PSG: all the lights in green before City, close to a thigh

PSG in working order. Now three days before their first duel against Manchester City, in the Champions League semi-finals, the Red and Blue could not be in better shape. Despite all their setbacks since the start of the season, here they are indeed (provisionally?) First in the Ligue 1 standings after their success in Metz on Saturday (1-3). Add to that a qualification for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France (5-0 victory against Angers on Wednesday, draw this Sunday), and you get a month of May in the form of a treasure hunt for Paris, with at best nine matches in play, four in L1 (Lens, Rennes, Reims, Brest), two in the Cup and three in C1. "For the moment, the future only goes until May 29, the final of the Champions League", fun Leonardo, eluding on

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the question of the future of Kylian Mbappé, under contract until 2022 and who likes to leave doubt.

"I ask for a total concentration on the ground", hammers "Leo".

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- Tops / Flops Metz-PSG: Mbappé at the rendezvous, not Sarabia nor Kurzawa

And in the field, everything is going well. Since their loss to Lille (0-1) on April 3, Mauricio Pochettino's players have won four of their five matches. Their only loss, 0-1 against Bayern, was synonymous with qualification for the last four of C1. And it was perhaps, without doubt, their best performance over the period. Of course, not everything is always perfect. But this team has a soul, an iron will. It was again seen in Saint-Symphorien, against Garnets who equalized at the start of the second half. "We controlled the match, the team played well, underlines" Poche ", on

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.

It's a shame to take this goal early in the second half, but the result is fair and the team deserves the three points. ”

Three points which therefore allow Paris to take back control in the standings before the rest of the 34th day, this Sunday, and in particular this Lyon-Lille shock (9 p.m.), but also the trip from Monaco to Angers (5:05 p.m.).

"It's important to be there, to fight for the title," continues the Argentine coach.

This is the goal of the club.

We won and we are therefore in a good position while awaiting the results of our rivals. ”

Verratti back, Marquinhos in the starting blocks

In the good news department, the infirmary is emptying. Marco Verratti for example made his return on Saturday in Moselle, holder and very visible throughout the meeting, with and without the ball. “I'm very happy that Marco was able to play 90 minutes. He has recovered all his energy. He is an important player who can bring us a lot, ”notes Pochettino at a press conference. Apart from Rafinha (low back pain) and Juan Bernat (knee), only Marquinhos (thigh) was missing in Metz. And again, the Brazilian captain of PSG has resumed training in recent days. “He's training well, we'll see how he is for Wednesday. We hope that he can be part of the group, ”explains the Parisian coach.  

All while Paris redeemed itself a virginity in the eyes of footballing Europe thanks to the positions of its president, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, on the Super League.

The context is positive in all areas.

"We are very proud of Nasser," swears "Leo".

He followed his values, those of the club.

He is now president of the ECA.

Football is at a difficult time, the world is in trouble.

PSG too.

But that was no reason to go out of line.

It gave everyone the opportunity to see who is who and who does what.

Everyone has their goals, their way of being. "

"We hope it's not too serious"

Mauricio Pochettino on Kylian Mbappé's injury

In summary, all is well in the Parisian galaxy, on the meadow and behind the scenes, before facing Skyblues who will have 24 hours less recovery, they who challenge this Sunday (5.30 p.m.) Tottenham Spurs in the Cup final. of the English League. Everything is fine, with one exception. And not the least. Released in the 87th minute of play, Kylian Mbappé, still double scorer in Metz and overall in (very) great shape at the moment, took a crutch in his right thigh. “We hope it's not too serious. He was quiet at the time of his replacement, telling himself that it was not serious. A crutch is always painful at the time, sometimes more than an injury. We hope that it is just a pain after this blow ”, explained“ Poche ”, resolutely confident. And for good reason, a crutch is not serious.Unless it is… It can indeed hide a larger lesion. And this can also represent a weakness to be exploited for the Citizens.  

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- Super League: Leonardo" very proud "of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi

Still, PSG did the job on Saturday. Charge to Pochettino to floor on his battle plan for Wednesday, he who has not often had the opportunity to be able to count on Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappé, Marco Verratti and Angel Di Maria at the same time since the beginning of the year . "With players like Neymar, Mbappé or Verratti, you have to find the right formula, the right combinations to have a good balance on the offensive and defensive phases," he analyzes. This formula depends on the state of form of each other. We haven't had much time to work on this in training since we've been there because of the injuries or the Covid-19. It will come with time. ” Except that time is running out. The final sprint is on, the moment when the seasons come and go. And that of Paris Saint-Germain seems to take off at the right time.  

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• League 1 standings