Tuchel: 'We will be ready'
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday's Coupe de France clash at home to Strasbourg, at 21:05 at the Parc des Princes:
SQUAD
"There's no update concerning Marco Verratti. We have to wait - the first week is very important. After that, we will have a better idea of how long he will be unavailable. Presnel Kimpembe trained with us on Monday. He feels good, but he won't be ready for Wednesday's match. Layvin Kurzawa is sick. I don't think he will play against Strasbourg. Edinson Cavani did not train on Monday. He felt a little problem in his calf, but I think he'll train with us on Tuesday and that he can play on Wednesday. All the other players are available."
STRASBOURG
"Strasbourg have the second-best attack in Ligue 1, and are also very strong defensively. They are in good form, with four straight away wins. They play very compact and very aggressive. When we played them away, it was very hard to create chances and score goals. That's our challenge. We are playing at home and at the moment, they represent a very big challenge. But we will be ready. We will need to be at our best."
COUPE DE FRANCE
"We want to win it. I want to win it. I played a German Cup final with Borussia Dortmund and before the match, everyone told me how extraordinary it is to play in a final. We want to go all the way to the final at the Stade de France. I saw the France national team play and it was extraordinary. I really want to win the final. But before dreaming about that, we have to focus on Wednesday's match. We were eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue by Guingamp and lost the opportunity to win that trophy. It's important for us to beat Strasbourg. That's our aim."
JULIAN DRAXLER
"He is improving every week. He is a very important play for us because we can count on him for several positions. He has the quality to play with all his teammates. His talent allows him to play several positions very well. He is very aggressive and can play very quickly and intelligently. He shows it at every training session and every match. He understands the game, he feels the game, he knows when to play simple, when to hold onto the ball, when to accelerate the play. Playing between the attacking lines is his best position, but he can play severl positions, so he is an important player for us."