Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, electrifying duo for semi-final before France reunion | OneFootball

With 11 days to go before the first leg at Parc des Princes on 28 April, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich will put Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise centre stage. The return is set for 6 May.

According to L'Équipe, the tie pairs the Ballon d'Or, Dembélé, with one of this season’s most compelling performers, Olise. Dembélé is 28 with 58 caps and 7 goals, while Olise is 24 with 15 caps and 4 goals.

Dembélé needed three or four months to absorb his award, shake off a summer without a break and move clear of injuries, and he has now returned to a tempo close to last season. From 1 January to the first-leg semi-final at Arsenal, a 1-0 in 2025, he scored 24 goals. Since 1 January this year he is on 12, after his brace at Liverpool, a 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Both forwards have been decisive at a similar clip, every 79 minutes for Olise and every 72 minutes for Dembélé.

The data also challenge assumptions. Dembélé profiles as the more complete creator and is far more accurate with crosses, in part due to the zones he occupies, perhaps because the Bayern player prefers to come inside rather than attack the outside.

Before a semi-final that will split their ambitions, the World Cup is expected to bring them together. One is the Champions League holder with Paris and the Ballon d'Or, a world champion in 2018 and a 2022 finalist, who has reached the final at every World Cup he has played. The other is set to discover this level and has yet to feature in a European final.

Source: L'Équipe