There are weeks like the one that opens where the absence of Neymar is felt with a little more acuteness.
This was already the case against Barcelona, and this is still true before the match on Wednesday, March 17, while Lille and its safe defense point the tip of their nose.
Unfortunately, the recovery time of the Brazilian, injured on February 10, is not known to be the fastest.
And, once again, PSG will not be able to count on its star, whose list of absences is longer than a sleepless night.
Neymar forfeit, Mauricio Pochettino will therefore have to deal with a private collective of his playmaker, and his game lately.
Inconsistent against Barça, worrying against Nantes, PSG will have to reinvent itself and show a sacred dose of resilience to overcome the trauma of the burglaries suffered by two of its major players.
It's a hell of a challenge and that's what makes this first opus against Lille even more exciting - the second in the league taking place after the international break.
The programming imbroglio
When the Coupe de France offers us such tempting posters, we are ready to close our eyes to the incredible imbroglio of the programming of this meeting of the knockout stages, first scheduled for April 6 - date of the quarter-final of the Champions League - then rescheduled this Wednesday at 2 p.m., 4:45 p.m. and finally 5:45 p.m.
A real method for teaching the little ones to count and tell the time.
But, on time, the Parisians will have to be there.
It would finally be a question of hanging a success against a cador of the championship, since the PSG authorized its former vassals to come and play in a perimeter which was formerly prohibited to them.
This season, Marquinhos' partners have failed each of their attempts, against Monaco (two losses), Lyon (one loss), Lille (one draw).
But, this Wednesday, they will not have a net to cushion a possible fall.
A new underperformance would place the Parisians in a most uncomfortable position before traveling to Lyon on Sunday, this time in Ligue 1. Not to mention the clouds that are sure to grow above the head of Pochettino, so far protected by his European umbrella.