Neymar to rest as PSG play it safe
PSG are set to wrap Neymar in cotton wool ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League opener with Celtic.
The French side are already without Angel di Maria after he was crocked on international duty with Argentina and are desperate to protect their £200million superstar ahead of their trip to Parkhead.
A roll call for tonight’s Ligue 1 clash with Metz was held yesterday by PSG boss Unai Emery to assess the condition of a host of his South American stars who have travelled back form international duty.
Brazilians Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Marquinos and Neymar faced long journeys home from Brazil, while Edinson Cavani played for Uruguay and several could be rested for the trip to Metz.
Reports from France suggest Neymar will be benched this evening but new £150million signing Kylian Mbappe will be handed his debut alongside Germany ace Julian Draxler.
Emery insists the international demands are not a concern and he’s fully focused on domestic matters despite their European Glasgow test and he’s adamant his squad can cope with battle on all fronts.
He said: “We are used to playing matches soon after the international break. A lot of players were in action but we were well prepared with the players here.
“The championship is a very clear goal. The team started well and we will continue on Friday against Metz.
“We have respect for Metz and the other teams of the championship. It will be a difficult game.”