Germany and France is a rivalry as old as time itself. The neighboring nations have met on the battlefield numerous times over the course of their history, but these days relations have been more civil, so they meet on the pitch instead.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain are the top teams in both countries. Bayern has dominated German football over the last 50 years. They have won 27 Bundesliga titles during that stretch and are currently in their longest period of sustained domestic success. Bayern has won six straight Bundesliga championships.
PSG has been seen as a sleeping giant for quite some time. The club has only started to live up to its potential over the last decade, and its owners have shown that they are willing to spend absurd amounts of money to make them competitive in European play. They have won five out of the last six Ligue 1 titles, and spent over 400 million Euros on Kylian Mbappe and Neymar last year. The two players were the highest-priced transfers ever.
The International Champions Cup brings some of the top clubs in Europe to cities around the world that normally don’t get to see top flight football. The match will take place at Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 21, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.
International Champions Cup Betting at BookMaker.eu
Paris Saint Germain +349
Bayern Munich -153
Draw +331
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
What to watch for
The International Champions Cup is seen as a series of fun exhibition matches for many, but Bayern Munich might be in it to win it. A lot of Bayern’s stars didn’t end up participating in the World Cup this summer, so they will be traveling with the team for the ICC and taking part in all three of their matches.
So far, Bayern has announced that Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Arturo Vidal, David Alaba, Sven Ulreich, Renato Sanches, and others will be joining the club on their worldwide tour. That is a pretty stacked lineup considering this is an exhibition.
Meanwhile, PSG looks set to be without many of their stars. Kylian Mbappe is still celebrating France’s World Cup triumph and Neymar will not take part in the ICC. Edinson Cavani, Thomas Meunier, and Angel Di Maria don’t appear to be in the lineup either for the club.
Paris Saint Germain Player to Watch
The one player that PSG will definitely have available is new acquisition Gianluigi Buffon. After a long career at Juventus, it was thought that Buffon would hang up his gloves and call it quits. However, the allure of another season with a top flight club proved to be too much for him to turn down.
Buffon is 40, but he is still capable of playing at a high level. He was the goalkeeper for PSG’s stunning defeat at the hands of Chambly last weekend though, and he will be looking to have a more inspiring performance.
Bayern Munich Player to Watch
There are a lot of clubs in hot pursuit of Vidal. The central midfielder is known as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and his aggressive play has frustrated many opponents over the course of his career.
He injured his knee in mid-April of last season and was lost for the rest of the year as a result. However, Vidal appears to be healthy and ready to return to action. That is great news for Bayern whether their intention is to keep him or part ways with him.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Without their superstars available, PSG will have to rely on its defense in this match. That hasn’t typically worked out well for the Parisian club recently. Look for Bayern to take advantage with some of their stars netting goals.
International Champions Cup Odds: Bayern Munich 3, Paris Saint Germain 1
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