Resurgent United NO EXCUSES AS VAR SET FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT
With Parisians missing Neymar, Cavani, the in-form Red Devils will want to take matter into their own hands in the first leg
striker Neymar ruled out of both legs of the fixture against Manchester United with a foot injury, PSG were further jolted by the injury to Edinson Cavani. thus leaves Kylian Mbappe (right) as the sole striker upfront and will be supported by Julian Draxler and Angel di Maria. Fullback Thomas Meunier will also miss out after suffering a concussion.
will want to prove a point given that his time at Old Trafford was one of the lowest points of his career. Although bought for a
British record transfer fee of £60 million from
Real Madrid, he left for PSG at just £44.3million after one year having scored just thrice in the Premier League. he’s had quite an impact given he’s played a part in 70 goals for the club in Ligue 1 during his stay and recently signed an extended contract till 2021.
TV TIMINGS
live on Sony Ten 1 & HD, 1:30am (Wed)
live on Sony Ten 2 & HD, 1:30am (Wed) Matic, Valencia (Manchester United); Kehrer, Verratti (PSG)
could be chosen in central midfield, especially if Verratti does not start.
COPING IN DEFENCE
PSG’S defence must cope with speed, skill and power when facing Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku.
Stopping the midfield supply line to them, or to Alexis Sanchez if he is selected, is vital. Tuchel, therefore, needs strong holding midfielders against Pogba, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic - an i mpressive trio bl e nding strength, tenacity and technique.
I t mi g h t mean movi n g defender Marquinhos into the centre of midfield, alongside Verratti, Draxler or Leandro Paredes. Yet, picking Marquinhos would deprive PSG of their best and most consistent centre half. ROME: UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned that there will be no more excuses as Video Assistant Referees (VAR) make their debut in the Champions League starting this week.
The system which was used during last year’s FIFA World Cup, and is now widely called upon in most of Europe’s leading leagues, was initially set to be rolled out in the Champions League from the start of next season. However, it will now make its debut six months earlier than anticipated.
“If we can do it before, why not” pondered Ceferin of an initiative which had been opposed by his predecessor, Michel Platini.
Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’S chief refereeing officer, told a briefing on its use in Rome last week that while “impossible to achieve the right decision 100 percent of the time” they were convinced it would “provide valuable help to match officials and reduce incorrect decisions”.
Rosetti said the Video Assistant Referee would intervene for “clear mistakes” in the four match-changing situations for which it has been used elsewhere: goals, penalty decisions, straight red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
Of coaches from the 16 teams invited only those from Juventus, Lyon, Paris Saint-germain, Roma and Schalke attended, with the others sending “assistants, other staff or even marketing people,” said Ceferin.
“For me it’s not only a lack of respect for Roberto Rosetti’s team and the UEFA organisation, but the influence of coaches is huge and if they complain about being refereed they should at least come and see what the experts say about the use of VAR,” Ceferin said.
“Now they do not have any excuses, especially the ones that did not even come.”