Tuchel: 'A match of the highest level'
Speaking at the traditional pre-match press conference, Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said he's expecting a tough match away to Lyon in Wednesday's Coupe de France semi-final:
SQUAD
"Ander Herrera, Thiago Silva and Choupo-Moting are missing. Presnel Kimpembe is suspended and Colin Dagba isn't back yet. Angel Di Maria will undergo a last fitness test to see if he will be available.
LYON
"They are in good form and have just won the derby. They have found a good balance and are playing as a team. They will be desperate to show their fans that they can beat us. It's good for us to have a big challenge like that. I'm convinced that we can win, but it won't be easy. It's a big match in France. Lyon are a side full of confidence. But we are also confident and it will certainly be a great match. And we want to win more than anything."
CLOSED DOORS FOR BORUSSIA
"That would be a handicap, no doubt. but some things are more important than football. We are not just an island, cut off from the rest of the world. But nothing has been decided yet. We have to keep an eye on what's going on and take these problems very seriously. We await any final decision."
INJURIES
"For Angel, we will perhaps rest him tomorrow, but he should be ready for Borussia Dortmund. Thiago is working very hard and very professionally to come back as quickly as possible. If he is ready for Strasbourg, he might be ready for Dortmund. In that case, he might lack a little rhythm, but he would bring all his experience. But we won't make any hasty decisions."
TURNOVER
"I'm not 100% sure for my starting XIs for the next two matches. Marco Verratti and Thomas Meunier could both feature tomorrow. It will be hard to try out any tactical things tomorrow against Lyon because it will be a match of the highest standard and it will be very different tactically to Borussia Dortmund. Everything is possible."
TANGUY KOUASSI
"For me, he can play just as well in midfield or in defence. Tanguy is very, very good and has a lot of character, he is very reliable. He plays with confidence and we can count on him. He could play tomorrow in another big game."
MAURO ICARDI
"He is very professional and very calm and confident. He arrived late in the summer, without doing the preseason and without adapting to the team. He played straight away, without the weight of expectation. But everyone can go through a period out of form, a difficult time. But he is on the way back, he wants to play and he wants to score goals. That's good for us."