Saint-Germain-en-Laye (AFP)
Paris SG coach Thomas Tuchel announced Saturday that he will spare his superstar Neymar, hit in the ribs, for Sunday's poster against Lyon, which Thiago Silva and Juan Bernat will also miss.
"+ Marqui + (Marquinhos), + Tia + (Thiago Silva) and + Ney + trained with us (Saturday morning), but tomorrow's game is too early for them," said the German technician.
The three Brazilians rub shoulders with defenders Colin Dagba (knee), Abdou Diallo (thigh) and Juan Bernat (calf), who also forfeited the summit of the 24th day of Ligue 1.
Neymar suffered from a chrondro-costal lesion, following contact with a Montpellier defender last Saturday. If he was not traveling to Nantes Tuesday (2-1), his participation in collective training suggested his return against OL.
But, in anticipation of the knockout round of the Champions League against Dortmund on February 18, PSG chose to be very careful with his master to play.
He could return to competition Wednesday in Dijon, in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, just like his two compatriots.
"They will come back against Dijon if all goes well. That is the goal for the three," said Tuchel.
The return of Marquinhos, affected by the hamstrings at the end of January, would be excellent news for his coach who made the Brazilian a key player in his system, before Dortmund.
For Bernat, who has not played since January 12, "it's a bit of a shame," conceded the coach.
"He could have played (against Lyon), but he fell ill. He is still losing days. He has been missing for a long time, it will be short to prepare for Dortmund," he continued.
After the quarter-final of the Cup against Dijon, PSG will still have an L1 match on Saturday in Amiens before its round of 16 first leg of C1.
© 2020 AFP