PSG-Atalanta: Herrera, Tuchel's option, Mbappé as a luxury joker

As always, Thomas Tuchel will announce this Wednesday at the end of the morning the names of the eleven chosen to start the quarter-final of the Champions League. And, against Atalanta Bergamo, the German should pronounce the surname of Ander Herrera among the holders. The profile and experience of the Spanish milieu, as well as his qualities shown in training in recent weeks, seem to have made the difference in Tuchel's mind. Leandro Paredes, one of the key men in the round of 16 European return against Dortmund (2-0), will therefore start on the sidelines.

“Ander is a very good, high-level player, used to big games, recalls Marquinhos at a press conference about the man who will be to his right in midfield. He has a strong character, he is not afraid to go into battle, to give everything for the team. These are the kind of players we like to have on our side. The Basque, 30, former Manchester United player, has been used to the rhythm of the Premier League, a championship with intense encounters as only the Champions League offers them elsewhere on the continent. And it is undoubtedly in this concern to get the ball out quickly that Tuchel opts for the Herrera option.

Little hip alert for Icardi

The Parisian players worked a lot on the transition phases between defense and attack during the short internship spent in the south of Portugal, near Faro. Sequences that the PSG coach expects to see repeated against the Italians, characterized by their offensive attitude. "Atalanta plays a unique style," confirms Thomas Tuchel. It's a tactical match but also a match in the head, mental, with the same spirit as during the training of the last days. "

Still in this idea of ​​getting the ball out as quickly as possible, Neymar could have a role of number 10 at the start of this meeting. The Brazilian leader should not start in the left lane of the Parisian 4-3-3 but a notch below Pablo Sarabia and Mauro Icardi, holders in attack despite an alert in the lower back for the Argentine striker. The latter ended the session with a hip complaint.

At the conclusion of a day marked by a new series of tests, all negative, for the coronavirus, Tuchel confirmed at a press conference the presence of Kylian Mbappé in the group. The world champion, 19 days after a major twist of the right ankle, will take place on the bench, being able to enter at the end of the meeting if necessary. In the presence of the PSG staff, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, arrived this Tuesday morning in Lisbon, Leonardo or Jean-Claude Blanc, present with the players since Monday in Faro, the workforce was able to discover the lawn of the stadium of the Luz. All in much cooler weather than in Paris.