On Wednesday morning, Paris Saint-Germain manager, Thomas Tuchel, released his 19-man squad for the UEFA Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.
The importance of this match cannot be understated. Not only is a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament up for grabs, but Tuchel could be sacked if PSG fails to qualify and several players may decide to leave if the Parisian project is a bust once again.
With so much on the line, here is the squad Tuchel will choose his starting lineup from:
📄 The Parisian group for #PSGBVB pic.twitter.com/uqwq5SqH41
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 11, 2020
The inclusion of Kylian Mbappé is reassuring considering less than 24-hours ago he was being tested for the coronavirus. That test came back negative, but the Frenchman is likely still recovering from being sick and missing training the past two days isn’t ideal.
The other development that will change Tuchel’s starting lineup is the absence of Thiago Silva. When Silva went down with a thigh injury against Girondins de Bordeaux last month, we expected him to miss this match but he seemed to be recovering quickly and trained the past two days. It’s clear that Tuchel and his staff didn’t feel as though their captain was healthy enough to make the squad.
With Silva out, that leaves a gaping hole at center-back. Along with many others, I predicted Marquinhos would play in the midfield against Dortmund but this development, Marquinhos may have to fall back into his more natural position and cover for his compatriot. Tuchel loves Marquinhos in the midfield, so, if that’s not an option, 17-year-old Tanguy Kouassi could get the start at center-back alongside Presnel Kimpembe. Abdou Diallo is another option but with Kimpembe, PSG would have two left-footed center-backs, which is not ideal.
We’ll share the official starting lineup once it’s posted by the club closer to kickoff.
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