First the penalty controversy between Neymar and Edinson Cavani, then the first game they’ve failed to win this season (0-0 vs. Montpellier) – there has been a bit of unrest at Paris Saint-German ahead of the Champions League tie against FC Bayern. However, there was little sense of that the day before the game at the Parc des Princes. “We’re up against a team with a great history. A team who want to win this competition. We can show tomorrow that we’re on the same level,” coach Unai Emery said.
“We’re impatiently waiting for the game to get underway,” stressed midfielder Marco Verratti. “We have the chance to send out a big message tomorrow, especially to ourselves. We’ll give our all.” The Italian went on to describe the club’s “trump card” in the match against “one of Europe’s biggest teams” as their Parc des Princes stadium. “The Parc will be bouncing.”
Bayern can therefore look forward to a real cauldron on Wednesday, and of course to an opponent with real footballing quality, with particular focus on the attacking trio of Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe. “They’re the sort of players very few teams have and they take us to another level,” Verratti added.
Neymar and Di Maria fit
Neymar missed the weekend’s game against Montpellier with a toe injury, but will be ready again for Wednesday, according to Emery. Angel di Maria has been out with a thigh problem since the start of September but is now also available for selection again. Javier Pastore (calf) is the only absentee.
“The game tomorrow is important because we want to finish top of the group,” the PSG coach stressed. When asked who out of Neymar and Cavani will take a penalty should they be awarded one against Bayern, the Spaniard refused to answer publicly. “I’ve spoken with both and told them what needs to happen with penalties.”
Topics of this article