After his feat against the Bayern Munich (3-2), the Paris SG goes to Strasbourg on Saturday (5 p.m.), for a break from League 1 as decisive in the title race as it is perilous for a team that is struggling to follow through.
Kylian Mbappé may well have managed a double on the field of the reigning European champion, Wednesday, after the meeting, the striker was already thinking of the 13th of the French Championship.
“The return match against Munich (Tuesday)? To begin with, you have to play well in Strasbourg so as not to get into the hole ”, launched the world champion at the microphone of RMC Sport.
This season shaken by the pandemic has taught him to keep a cool head in all circumstances, even when his team has just defeated Bayern in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.
Because for Paris, the next match is very dangerous. He lost the last three meetings (Lyon, Monaco, Nantes) which followed a European meeting (Basaksehir, Barcelona twice).
Today, PSG drags these setbacks like a ball, in an ultra-tight title race with Lille, Monaco and Lyon, where every point is worth a lot.
In the camera of Meinau, for the 32nd day of L1, it is first for the Parisians to win to keep in view a title that moved away last weekend by losing against Losc (1 -0).
Then come the concerns related to the return match against Munich, a new turning point that should propel them to the semifinals of C1.
“It will be necessary to recover as much energy as possible, but also to analyze the case of each player individually. The match against Strasbourg will be very difficult and very important ”, explained Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine coach faces a puzzle, to keep a competitive training while sparing his most used frames.
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Marquinhos uncertainty
In attack, the absence of Neymar, who is serving the first of his two suspension matches on Saturday, shifts all the attention to Mbappé, or the Frenchman, mobilized with the selection at the end of March, has chained a lot lately.
“Few” could be tempted to line up Moise Kean, replacing in Bavaria, or even winger Pablo Sarabia, who had a good period a month ago in similar matches (Bordeaux, Brest).
Defense is another question mark. Marquinhos felt an adductor pain against Munich which forced him out after thirty minutes.
His potential central replacement, Abdou Diallo, was ill during the meeting, as he revealed on social networks.
Hard to navigate … especially since in the middle, Marco Verratti (Covid-19), remains in isolation, for this meeting against an opponent who seeks to validate his maintenance.
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“A victory, or four points, it will be the maintenance”, estimated goalkeeper Matz Sels on Sunday, after a success in Bordeaux (3-2) where his team led 3-0 after the first half hour.
Although deprived of the public boiling of Meinau, the Alsatians have proven that they can sublimate themselves against the big ones, by beating Monaco (1-0) in early March, which was undefeated in 2021 until then.
Paris has been warned: this is not the time to relax.
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