm of them had flown over the country last week, including over military and industrial sites.

Denmark also raised the alarm, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating last week that only one country “poses a threat to Europe’s security – and that’s Russia”.

Moscow said it “firmly rejects” any suggestion of involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing Europe of stoking “hysteria” to justify rising military spending.

Putin, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday, joked about European claims that Russian drones had invaded NATO airspace, saying that he promised he would not do it again, in the case of Denmark, and that he did not have drones that could fly all the way to Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.

“I will not. I will not [send] any more drones, neither to France nor to Denmark, Copenhagen. Where else do they fly to?” Putin quipped.

Oct. 3 (UPI) — Munich International Airport suspended all flight operations due to drones, it said early Friday, making it the latest European travel hub to have flights disrupted by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Several drones were sighted operating near Germany’s second-busiest airport Thursday night, prompting German Air Traffic Control to restrict and then suspend flight operations starting 10:18 p.m. CEST.

“When a drone is sighted, passenger safety has the highest priority,” the airport said in a Friday statement.

The shuttering of the airport impacted nearly 3,000 passengers, halting 17 departing flights and diverting 15 incoming flights to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt.

Folding beds were set up in terminals for grounded passengers, who were also provided with blankets, drinks and snacks.

Last week, airports in Denmark and Norway temporarily shuttered operations after drones were sighted in their vicinity.

Earlier this month, Estonia, Poland and Romania each lodged complaints over incursions into their airspace by Russian drones and aircraft. Warsaw even shoot down at least three Russian drones.

The nature and place of origin of the drones that were sighted near Munich International Airport were not immediately clear.

Oct. 1 (UPI) — Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, was closed Wednesday after a bomb threat and an explosion in a residential building that also damaged nearby cars.

At least one man is dead.

Special forces were sent to Lerchenau, a northern area of Munich, where residents reported shots and explosions. Oktoberfest is on the west side of the city.

There had been a bomb threat from the suspected attacker early Wednesday, city officials said. Munich police said the explosion was part of a domestic dispute and the building had been “deliberately set on fire.”

Munich police said on X that the Oktoberfest grounds, Theresienwiese, have been fully searched, and there was no danger found. It said Oktoberfest would reopen at 5:30 p.m. CEST.

A man was found severely injured near Lerchenau Lake, and he later died, police said. Another person was missing. It wasn’t clear if the person who died was the suspected attacker.

“I woke up around 5:00 because there were a few bangs. I got up, looked, and then there was a fire,” The Independent reported a resident said.

A middle school near the scene was closed, and police diverted traffic from the area.

Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said the closure of the festival followed “a perpetrator threatening the Oktoberfest.”

Oktoberfest, known as “the Wiesn” by locals, runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 5. It’s the world’s largest beer and folk festival.

Colombian winger scores on his competitive debut for Bayern Munich in a victory over Stuttgart in the German Supercup.

Luis Diaz, making his Bayern Munich debut, and Harry Kane scored for the reigning Bundesliga champions in a 2-1 away victory against Stuttgart in the German Supercup.

The match, which opens the German season with the league and cup winners facing off, was held for the first time since it was renamed for football legend Franz Beckenbauer, who died in 2024.

A year into their attacking partnership, Michael Olise and Kane were again Bayern’s most dangerous pairing, combining for the opener with 18 minutes played.

Off balance and falling, Kane collected Olise’s pass and hit a low shot across the grass and into the bottom corner for his 86th goal in his 97th Bayern appearance.

Pushed on by a 60,000-strong home crowd, Stuttgart went looking for an equaliser late in the second half, but Bayern broke through on the counter, with Diaz heading in from close range in the 77th minute.

Diaz – who joined Bayern from Liverpool last month and remains the club’s biggest deal of the offseason – ran to the corner post and sat on the grass, mimicking former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota’s video-game celebration.

It was the latest tribute for Portugal winger Jota, who died in a car accident in July.

Stuttgart pulled a goal back through Jamie Leweling in stoppage time.

The win netted Kane a second team trophy of his career after the 32-year-old broke his duck to win the Bundesliga last season.

Praising his charges for a “deserved win”, Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich said the victory would set the tone for the season.

“We wanted to show everyone that we’re here. Wins and titles are not a given – we have to appreciate them,” Kimmich told Germany’s Sat 1 network.

Bayern open the Bundesliga season on Friday at home against Leipzig, while Stuttgart face Union Berlin in the German capital a day later.

These days, the Russian army has a hard time scoring any major successes. Its soldiers face a grinding slog in Ukraine, dying by the hundreds, sometimes to advance just a few hundred metres or not at all.

On the diplomatic front, however, the situation is different. Russian President Vladimir Putin secured a major diplomatic victory by holding a summit with United States President Donald Trump.

At Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, it was all bonhomie. Trump clapped as Putin made his way onto the red carpet for a handshake before Trump escorted him into his presidential limo as the Russian leader smiled like a Cheshire cat. The two came away from their nearly three-hour meeting without much to say. Both spoke of agreement on a host of matters. Putin invited Trump to Moscow, who demurred – for now.

Little has leaked thus far on exactly what Putin and Trump discussed. The Russian leader sought to suggest in his remarks to the media that the talks were on his terms, bringing up Russia’s security concerns and praising his US counterpart for trying to “understand the history” of the conflict.

According to Russia’s ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, apart from Ukraine, there were some concrete bilateral issues discussed. He claimed two major diplomatic questions were raised: “the return of six Russian diplomatic properties that were de facto confiscated” during former US President Joe Biden’s administration and “the restoration of direct air traffic” between Russia and the US.

Trump for his part appeared to drop the demand for a ceasefire in Ukraine – something he had publicly called for before the summit. Instead, he agreed to take the Kremlin’s demand for a full settlement of the conflict rather than a ceasefire to Ukraine and its European allies. Later, he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the European Union and Ukraine agreed with him that “the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement”.

Although Trump seemed to take the Russian position on a ceasefire, the worst possible outcome of the summit was still avoided. The meeting did not turn into a “new Munich”, where Trump would appease Putin just like the French and British leaders appeased Adolf Hitler in a meeting in the German city in 1938 by agreeing to a German takeover of part of Czechoslovakia. The US president did not accede to Russian territorial claims.

That said, for Putin, the summit was a tactical win because it broadcast to the world that the US president himself was casting off the pariah status the Kremlin had earned for its unilateral invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent war crimes it has overseen. The Russian president was treated like the leader of a “great power” – a status he has long been obsessed with returning Russia to – who had to be negotiated with, on his terms.

So where does all this leave Ukraine and its European allies?

Trump is clearly unwilling to change his position on Ukraine. He admires Putin – his personality and his governing style – immensely.

But Brussels, London, and Kyiv cannot give up on him. The truth is that continued US support is indispensable to Ukraine maintaining its defence. Europe has moved to pick up more of the burden of funding since Trump was inaugurated for his second term, but its military capabilities and defence industry supply chains cannot replace those of the US anytime soon, even if they increase investments exponentially.

Trump wants peace in name and cares nought about the details. For Kyiv, the detail is its very survival, and for the rest of Europe, Ukraine’s fate shapes the potential that it could be the next target of Putin’s aggression in his would-be geopolitically rebalanced world.

That does not mean that there is no way to turn Trump. There is – Ukraine and Europe can use a page or two out of Putin’s playbook in dealing with the US president.

Trump clearly likes his ego to be stroked, which is what Putin repeatedly did in his remarks to the media, echoing, for example, Trump’s claim that if he had been president in 2022, the war in Ukraine would not have happened.

Continuing diplomatic engagement is the way forward, as is seeking to change the frame in which Trump sees the Ukrainian conflict.

The US president cares more about the future of US energy exports, US competition with China, its challenge to US economic dominance and the exploitation of the Arctic than he does about Ukraine. It was Trump’s choice to host the meeting in Alaska, after all, and his obsession with Greenland – so seemingly strange to European allies of the US – makes far more sense in this context.

The key is to persuade the US president that Russia is a threat to Washington’s interests in all of these matters.

An easing of sanctions could see Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects flood into the market and depress the price for US LNG exports. Putin has reshaped Russia’s economy to be dependent on minerals exports to China, fuelling its ability to compete economically thanks to cheap inputs. Putin has also repeatedly sought to push Beijing to be more assertive in economic competition by calling on it to dump the dollar and push new trade and finance frameworks that exclude the US. And Russia is hoping to dominate the Arctic by expanding its Arctic fleet with new nuclear-powered icebreakers and submarines.

For Putin, his war in Ukraine has never been just about the dividing lines in the Donbas or his claimed injustices from the Soviet Union’s collapse. It is a war to reshape the world. On the other hand, Trump sees the war as a distraction and a drag on his own efforts to reshape the world.

Only if Kyiv and the wider West understand Trump’s approach could they persuade him what is at stake. They must focus on how Putin hurts American interests and Trump’s perception thereof. If they fail to do so, while Alaska may have proven to be no “new Munich”, its legacy could be that of one of a “new Yalta” in which Europe’s future is to be shaped by new exclusive spheres of influence drawn by Moscow and Washington.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

German football club to shift away from ‘Visit Rwanda’ sponsorship after criticism from fans.

Bayern Munich has signalled it will cut down on “Visit Rwanda” branding as it moves “away from a commercial sponsorship” with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Bayern dismissed allegations of “sportswashing” when it signed a five-year deal with Rwanda in 2023. It included advertisements in the stadium and what Bayern called events “to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda”.

At the time, it replaced a sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda has similar sponsorships with European football giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Some Bayern fans displayed a large banner at a game in February protesting against the deal amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has backed rebels in the DRC.

Now the German football champions say they have reached a new deal with Rwanda that turns the existing sponsorship into a three-year agreement focusing on developing young football players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in the country.

“In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with [the Rwanda Development Board (RDB)] was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,” Bayern Chief Executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Friday in a statement.

“We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.”

Bayern didn’t specify how soon it would drop “Visit Rwanda” branding as part of the move, which it described as a transition. As of Friday afternoon, the branding was still displayed under a section of the Bayern website listing club sponsors and partners.

RDB Chief Executive Jean-Guy Afrika was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes to the partnership aimed to “accelerate sports development”, adding: “This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport.”

Rwanda’s presence in European football has grown steadily since 2018 when it first partnered with Arsenal to put “Visit Rwanda” branding on the London club’s shirt sleeves.

An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year. It covers branding in the stadium and included shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico was agreed in April, including branding on training and warm-up shirts.

Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group, the strongest of more than 100 armed groups vying for dominance in the mineral-rich eastern DRC just across the border from Rwanda. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting the eastern DRC’s minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more.

Rwandan authorities alleged that some of the people who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled to the DRC and are either working with or are being protected by the Congolese army. They have denied involvement in the DRC’s minerals sector and said any security action taken is to protect its own territory.

He will officially join the club upon receipt of his international transfer certificate (ITC), visa and work permit.

“I’m looking forward to coming to Vancouver to help this team win a championship,” said Muller, who started his youth career at Bayern in 2000 and led them to two Champions League and 13 Bundesliga titles.

“I’ve heard great things about the city, but first and foremost I’m coming to win. I’ve had great conversations with [sporting director] Axel Schuster and [head coach] Jesper Sorensen, and now I can’t wait to play in front of the supporters and to see all of the fans come out to BC Place as we head towards the play-offs.”

Muller also made 131 appearances for Germany, scoring 45 goals, and lifted the 2014 World Cup after winning the Golden Boot as top scorer of the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Vancouver are currently second, a point behind San Diego, in the Western Conference with 10 regular season matches remaining.

PSG will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals after winning a lively game against the German champions.

Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain moved a step closer to another trophy with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup, a game marred by a gruesome injury to young German star Jamal Musiala.

After Desire Doue broke the deadlock with a 78th-minute strike in Atlanta on Saturday, PSG soon found themselves down to nine men after a pair of late red cards.

But with Bayern throwing everyone forward in search of an equaliser, Ousmane Dembele added an insurance goal deep into stoppage time to send the French powerhouse into the semifinals, where they will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in New Jersey on Wednesday.
PSG’s keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a pair of exceptional first-half saves.

In the 27th minute, he sprang to his right to parry Michael Olise’s goal-bound effort from just beyond the corner of the six-yard box. In the 41st, he sprawled the opposite direction to keep Aleksandar Pavlovic’s effort, an intended early cross that was inches in front of Musiala near the penalty spot, from creeping inside the right post.

Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer was also called into action during the first half, thwarting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s effort from close range at the near post with an outstretched arm in the 32nd minute. Four minutes into the second half, he dove left to deny Bradley Barcola on the break.

But Musiala’s sickening injury marred the end of the half. As he chased a loose ball near the byline in first-half stoppage time, Donnarumma darted off his spot and dived for it, only to crash into the left ankle of the 22-year-old German.

As Musiala rolled over, his foot dangled awkwardly, the ankle appearing to be cleanly broken.

Donnarumma walked away with the ball, but knelt down in horror when he looked back and realised the seriousness of the injury. A stretcher was immediately summoned to take Musiala off the field.

Both teams walked towards the locker rooms in stunned silence, with the PSG keeper appearing to be close to tears. He was booed throughout the second half by Bayern fans each time he touched the ball.

PSG, which claimed their first Champions League title with a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan five weeks ago, broke the impasse late in the second half when Joao Neves stole the ball from Harry Kane near the halfway line to send the French team sprinting towards the Bayern goal.

Neves got the ball back off a give-and-go and found Doue lurking just outside the top of the area. His left-footed shot caught Neuer flat-footed as it skidded inside the right post.

But PSG had to hold on for dear life to preserve the win after Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez were both sent off with red cards.

Referee Anthony Taylor dismissed Pacho in the 82nd minute for his dangerous challenge on Bayern’s Thomas Muller, and sent off Hernandez in the second minute of second-half stoppage time for an elbow in the face of Raphael Guerreiro.

Bayern had two goals overruled for offside in the game, including a late header by Kane.

As Bayern pressed for an equaliser, PSG broke on a counterattack and Dembele doubled their advantage deep into stoppage time following some brilliant setup work by Achraf Hakimi, who beat three defenders, then fed Dembele for a first-time low finish that left Neuer little chance.

In the waning seconds, the German club was awarded a penalty kick, only to have it waved off after a video review.

PSG’s captain, Marquinhos, lauded PSG’s attitude to see out the game.

“It is always difficult to play with two fewer players, but today, the team showed the attitude and desire to get the job done,” Marquinhos told DAZN.

“That second goal was really important, especially in a huge competition like this.”

PSG right back Hakimi said his side had beaten one of the best teams in the competition and a big “rival”.

“We are really happy and proud of the team effort. We had a tough team against us, I think we did what we had to do to take the victory,” Hakimi told DAZN.

Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain face German giants Bayern Munich in FIFA’s Club World Cup quarterfinals.

Who: PSG vs Bayern Munich
What: FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When: Saturday, July 4 at 12pm (16:00 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 9am local (13:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Fresh from lifting the UEFA Champions League for the first time, Paris Saint-Germain will continue their plight for a first FIFA Club World Cup when they face German giants Bayern Munich.

The Parisian lifted both the French league and cup along with their European success this season, while Bayern won their 34th Bundesliga title.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the all-European clash for a place in the final four.

How did PSG reach the quarterfinals?

PSG lost their final group stage match 1–0 to Brazil’s Botafogo, but progressed with earlier wins against Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders.

A meeting with former star Lionel Messi awaited in the round of 16, where the Parisians beat Inter Miami 4-0 with Joao Neves netting twice.

How did Bayern Munich reach the quarterfinals?

The Germans opened with a 10-0 thrashing of New Zealand side Auckland City, before confirming their progress with a 2-1 win against Argentina’s Boca Juniors.

Benfica shocked Bayern with a 1-0 win in the final group-stage match, which left the Munich-based club to face Flamengo in the round of 16.

Bayern raced into an early two-goal lead before running out 4-2 winners with a Harry Kane double.

Have Bayern Munich won the Club World Cup?

Yes. Bayern had lifted FIFA’s club competition on two occasions – beating Morocco’s Raja Casablanca in 2013 and UANL of Mexico in 2020.

Who will PSG or Bayern face in the semifinal?

The winner of this match will play the winner of quarterfinal four – between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – in the last four.

The final quarterfinal match follows the conclusion of the PSG and Bayern tie, and will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Head-to-head

This is the 15th meeting between the sides, with Bayern winning eight and PSG six of the matchups so far.

Their first meeting came in 1994, with PSG winning both matches in the Champions League group stages.

The teams were also pitted together in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final in Lisbon, with Bayern winning 1-0 thanks to a header from former PSG player Kingsley Coman.

PSG team news

PSG could hand Ousmane Dembele his first start of the tournament, following his substitute appearance in the 4-0 win against Inter Miami.

Bayern Munich team news

Jamal Musiala managed 18 minutes after coming on as a substitute in the win against Flamengo and could feature once again as he continues his comeback from injury.

Leroy Sane has left the club, having completed his move to Galatasaray, while Coman could miss out with a knock.

PSG coach Luis Enrique’s pre-match thoughts

“At this stage of the competition, it will be difficult no matter who the opponent is. Now is the time to think about resting, we need to prepare well for the match, but we have the time to do so. We’re very happy.”

Bayern striker Harry Kane’s pre-match thoughts

“We have to believe [we can win the Club World Cup] for sure. We’re going up against a tough opponent in the next round, no doubt, Champions League winners. We have to be ready for that, but we feel like, on our day, we can beat anyone. It would be a dream come true to go all the way and win it, but there’s games before that.”

Possible PSG starting lineup

Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos (C), Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Ruiz, Vitinha; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

Possible Bayern Munich starting lineup

Neuer (C); Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Stanisic; Goretzka, Kimmich; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane