Tuchel: 'A big match against Nice'
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel spoke to the media ahead of the Week 10 Ligue 1 clash against Nice:
SQUAD
"Thilo Kehrer, Idrissa Gueye and Neymar Jr are injured and Juan Bernat is suspended. All the other players have been training are available. We will make a decision about Julian Draxler and Colin Dagba after training tonight - a training session with intensity. They have been training for the last week but I don't know if that's enough to play tomorrow against Nice. Training with a small squad and playing are not the same thing. Kylian Mbappé is also training normally."
NICE
"I'm expecting a big match away from home after the international break. Juan Bernat, Pablo Sarabia and Marco Verratti only just arrived back in Paris yesterday and now have another flight tonight. But I have confidence in those players that were here over the break: they are ready. It will be a difficult matc against Nice, who play in a 4-1-4-1 formation, very compact and balanced. And it's just before a UEFA Champions League away match and a home game against Marseille. That's a lot to overcome. It's a real challenge."
PATRICK VIEIRA
"He was one of my idols when I used to watch football, when I was a player as well. He was a great player with a fantastic character. During my year off, I went to New York and watched his team play and we spoke on the phone. He's a great player and it's great that he's now passing on his knowledge, but it's very difficult. It's a very different job, but you have to learn on the pitch. Patrick learnt in the USA and that was a great place to start learning. I wish him all the very best for his career... starting after Saturday."
MBAPPE
"I am happy that we reached an agreement with the France national team because he couldn't play. On Monday he trained by himself to keep coming back. He couldn't have played against Turkey. He now has a full week training under his belt, but that's different, training with a small group of players, compared to a high-intensity match of football. You can't play when you're only 80%, you need to be 100% for these types of matches."
VERRATTI
"He captained Italy during the international break and he deserves it. He is one of the five leaders in the squad. He always does everything he can for the squad, he has a lot of empathy. He is a leader, on and off the pitch. When he plays quickly, without injury, he is a formidable player. He's an extraordinary player and we need him."
ICARDI
"Now we can't begin to envisage playing with two up front with Edinson Cavani. He was 100% when he arrived here, but he has already started some big matches. He can play with a little pain. Tactically he is very astute and disciplined. Mauro has worked hard over the international break and I know he can start tomorrow."