Kylian Mbappe says result of Bayern Munich Champions League tie will not impact his Paris Saint-Germain future
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Updated 07/03/2023 at 20:16 GMT
Kylian Mbappe is expected to hold the key to Paris Saint-Germain's attempts to make the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night, but should his side not make it through their tie with Bayern Munich, the France forward is adamant it will not spell his impending departure from the club. Meanwhile, Thomas Muller said that Mbappe "won't be having fun" if Bayern's plan works.
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Kylian Mbappe says the result of Paris Saint-Germain's tie with Bayern Munich in the Champions League will not impact his future at the club.
The two European heavyweights will face off in their Round of 16 second leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, with the Bavarians holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Paris thanks to Kingsley Coman's strike.
Mbappe's future is often up for discussion when Europe's elite competition reaches the business end, with the 24-year-old - the holder of an already glittering palmares - yet to get his hands on the famous old trophy.
PSG reached the final of the Champions League in 2020, but that aside their record has been below their expectations, with just one semi-final to show for 11 straight seasons in the competition.
"If I linked my future to the Champions League, without wishing to show a lack of respect to the club, I would have left a long time ago," Mbappe said.
"I don't think this match will have an impact. I am here and I am very happy to be here.
"I am not thinking about anything other than making PSG successful."
Hopes are high in the PSG camp that Mbappe - only fit enough to make a second-half substitute appearance in the first leg - can make the difference in Munich, even if Neymar will be missing.
But Bayern's Thomas Muller, though respectful of the France forward, revealed that his team have a plan to counter him.
"The most spectacular player is Kylian, that's an easy decision," Muller said, when asked to name his favourite PSG player.
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Kylian Mbappé
Image credit: Getty Images
“His explosiveness, his decision-making, it’s so efficient and I love that. I think the entire world loves to watch him.
"But if our plan works, he won’t be having fun tomorrow.”
In keeping with the pre-match narrative centering on Mbappe, his PSG teammate Marco Verratti - absent for the first leg - says the forward is "always here" in the big games.
"Kylian is a player we're lucky to have, with his personality and his character," Verratti said. "We're confident for tomorrow and we will play a great game tomorrow.
"There's a lot of pressure because we're playing for something big and we love it.
"We will play a game that will look nothing like the Paris game. In games like this we need everyone.
"But Kylian is always here in the big games."
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Watch Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on BT Sport 2.
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