Alright, deep breaths. Let’s calm down for a second. I’ll be honest, as a Bayern Munich fan, it’s been hard to keep things together lately. Not just because we face PSG tonight, but because of everything that’s happened this season, not just in football, but to the world in general.

It almost feels surreal, in a way. A few months ago, the notion of a Champions League final was a faraway dream. Now, it’s right here in front of us. Seven long years without a single UCL has made us treat the 2013 final like a piece of history — remembered and venerated. This is made easier by the fact that many of the legends of that time have passed on to pastures new. Philippe Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery — all big names from 2013 — have left the club in recent years. It feels like a different era.

We have to remember, 2013 wasn’t that long ago. So many of the players who took to the pitch that night in Wembley are still playing now. Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, and Manuel Neuer are the major ones, while Robert Lewandowski parachutes in from the Dortmund side of that game. However, this team has a distinct “new generation” feel to it as well, with youngsters like Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies, and Serge Gnabry — led by the vocal Joshua Kimmich. With Hansi Flick at the helm, this team also has a totally different look from the one that won it all in 2013.

So the big question is — can they do it? Anything is possible in football, of course. However, for Bayern Munich fans, that possibility usually amounts to heartbreak. Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Liverpool — we have our fair share of devastating losses dotted across the past decade. Go back further, and you get Manchester United in the ‘99 final, which makes me grateful that I was too young to think back then.

This is what the Champions League is — the precipice of heartbreak. We have to take the plunge, and see what fate has in store. PSG are an excellent team. They have a good coach in Thomas Tuchel and incredible players in Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr., and Marco Verratti. There are no “easy” opponents in Champions League finals, and this is definitely a hard one. All of Hansi Flick’s preparation boils down to this one game. The entire team’s Champions League season hinges on 90 minutes of football.

It’s Bayern time.

Match Info

Location: Estádio Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal

Time: 8:00 pm local time, 3:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country

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