PSG Banks on Paris Crowd to Upstage Real Madrid
Paris St Germain are hoping hopingpg their Parc des Princes crowd will help helpp them overturn over a 3-1 deficit in their Champions Championsp League Leagueg last-16 las return leg legg against againstg Real Madrid as they try tr to cope without the injured injuredj Neymar. y The talismanic Brazilian forward was ruled out of the game ggame tonight tonightg after undergoing u foot surgery, surgery,gy but PSG coach UnaiU Emery is confident the home fan fans will play a key keyy role. “You pplayy play a gga game with yyour your head and yyour your heart. On Tuesdayy Tuesday (tonight),g (tonight), the heart will be the most important importa p thing,” Emeryy Emery told a news conference yesterday. y “And we will b be playing with 12 pplayer players y tonight because we wil will have the backingg backing of the crowd.” PSG has l lost its last five return legs in the Champio Champions League, n notably going out in the last 16 last season when it slumpedp slumped to a 6-1 loss at Barcelona after beating the Spanishp Spanish side 4-0 in Paris.
“Our team, even without Neymar,y Neymar, is able to beat the best Real Madrid team,” said Emery. y
“With Neymar,y Neymar, PSG is stronger,g stronger, but we are still strong without him,” fullback, Dani Alves said.
“There e are two options:p options: either we sit and cry, or we stand tand on our feet and fight.” g
If the Paris team is ggoingg going to knock out the defending ngg champions,p champions, PSG will need to be more focused ocused than duringg during the first leg, when en it conceded two goals in the last ast 10 minutes.
“In the first legg leg we played better, had the best opportunities. unities. But this time we need d to do that for 90 minutes, , not just 80,” Alves said.