Stage set for hitmen in form

LISBON • Neymar is where he envisioned himself to be when he left Barcelona in 2017, in a Champions League final as the leader of a Paris Saint-Germain team, out of Lionel Messi's shadow and a stage to show that in Lisbon today.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is also eager to prove that he is the world's best player when the superstars collide today.

Unlike Neymar, the Champions League remains missing from the Pole's resume. He was in the defeated Dortmund team in the 2013 final against Bayern, the fifth and last time the Bavarian giants won Europe's elite club competition.

Four survivors of the 2013 treble-winning team - Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Thomas Muller - are likely to start, with Lewandowski set to be the main goal threat. He is in the form of his life and just two short of Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 17 goals in a Champions League season.

His clinically headed goal to seal Wednesday's 3-0 semi-final win over Lyon - his 55th in all competitions this season - meant he has scored in all nine games he has played in this term's Champions League.

"I think for every player the Champions League is the big goal," said Lewandowski, who turned 32 on Friday.

Muller, whose record 21 assists in the Bundesliga last season helped contribute to Lewandowski's 34 league goals this season, said about his teammate: "His goals are what makes him famous worldwide, but he is very team-oriented, that's why we're strong at the moment."

Bayern will arrive at Estadio da Luz on a 20-match winning streak in competitive games while PSG are on an impressive run of their own.

The French champions have scored in 34 straight matches in major European competitions - equal with Real Madrid in the Champions League - from 2011 to 2014.

Crucially for the first-time finalists, Neymar does not have their mental scars from this competition as injuries forced him to miss their most recent last-16 defeats by Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The Brazilian forward has also evolved this season. In attack, he does not try to take on defences alone. When PSG do not have the ball, the 28-year-old has put in defensive shifts, pressing opponents from the front.

"I see him as determined to take PSG to the top," PSG midfielder Marco Verratti told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Having him in this physical and mental condition is an added bonus. Neymar is a leader who always plays and trains hard, an example to us all."

All that is left for the Brazilian is to lead his teammates to the trophy he was brought to Paris for.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

---

Others to watch out for

The battle between two of football's fastest players will present viewers with a festival of fast as Bayern manager Hansi Flick must decide if he should stick with the high defensive line that has allowed the German champions to compress the space in midfield, but also leave pockets of space that the quicksilver Mbappe can run into.

Bayern's attacking full-back Davies clocked a new top speed of 36.5kmh against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last season. And teammate Kingsley Coman believes the Canadian is faster than fellow France international Mbappe, who has reportedly covered 10.6 metres in a second. But Bayern will be wary of Paris Saint-Germain, with midfielders like Marco Verratti - if he starts - capable of finding their forwards with swift, well-constructed counter-attacks.

Di Maria, now 32, won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid, and earned the Man of the Match award for his showing in a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid. Manchester United paid a British record £60 million (S$107 million) for the winger that summer, but the Argentinian scored just three goals from 27 EPL appearances before moving to PSG a season later. He was the best player against RB Leipzig and he will be looking to outshine Gnabry, Bayern's Man of the Match against Lyon.

Gnabry, also deemed an EPL flop after four years at Arsenal, was sold to Werder Bremen for just £4 million. The 25-year-old has scored nine goals in as many European games this season, finishing the Bundesliga campaign as Bayern's second top scorer with 12 goals.

REUTERS