Thomas Tuchel: 'I expect a reaction'

The Paris Saint-Germain coach expects his players to give a better account of themselves when Monaco visit the Parc des Princes on Sunday (kick-off 21:00CEST).

THE SQUAD
"Juan Bernat is suspended while Thomas Meunier and Thiago Silva are both injured, so they won't be with us either. For Thiago Silva, it's possible he returns for the Coupe de France final. Stanley N'Soki will play with the reserve team this weekend. Regarding Neymar Jr, Angel Di Maria, Marquinhos, Edinson Cavani, Julian Draxler, Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Christopher Nkunku, there are still two training sessions - one on Saturday and then Sunday morning - to decide. It's possible they join the squad, but a decision will be made after those last two sessions. They are absolutely key players, for the qualities and their attitude. Our challenge is to have a strong squad for two crucial games, against Monaco and then Rennes in the Coupe de France final."

COLLECTIVE REACTION
"Before our last three league games, we had a 20-point lead and everyone was saying the league was over, but that wasn't the case. Against Strasbourg (2-2), Lille (1-5) and Nantes (2-3), we didn't manage to wrap up the title, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Now we have to show that we're able to stop this situation and win the title. It's not the moment to focus on Lille's result, but focus on ourselves. I expect a reaction from us against Monaco, a good performance, and that we show an attitude that matches our ambitions. On Sunday, it'll be vital to show our hunger to win and that we can play as a team. That's the only challenge we have in mind." 


MONACO THEN RENNES: 2 KEY DATES
"Our aim is to put in a good performance against Monaco to also be ready for the final against Rennes next Saturday. We put both those games on an equal footing because they are two decisive encounters. We represent Paris Saint-Germain, so we are fully aware of the challenges to be met. We're up against two challenges and that starts on Sunday."

NEYMAR JR
"Ney has taken part in a lot of full training sessions. He's working hard, very hard, with a great attitude and he's looking forward to playing, that's clear. The test results are good, he doesn't feel any pain. There are two sessions left before we decide on whether he might feature against Monaco, but I have noted that he feels free, confident, in recent times. He shoots, he's good in one-on-ones and makes the difference in training, which are good signs. The most important thing with Ney is that he feels free on the pitch, happy to play without apprehension, and that he's protected by the referee too. I honestly hope that after this injury he'll keep his passion for the game, because he's a special player, everyone comes to the stadium to see him play. He likes challenges, that's his style, and perhaps we'll see him on Sunday. I hope so, in any case."