UEFA Champions League : Neymar-less PSG will play from the heart to oust Real

[SherDil]

Paris St Germain are hoping their Parc des Princes crowd will help them overturn a 3-1 deficit in their Champions League last-16 return leg against Real Madrid as they try to cope without the injured Neymar.
The talismanic Brazilian forward was ruled out of the game on Tuesday after undergoing foot surgery, but PSG coach Unai Emery is confident the home fans will play a key role.


"You play a game with your head and your heart. Tomorrow the heart will be the most important thing," Emery told a news conference on Monday.

"And we will be playing with 12 players tomorrow because we will have the backing of the crowd."

PSG have lost their last five return legs in the Champions League, notably going out in the last 16 last season when they slumped to a 6-1 loss at Barcelona after beating the Spanish side 4-0 in Paris.

"Our team, even without Neymar, is able to beat the best Real Madrid team," said Emery.

"With Neymar, PSG is stronger, but we are still strong without him," full back Dani Alves said.

"There are two options: either we sit and cry, or we stand on our feet and fight."

If they are to knock out the defending champions, PSG will need to be more focused than during the first leg, when they conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes.

"In the first leg we played better, had the best opportunities. But this time we need to do that for 90 minutes, not just 80," Alves said.

https://www.eurosport.com/football/...the-heart-to-oust-real_sto6664580/story.shtml

 

[SherDil]

Zinedine Zidane: 'We don't think it will be any easier without Neymar'

The absence of an injured Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain's line-up for next Tuesday's Champions League last-16 tie will not boost Real Madrid's chances of securing victory, the Liga side's coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday.
The world's most expensive player has been ruled out of action for three months after opting for surgery on a fractured metatarsal in an attempt to get fit for the World Cup in June.


Former Real winger Angel Di Maria is likely to take the Brazilian's place at the Parc des Princes as PSG chase down a 3-1 deficit from the first leg against the 12-times European champions.

"The absence of Neymar is not a relief for us at all. We feel sorry for Neymar, but PSG are a very strong team and the player who comes in for him will be a very good player, we can be sure of that," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Real's Liga game at home to Getafe on Saturday.

Paris St Germain vs Olympique de Marseille - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - February 25, 2018 Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar lies on the pitch after sustaining an injuryReuters

"We don't think it will be any easier without Neymar, we know that in Paris we'll have to be at 2000 percent if we want to go through."

Madrid midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were again absent from training on Friday due to a knee and hamstring injury respectively, increasing concerns they will not be fit for the second leg in the French capital.

Influential left-back Marcelo completed full training for a second day in a row after recovering from a hamstring problem and Zidane said he could feature against Getafe.

"The most important thing is that Marcelo is available tomorrow. We'll keep checking on Modric and Kroos each day, the thing that concerns us the most is how they are feeling," said the coach.

Marcelo Getty Images

Real are third in the Liga standings and saw a five-game winning streak in all competitions snapped by a surprise 1-0 defeat to Espanyol on Tuesday, leaving them 15 points behind table-topping Barcelona and 10 adrift of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

"I don't think we deserved to lose the game but we need to stay focused until the end of every game," added Zidane, referring to Gerard Moreno's injury time winner for Espanyol.

"We are very annoyed about that but it doesn't change anything and we have to look to the Getafe game, try to play well and win again. The players are naturally thinking about Tuesday (against PSG) but in order to play well there we need to focus on playing well tomorrow."

Like Real Madrid?

 

[Dalit]

Real is going through with or without Neymar.