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PSG can get back on track, finish top of Group B with a result at Bayern

Paris Saint-Germain will take to the Allianz Arena pitch on Tuesday night knowing that a win or even a draw will be enough to finish top of UEFA Champions League Group B.

In fact, even a low-scoring defeat (less than PSG's 3-0 victory at Parc des Princes back in late September) in Germany would ensure that the Ligue 1 leaders finish ahead of their German rivals and enter the latter stages in a theoretically more advantageous position.

Whatever the result, Unai Emery's men will look back at the narrow 2-0 home win over Troyes and the surprise 2-1 loss away at Strasbourg in the days leading up to the Bayern clash and know that the cost of the result in Bavaria was an unbeaten season in Le Championnat.

After going down to Thierry Laurey's courageous Alsatian side last Saturday, PSG will have to wait until next campaign for their next attempt to better Nantes' legendary 1994-95 term.

The question is, will it have been worth it?

Emery took chances to rest the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, Marco Verratti, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Dani Alves over the Troyes and Strasbourg encounters and even though Neymar played in both, he will be a bit more tired than the others, Les Parisiens' key men will be well-rested for Bayern.

What the Spaniard will have to hope is that that his team's previously impressive momentum has not been permanently derailed by his tinkering.

Since hitting Celtic for seven at Parc des Princes last month, after the Bhoys destroyed Alphonse Areola's hopes of going through the entire group stage without conceding a goal, PSG have only scored five times across their past three Ligue 1 outings. Prior to this stretch, PSG was averaging almost four goals per game over all competitions.

Emery has an almost full-strength squad available to him and could help himself and give his side the best chance of rediscovering their former prolific form by reverting to his strongest possible starting XI.

However, even that combination will be thoroughly tested by a Bayern side that has improved since Jupp Heynckes replaced Carlo Ancelotti as coach.

Goalkeeper Areola and defender Marquinhos will want to put Strasbourg behind them as quickly as possible, while Silva and Layvin Kurzawa -- who used his time off to get a hideous new hair cut -- should have benefitted from some rest.

Midfielder Adrien Rabiot was a rare source of satisfaction at Stade de la Meinau, while most of his other teammates struggled and the France international will benefit from being reunited with Italian teammate Marco Verratti in the middle.

Germany international Julian Draxler, who is returning to his homeland to face a club interested in signing him, was poor in Grand Est last weekend but the former Wolfsburg and Schalke man was excellent on the road at Monaco less a week earlier.

Back alongside Rabiot and Verratti, Draxler stands a better chance of emulating his form from the principality outing.

The big sense of occasion should see Neymar rise to the challenge against Bayern but the Brazilian struggled in freezing Strasbourg and the weather will not be much better on Tuesday.

Alongside Cavani and Mbappe instead of the lifeless Angel Di Maria, it should be easier for Neymar to influence proceedings but he needs to stop trying to do so much on his own -- especially when PSG are at full strength or close to it.

Cavani was handed a breather last weekend but Mbappe started and scored to end a recent run of profligacy in front of goal.

Coming back together after a bit of rest should see those 11 players pick up where they left off at Stade Louis II but they cannot waste any time in getting back into the groove.

The motivation of knowing that a win or a draw is enough to seal top spot should be enough for Emery's troops -- going all group stage without conceding a single goal was always going to be a tough ask but winning every match in that pool is not.

Win or draw and not only will the defeat away at Strasbourg start to look trivial, the new winning mentality that has taken hold of the capital club's players will consolidate further and PSG will be looking every bit of Champions League favourites as they enter the latter stages.

Emery feels this season's PSG are better than last campaign's? Prove it here by taking top spot in Group B with style.