Much to my delight, Paris Saint-Germain Thomas Tuchel left many of his stars at home as Les Parisiens battle amateur side ESA Linas-Montlhéry in the Round of 64 of the Coupe de France.
Only a few big names in PSG's starting XI 🆚 Linas Montlhery
How will the Ligue 1 leaders fare against the amateurs from the sixth tier? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cFH20FAilb
— Goal (@goal) January 5, 2020
Despite the absences of Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar Jr., Tuchel still fielded a pretty strong lineup against a team playing in the sixth division of French Football.
Edinson Cavani leads the attack with Julian Draxler and Pablo Sarabia on the wings. Seventeen-year-old Adil Aouchiche slots into the attacking midfield role with Leandro Paredes and Ander Herrera right behind the Frenchman. On defense, Layvin Kurzawa, Thilo Kehrer, Tanguy Kouassi, and Colin Dagba will protect Sergio Rico’s goal.
The bench is a bit more star-studded with Marco Verratti, Idrissa Gueye, Marquinhos, and Angel Di Maria amongst others.
OFFICIAL — PSG XI vs. Linas-Montlhery: Rico – Dagba, Kouassi, Kehrer, Kurzawa – Sarabia, Paredes, Herrera, Draxler – Cavani (c), Aouchiche.
PSG bench vs. Linas-Montlhery: Bulka, Meunier, Marquinhos, Verratti, Gueye, Di Maria & Choupo-Moting. #CdF
— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) January 5, 2020
It’s the first match of 2020 so expect a bit of rust at the start. Linas-Montlhéry will come out strong and with a lot of energy as they look to pull off the upset. Eventually, though, PSG’s quality will be the difference and they should advance comfortably.
Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.
