Mbappe recovered from an ankle injury to feature in the second half of a 2-1 win over Atalanta in the quarterfinals.
Mbappe is almost recovered from injury
Thomas Tuchel says Kylian Mbappé is good enough to start PSG’s Champions League semifinals match against RB Leipzig on Tuesday. Mbappe recovered from an ankle injury to feature in the second half of a 2-1 win over Atalanta in the quarterfinals. PSG boss Tuchel has yet to decide whether the 21-year-old will be included in the starting XI but expects him to play his part. “He played 30 minutes against Atalanta. He became incapacitated,” Tuchel told reporters. “Kylian can start, but we’ll see if he can play 90 minutes. The France international played a key role in sending his side to the final four as he got an assist for Eric Choupo-Moting’s winning goal against Atalanta just minutes after how Neymar set Marquinhos to equalize.
Neymar and Mbappe always matter
Tuchel is relieved to challenge both of his star strikers for the next game. “This is our strong side,” he said of Neymar and Mbappe. “They always matter. It’s a good duet between Neymar, who dribbles, and Kylian, who brings speed and is hungry to score. Neymar is a little different as a leader. The Brazilian has quality, a lot of confidence in the pitch, bravery too. Ney always wants to win, and he always wants to fight. This season we created a group with players like Ander Herrera, Pablo Sarabia, Keylor Navas, and everyone else who came. They know perfectly well how to play together.”
“It could also be the key to watching Neymar’s level. It’s a team sport, and he can’t win on his own.” Tuchel has a history with Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann, having worked with him in the early days of his coaching career at Augsburg. “I was the coach of the Augsburg reserve team. “We didn’t have the opportunity to have a lot of staff, so we asked him to observe the opponents, and he gave us detailed observations. He was very attentive. Today I am here with PSG. It is a great gift for me. I am very humbled and pleased to live at this moment. Incredibly, we ended up in the semifinals, but at the same time, it’s natural. It is my job and his. Julian loves to change his tactics from match to match. He adjusts. It was the DNA of Hoffenheim and now of Leipzig.”