Madrid (AFP)
Brazilian superstar Neymar is replacing with PSG to face Real Madrid on Tuesday (21.00) on the fifth day of the UEFA Champions League, according to the team composition announced by UEFA.
Paris coach Thomas Tuchel has preferred to start Kylian Mbappé, along with Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria, to occupy the attack on PSG, already qualified for the round of 16.
Neymar, absent from the field for more than a month before returning to competition last Friday, could make his big debut in C1 in case of entry.
Zinedine Zidane, meanwhile, chose to slip a little surprise in the starting lineup of Real: Isco, who has not started a game with Real Madrid since October 19 in Mallorca, will hold against Paris, probably in playmaker position, in a diamond with Benzema and Hazard.
Isco had already been lined up by "ZZ" in two Champions League finals (2017, 2018) on the three consecutive wins by the merengues. Apart from the Spaniard, Zidane has decided to trust his executives.
Second in the Group A standings behind PSG (12 pts), Real (7 pts) needs a win Tuesday night to qualify for the eighth finals of the competition without depending on the result of Bruges (3rd with 2 pts ) in Galatasaray.
The teams :
Real Madrid (ESP): Courtois - Carvajal, Varane, Ramos (cap.), Marcelo - Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde - Isco - Benzema, Hazard.
Paris SG (FRA): Navas - Meunier, Thiago Silva (Cape), Kimpembe, Bernat - Gueye, Marquinhos, Verratti - Di Maria, Icardi, Mbappé.
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
© 2019 AFP