Why every Bayern Munich player has to wear tape over their ear before games

Bayern Munich are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern welcome the Parisians to Munich after losing a spectacular first leg against the French champions by the odd goal in nine and will hope that home advantage gives them the edge at the Allianz Arena.

The Bavarian giants have already tied up their 35th Bundesliga title and reaching the Champions League final against Arsenal is now their sole focus for the rest of the campaign.

Some keen observers have noticed that Bayern's players can regularly be seen sporting tiny strips of adhesive tape over their earlobes in training, and not because they've all had their ears pierced against school rules.

French newspaper L'Equipe has got to the bottom of the mystery, revealing that Manuel Neuer, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise and their Bayern teammates are merely protecting the minuscule medical wounds of a life in elite football.

Those tiny strips of tape are necessary because Bayern's players frequently give up a drop of blood for the purposes of performance analysis.

An employee at Bayern's training ground confirmed that the blood drops are taken for analysis and sports science expert Stevan Kervadec, was clear on the specifics.

"The blood samples, especially from the earlobe, are definitely for lactate [tests]," Kervadec told L'Equipe.

"This allows us to see how it is accumulated and used. Basically, it's used to measure the metabolic efficiency of an athlete's body."

According to other L'Equipe sources, the resulting data can be used to 'calibrate' training and avoid unnecessary fatigue.

Luis Diaz sported the adhesive tape. Image: Getty

We've come a long way since a footballer's blood test at training would have revealed a pint of mild and a pack of cigarettes.

What is lactate and why are Bayern tracking it?

Lactate, or lactic acid, is the product of anaerobic glycosis, which is the metabolic process by which the body uses carbohydrates to produce energy during high-intensity exercise – an essential piece of the fitness puzzle for the elite sportsperson.

By measuring the output of lactate, club doctors and analysts can understand a player's loads and limits, tailoring their training regimes to cope with and maximise their efforts.

Bayern and head coach Vincent Kompany will hope their hard work behind the scenes will be enough to see them through a taxing semi-final second leg against Champions League holders PSG.

The Bavarians are aiming to reach their first Champions League final since 2020, when they overcame PSG in an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.