Marco Verratti thinks he and his Paris
Saint-Germain team-mates are ready for
their Champions League with Real
Madrid, while manager Unai Emery has
not decided on the XI he will name for the
last 16 showdown.
PSG beat Toulouse 1-0 on Saturday, the
Ligue 1 leaders claiming victory as
Neymar returned to action after sitting out
the midweek Coupe de France win over
Sochaux and scored the game's only
goal.
Focus now shifts to Wednesday's
Champions League first leg at the
Santiago Bernabeu, and Verratti, who
came off the bench in the win, believes
PSG are set for the challenge.
"I think we're ready for Real Madrid, it's
a very important game, very important for
the season," Verratti told Canal Plus after
the win.
"It's huge for us, for the players for the
supporters, we'll be up against a great
team in a great stadium. We need to
focus.
"I think it's a 50-50 tie between us and
Real Madrid, they'll give everything
they've got great players. We've got great
recruits with Kylian [Mbappe] and
Neymar."
Verratti will be expected to be named in
the starting XI but there is plenty of
debate surrounding who will play with him
in central midfield.
Thiago Motta returned from injury to play
in the Coupe de la Ligue win over Rennes
and the defeat of Sochaux but was not in
the sAdrien Rabiot, Giovani Lo Celso and
January acquisition Lassana Diarra
played in a midfield three at the Stadium
Municipal.
But Emery kept his cards close to his
chest as to who will be in the XI in the
Spanish capital.
He told Canal Plus: "I know everyone
wants to know who will play on
Wednesday but the important thing for me
was today and, most importantly, the
victory"We will train for another three days, we
will prepare well and we will decide
quietly, without haste."
After insisting he does not know who will
be in his team Emery was asked if PSG
are ready for the challenge, to which he
replied: "Yes, with one player or
another." .
