Thomas Tuchel: 'Not just another game'

BACK TO TRAINING
"We only started training again yesterday [Friday], it's a little late, but the players needed to rest. Everyone's happy to get back to work. We're preparing thoroughly for the Coupe de France tie against Pontivy, because it's an important competition for the club."

AN INCOMPLETE SQUAD STILL
"Certain players won't get back to training until Monday. It's a decision I made with the players. I'm thinking in particular of Marquinhos and Cavani, who were used a lot in the first half of the season. Di Maria and Verratti are missing for personal reasons. The players have trained during the holidays. They're not 100%, but we have to use every session and every match to prepare and gain momentum at the start of the year. A busy run of fixtures lies ahead of us."

THE COUPE DE FRANCE ROUND OF 64 VS. PONTIVY
"It's very difficult to prepare for this kind of game. They haven't played since the draw was made. It's difficult to find video of Pontivy. We're favourites and we want to win. It's not just another game. I expect of the players that they play with intensity and rigour to reach the next round."

KURZAWA, NEYMAR JR AND THIAGO SILVA
"Layvin is ready. He's trained a lot with the team. He was on the bench against Orléans, but the time wasn't totally right for him to make his return. Neymar and Thiago Silva are also in contention for a place on the pitch on Sunday against Pontivy."

A BUSY SCHEDULE
"We mustn't focus on Manchester United. Today, we're preparing for the game against Pontivy. We want to move forward step-by-step and refind our team spirit before looking ahead to the game against Manchester. I have said it before: a lot of matches are coming up. We'll have to manage the players well and avoid injuries."