Cyrille de la Morinerie / Photo credits: Matthieu Mirville / DPPI via AFP
It was a smiling Kylian Mbappé who took part in collective training under the eyes of his club president, Nasser al-Khelaïfi. The French football star, victim of a blow to his left ankle during the French Cup match against Brest, remained on the bench during the last championship match.
The French international was able to watch his teammates’ victory against Lille without entering the field. Questioned by Europe 1 at a press conference, Luis Enrique made no secret of the presence of Kylian Mbappé at the kick-off of the match against Real Sociedad. The Parisian number 7 will be well on the pitch. “I believe that when a team has a player of the rank of Kylian Mbappé, the only thing you have to understand is that the more he plays, the better it is for the team. He could have played four days ago , but the risk was not useful,” said Luis Enrique.
“Kylian Mbappé is in good shape”
As this big meeting approaches, the PSG coach does not detect a change in attitude in his superstar: “I feel neither joy nor sadness, he is as usual,” reported Luis Enrique in press conference. In the meantime, Parisian players are delighted to be able to count on the top scorer in PSG history. “Kylian Mbappé is in good shape, he will have a great match,” predicts his teammate Fabian Ruiz.
PSG will also be able to count on midfielder Lee Kang-In returning from the Asian Cup. As for Nuno Mendes, he participated in the training session, a first since his injury at the end of last April. The Portuguese could make his return during this Champions League match. Since the takeover of the club by QSI, PSG has never lost to teams deemed weaker at this level of the competition: Valencia in 2013, Leverkusen in 2014, Dortmund, Atalanta Bergamo and Leipzig in 2020.
Real Sociedad should not be underestimated. The Spanish team, which is currently 7th in La Liga, has the means to upset PSG, warns Philippe Montanier, the former coach of the Basque team. “It is the weakest team on paper in the Champions League. Distrust all the same, Real Sociedad finished first in its group ahead of Inter Milan, finalist last year in the competition. The club Basque has a very large collective”, declared Philippe Montanier at the microphone of Europe 1.
Real Sociedad decimated
The Basque team will not be able to count on several of its usual starters (Fernandez, Odriozola, Becker, Munoz, Tierney, Elustondo). The captain, Mikel Oyarzabal present in the group, is uncertain. The Spanish team’s footballers will try to defy the odds for their first participation in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 20 years.
Kylian Mbappé, author of 30 goals in all competitions this season, will not have an easy time. Particularly with Real Sociedad defender Robin le Normand. This 25-year-old Frenchman, naturalized Spanish, will try to stop Paris’ top scorer. “It’s always very complicated. Afterwards, we’ve already done it, when we faced Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo… I think the collective always wins. I think we will cause problems for PSG”, explains the defender.
Paris must therefore be wary. Real Sociedad, 7th in the Spanish championship, finished at the top of their Champions League group ahead of last year’s finalist, Inter Milan.