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Coach Thomas Tuchel said “for Neymar we will do it all” after Wednesday’s 2-0 win over fighter Lorient, which put the champions in second place and keeps them just one point behind Ligue 1 leaders, Lille.
Neymar had already revealed that the injury, which came after a tough tackle by Thiago Mendes during the 1-0 home loss to Lyon last weekend, was not as bad as initially thought.
However, such a quick comeback still seemed unlikely until Tuchel revealed that he could still perform at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
“I can’t say ‘No, he’s not playing Lille.’ It’s possible. We can try, we’ll try everything,” Tuchel said.
His return would be a huge boost for PSG morale after a conflict-ridden first few months of the season that has led to speculation about Tuchel’s future.
A win on Sunday would put the capital’s team back on top of the pile after they moved past Lyon in the midweek round of matches, with a five-match winning streak for Rudi Garcia’s team coming. to an end with a dramatic 2-2. draw with Brest.
PSG’s other major title rival, Marseille, host Reims on Saturday as they lurk five points behind, but with a game in hand.
Fourth-placed Marseille enter the weekend after losing ground in the title race following a 2-1 loss at Rennes, which have won two on the rebound after a miserable streak in which they lost seven of their previous eight in all competitions.
There seems to be some tension on the Marseille pitch after coach Andre Villas-Boas launched an attack on a journalist in the French newspaper La Provence.
According to witnesses, the Portuguese coach attacked the reporter with “I’ll catch you” threats and criticized his work during the post-match press conference.
The dispute, apparently over an article that hit Villas-Boas ‘career record in the Champions League after his lousy effort in this year’s competition, continued outside of Rennes’ Roazhon Park as the reporter and the coach clashed. .
Meanwhile, Lille seem confident that they can maintain their slight grip at the top and make this a true title race in a league now used to PSG’s dominance.
The northern team appears not to be concerned about a possible change of ownership, and president Gerard Lopez said he would “withdraw completely” from the club if an offer from a Luxembourg investment fund is accepted.
“Both teams are tired, Paris can have more quality, but in a match everything is there to play,” said coach Christophe Galtier.
Player to watch: Yusuf Yazici
Turkey’s Yazici continued his impressive recent form on Wednesday when he scored the first goal in Lille’s 2-0 win at Dijon.
The 23-year-old displayed the composure that has seen him score five times in just three Ligue 1 starts, and six in the same number of Europa League appearances, when he scored Zeki Celik’s cut in the 19th minute.
Yazici signed for Lille in the summer of 2019, but this has become the attacker’s breakout season, his two hat-tricks at Sparta Prague and AC Milan helped his team reach the round of 32 of the Europa League, where they will face four-time European champions, Ajax.
Key stats
5 – goals Yusuf Yazici has scored this Ligue 1 season
12 – the number of games Lyon have played since the last defeat
4 – PSG have already lost to Lens, Marseille, Monaco and Lyon so far this season
Matches (all GMT hours)
Saturday
Metz v Lens (1600), Marseille v Reims (1800), Nice v Lyon (2000)
Sunday
Brest v Montpellier (1200), Dijon v Monaco, Strasbourg v Bordeaux, Nantes v Angers, Saint-Etienne v Nimes (all 1400), Lorient v Rennes (1600), Lille v Paris Saint-Germain (2000)
td / iwd
