More fear than harm. Touched on Monday in training in a duel with Idrissa Gueye, Kylian Mbappé should be able to hold his place with PSG on Wednesday in the knockout stages of the Champions League on the lawn of Real Madrid. Gianluigi Donnarumma should meanwhile be preferred to Keylor Navas in the Paris cage.
The staff of the capital club feared the worst with the 2018 world champion. Victim of a shock on the left foot, two days before the meeting in Madrid, Kylian Mbappé had to shorten his session before taking exams . And they were reassuring, revealing no fractures.
If he is present in the Parisian group and should test himself during the last training session, there is now little doubt about his presence at kick-off. Except surprise, the only scorer of the first leg (1-0) will be well aligned on the front of the attack. He will be accompanied by Lionel Messi and Neymar, who entered the first leg at the Parc des Princes, even if Mauricio Pochettino has cast doubt on the tenure of the Brazilian.
As in the first leg, the Argentine coach should however renew his confidence in Donnarumma to the detriment of Navas, who was aligned last Saturday during the defeat in Nice in the league (1-0). He should also renew the defense aligned on the way to the Parc des Princes with Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe in the middle, Nuno Mendes on the left and Achraf Hakimi on the right. A doubt remains, however, concerning the Moroccan international who returned to training only a few days ago after a thigh problem. If he is too fair, Thilo Kehrer could start in the right lane.
In midfield, Idrissa Gueye is expected to play alongside Marco Verratti and Danilo Pereira. The Senegal international is set to replace Leandro Paredes, who is coming back from an adductor injury. The last session scheduled for this Tuesday at the end of the day should allow Mauricio Pochettino to remove the last doubts and get a definitive idea of his starting lineup.
The likely starting XI
Donnarumma – Hakimi (or Kehrer), Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes – Verratti, Danilo, Gueye – Messi, Neymar, Mbappé