Bayern Munich eye 6th Champions League title

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - German football powerhouse Bayern Munich, who last bagged a UEFA Champions League trophy in 2013, are seeking the sixth victory in the contest Sunday.

Meanwhile, the other finalists in Lisbon, France’s Paris Saint-Germain, are set to appear in their maiden Champions League final.

"Die Bayern" has more experience in the finals than PSG as the German club has been crowned Champions League winners five times with two titles coming in 2001 and 2013.

Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 2013 all-German final in London's Wembley Stadium as Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored the winning goal in the 89th minute.

The team from Germany wants to add another cup to their trophy case.

But that will not be the case if PSG has anything to say about it.

The French club rose in the 2010s, fueled by a Gulf investment.

The Qatar Sports Investments purchased the club in 2011.

Once new investors took control, PSG kicked off a long-term project to create a powerful team and win the Champions League.

- Flawless Bayern swept all teams

Bayern Munich were rampant this season, winning all 10 matches to reach the championship match.

The Bavarians had six wins in six matches in Group B, beating Tottenham Hotspur from England, Greece’s Olympiacos and Serbia's Crvena Zvezda (Red Star).

They hit Chelsea from England 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16.

And won the first leg 3-0 in London to bag an advantage for the return match.

Bayern booked a place in the quarterfinals after handling Chelsea 4-1 in Munich.

The 2020 quarterfinals saw an interesting match with Barcelona.

Bayern Munich hammered Barca 8-2 in a single-legged last eight match in Lisbon.

After humiliating the Spanish, the German team knocked out Olympique Lyon from the tournament in the semifinals with a 3-0 win Aug.19.

- Paris' road to final

Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League Group A with 16 points to march to the round of 16.

The French club had five wins and one draw in six group matches against Spain's Real Madrid, Belgian’s Club Brugge and Galatasaray from Turkey.

PSG eliminated German opponents Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, winning 3-2 on aggregate.

Dortmund won the first leg in Germany by 2-1 to stun PSG but PSG roared back with a 2-0 victory in Paris to book a quarterfinals ticket.

In March, UEFA stopped all competition because of the coronavirus pandemic as the 2019-20 campaign resumed in August.

Matched were held in a single-legged format in Lisbon.

In the last eight, PSG eliminated Italy's Atalanta 2-1, coming back from 1-0 deficit with goals scored near the end of the match.

Paris toppled German opponents RB Leipzig 3-0 in the semis to reach the 2020 final.

- Bayern scored 42 goals this season

In the 2019-20 Champions League campaign, Bayern Munich scored 42 goals in 10 matches.

They averaged 4.2 goals per game however, they conceded eight times.

The team's Polish star Robert Lewandowski has been in excellent form, scoring 15 goals in nine appearances.

Another offensive threat, German winger Serge Gnabry, had nine goals in as many matches for Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, PSG produced 25 goals but conceded five.

The duo of Frenchman Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi from Argentina have each scored five goals.

In addition, Brazilian superstar Neymar and Argentine winger Angel Di Maria tallied 3 goals apiece.

Bayern Munich will take on Paris Saint-Germain on Aug. 23 as the showdown in Lisbon will begin at 1900GMT.