Christophe Galtier confirms huge fitness boost for PSG
By Tom Gott
Paris Saint-Germain will be able to welcome Brazilian forward Neymar back from injury in Wednesday's Coupe de France clash with fierce rivals Marseille.
The 31-year-old, who has racked up 17 goals and 15 assists in just 25 games in all competitions this season, has missed PSG's last two matches as he battled muscle fatigue.
The first of those games, a 3-1 win over Montpellier, also saw Kylian Mbappe limp off injured early on, with Christophe Galtier left with 'just' Lionel Messi from his star-studded attacking trio - not the worst problem to have.
Despite Messi's impressive showings, PSG have struggled in the absences of both Mbappe and Neymar, but Galtier has now confirmed one half of that duo is set for a comeback.
Asked for an update on PSG's squad, Galtier told the press: "Renato Sanches is not available for the trip to Marseille, he is at a standstill.
"Marco Verratti, Neymar and Sergio Ramos are available. Nordi Mukiele hasn't trained with us yet, but he is progressing well.
"Presnel Kimpembe is not far from joining the group, he has resumed collective training. And Kylian Mbappe is absent."
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The returns of both Neymar and Sergio Ramos come as a major boost to PSG ahead of perhaps the toughest test of their domestic season.
The rivalry between Marseille and PSG, known as Le Classique, is among the fiercest in France and have produced a number of fiery moments in recent years. Ligue 1's top two sides have shared no fewer than seven red cards across their last ten meetings, with on-field brawls a regular occurence.
"Management of your emotions comes with experience," Galtier said. "We have already played this sort of match enough to avoid any surprises.
It's an 11-against-11 match, you have to finish with 11 on the pitch and not get carried away by bad gestures or disputes. You have to keep a cool head.
"The idea is not to be calm, but to have lucidity and to ensure everyone plays to their full quality."