Princely shock at the opening of the 11th day of Ligue 1. After the duel between Rennes and Bordeaux (19h), AS Monaco, sixth two points from second place (the ranking here), indeed receives the Parisian leader this Friday (9 p.m.), to Louis II.
“It will be a difficult match in Monaco, it still is.
They have a lot of quality and it is one of the most difficult oppositions in France, ”judge Thomas Tuchel, whom Monaco coach Niko Kovac recently showered with praise.
The two technicians know each other well, having often crossed paths on the German pitches, on the banks of Mainz and Dortmund for one, Frankfurt and Bayern for the other.
"It would have been a big surprise if he had said that I was a bad trainer," smiles the Bavarian.
It was very nice of him but he will do anything to complicate things for me (smile).
His teams are always very disciplined, very physical on the pitch.
It's a very interesting mix between him and Monaco and it's a big competition for us, but it's good, it will allow us to grow too. ”
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It will also be a question of records and statistics this Friday, with PSG which could equal the series of six consecutive victories in L1 with three goals or more from Nantes in November-December 1978, Neymar and Angel Di Maria to two achievements tenth place in the ranking of the top scorers in the history of PSG or Paris, which will aim to clinch a fifth consecutive victory in a row in the league without conceding a goal, which would be a first since the creation of the club in 1970 There is also the Mbappé-Monaco reunion or the standings which will add even more interest to the meeting.
"We are in a difficult situation in the Champions League"
Thomas tuchel
Except that this match is in fact only… the one which precedes the reception of Leipzig for Paris-SG.
The opportunity to revive some players in the recovery phase and to prepare what looks very much like a round of 16 in C1.
Defeat prohibited for Thomas Tuchel's players.
In fact, it is even compulsory victory!
Otherwise, the round of 16 would already be almost out of reach.
The stake is there, not elsewhere.
And coach Tuchel does not hide it.
He sums it up as follows: “We are in a difficult situation in the Champions League.
We absolutely want to win against Leipzig.
We must therefore win (in Monaco) while managing the minutes to have the freshest possible team on Tuesday night, because it's super important for us, that's clear. "
Remember that Paris Saint-Germain lost two of their first three group matches in C1, including the trip to Leipzig, just before the international break.
In the classification of this open group H, Manchester United and RasenBallsport are six points ahead of Paris and Istanbul Basaksehir, with three small units on the clock.
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Thus, Tuchel will have to juggle between the wounded (Draxler, Gueye, Kehrer, Bernat), those who return (Mbappé, Neymar, Kean), the internationals (Marquinhos, Paredes, Di Maria, Danilo, Florenzi) and those who could possibly return for Leipzig (Icardi, Verratti).
Remember that Presnel Kimpembe, expelled in Germany, will not be able to play on Tuesday.
"We must therefore be very careful, very intelligent to manage the minutes", analyzes Tuchel, who still has to determine what playing time to give Mbappé and who hopes for good news concerning Neymar and Moise Kean, still uncertain Thursday.
"I'm confident that he will be able to play for a few minutes," he said of "Ney", who was hit in the thigh and out since the end of October.
Leonardo's confidence
“Normally you know I take the matches one by one.
But we are in a situation in the Champions League which implies that it is necessary to take the two matches together, ”insists Thomas Tuchel, stressing that in the event of a“ positive result ”, Paris would still have“ another final in Manchester »December 2.
And in the event of a negative result, that would obviously be another story… Suddenly, the confidence displayed by Leonardo during the truce could fly away.
“It's always good if the sports director is with the coach.
It is always the coach who is responsible if the results are more complicated.
It's normal, that's life and it's not a problem, ”confesses Tuchel, determined to reverse the trend against Leipzig and make Tuesday's match more like the semi-final of Champions League (3-0 victory) in August, in Lisbon, than the defeat of the Red Bull Arena (2-1).
In the meantime, place in Monaco, then.
If possible with the three points for Paris, but especially without injury.
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