AS Monaco will attempt to add to Paris Saint-Germain’s despair ahead of the contest. Olympique de Marseille eliminated the capital club from the Coupe de France on Wednesday at the Stade Vélodrome.
The French giants will head on the road again as they face Monaco on Saturday at the Stade Louis-II. Defender Guillermo Maripán will play a prominent role in slowing the PSG attack.
In an interview with ADN, the Chile international revealed the mindset he and any defender must have when facing the reigning Ligue 1 champions’ star forwards of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar Jr.
“Messi and Neymar are two very astute players,” Maripán told the Chilean media outlet. “They have many qualities and are very intelligent in the game; in front of them, you always have to be very focused, communicate a lot with your teammates and also show aggressiveness.”
Additionally, Maripán noted that the team will implement some ideas from what Marseille did to secure a win over PSG this week.
“I think high blood pressure can hinder them, as Marseille has shown,” Maripán continued. “This is one of the ingredients that we will have to use in this match.”
Monaco and Maripán will likely have to only worry about Neymar on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe is out for three weeks with a left thigh injury. Lionel Messi has been ruled out also to preserve him for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
