Unai can unleash full-strength side at Parcdes Princes
UNAI EMERY, the Spanish head coach of Paris St Germain, gave Celtic the bad news this morning that they will be at full strength at the Parc des Princes tonight as they chase the win which would all but secure top spot from Group B and a seeded berth in the Champions League last 16.
Having overcome Bayern Munich 3-0 here earlier in the campaign, victory against Celtic would leave the Bavarians needing an outlandish 4-0 victory to win the group. In addition to that, PSG are already closing in on some of the competition’s all-time records. No team has ever made it through the group stages without conceding, but the Qatari-backed Parisians have racked up 17 goals without reply.
“We want this first position,” said Emery. “And to win the group, we have to beat Celtic on Wednesday. We want to have the best performance possible and want to play with the best players.
“Bayern have been playing better and are still in contention,” added the Emery, in charge of Spartak Moscow, and Aiden McGeady, when they met Celtic back in the Champions League in 2012. “So we have to be aggressive, dynamic and get the three points.
“The first game against Celtic was really good for us and our team has shown we want to win and go far in this competition,” he added. “Celtic is a very good team with good players who play for their national teams so I’m sure this game will be difficult but we know the importance of getting three points. We have to play at a very high level in the 90 minutes. We also need to improve.”
As ever, as Emery met the press yesterday, some controversy or other about Neymar was not far away. The Brazilian was pictured at a latenight after party with US rapper Tyga after the 4-1 win against Nantes last weekend, but Emery made light of the situation and said he will be back on the pitch against Celtic tonight.
“He is very responsible,” said Emery. “When he is not on the pitch, he can enjoy his time with his friends.
“He then comes back and plays well. We have to give the players the flexibility of living their own lifestyle.
“He will be on the pitch against Celtic.”