Neymar ready to face Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel confirms

Borussia Dortmund will have to contend with Neymar on Tuesday after Thomas Tuchel confirmed he will play after recovering from an injury.

Published : Feb 18, 2020 15:21 IST

Neymar will play in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, Thomas Tuchel has confirmed.

The Brazil international has been out of action since suffering a rib injury on February 1, missing four matches since then in domestic competitions.

He was confirmed in PSG's squad earlier on Monday, as the Ligue 1 champion prepares to go up against Tuchel's former club for a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Kylian Mbappe is also back in the squad after being rested for Saturday's thrilling 4-4 draw with Amiens, but the focus has been on Neymar's potential involvement.

Tuchel says he will play, barring any last-minute issues in training.

"Neymar is here, he is feeling well," the German coach told reporters. "He trained today [Monday] and will be playing tomorrow if nothing happens during training.

"Obviously, it changes everything if he plays and I hope it will be a positive thing.

"If we have Ney on the field, he has the ability to do decisive things. That changes everything: for his team-mates, for Kylian…

"It gives me confidence, but also the team. That seems obvious to me."

Neymar has been in phenomenal form this season, scoring 13 times and setting up another six goals in his 14 Ligue 1 matches.

The most expensive player of all time has only played twice in the Champions League this term, however, scoring once.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment