For only the third time this season, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé will start a match together as Paris Saint-Germain takes on Galatasaray SK in the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
It’s the strongest possible front three that manager Thomas Tuchel could go with, which is interesting considering PSG has nothing to play for with first place in Group A already wrapped up. This move can only be seen as an attempt to get these players more time on the pitch together.
It’s a risky decision though. If any of these players pick up an injury that will keep that out for a significant amount of time, questions will be asked of the manager why they played in a match that is meaningless.
In midfield, Tuchel goes with Leandro Paredes, Pablo Sarabia, and Juan Bernat, surprisingly. I’m a bit worried about what we’ll see out of the middle of the park with no regular starter there. With Marco Verratti one yellow card away from suspension, I can’t imagine the manager wants to risk playing him in this game.
On defense, Marquinhos slides back into his usual position of center-back alongside Abdou Diallo. Layvin Kurzawa makes a surprise start at left-back and Tanguy Kouassi gets the start at right-back with Colin Dagba and Thomas Meunier left out of the squad entirely.
Tuchel will have Keylor Navas, Thilo Kehrer, Julian Draxler, Verratti, Edinson Cavani, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to choose from if he needs to make a substitution.
We’ll have more on this match throughout so make sure to check back on the site and find me on Twitter @PSGTalk.
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