Waiting on an Angel
Di Maria's arrival beefs up PSG squad, but Tuchel more likely to play Verratti, Kurzawa tonight
He joined his Paris Saint-Germain teammates for both training sessions yesterday despite arriving in the morning after a long flight to Singapore.
Looking relaxed, Angel di Maria was all smiles as he went through the paces during the club's evening training session at Geylang Field.
| PARIS ST GERMAIN | ATLETICO MADRID |
Like his teammates, he was in a jovial mood as they laughed and joked while having a game of captain's ball during the early part of the session that was open to the media.
Will Singapore fans see the 30-year-old Argentine winger in action against Atletico Madrid at the National Stadium tonight? PSG coach Thomas Tuchel was undecided.
Tuchel, who took over only this summer following a two-year spell at German side Borussia Dortmund, said he will make up his mind today.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference yesterday, the German tactician said: "As a spectator, I love the game and I would love to see Angel.
"But because I'm his coach, I have to take care of his health and we don't do things that are not reasonable.
"It's not that we don't want to play with these kinds of players, we would love to but, at the same time, we have to be reasonable, to take care of them and that's the most important thing.
"We need some time to answer that question, so we'll wait until (match day)."
OTHER STARS
However, fans might be able to catch other stars like Marco Verratti and Layvin Kurzawa, both of whom were omitted from the squad in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Arsenal.
Said Tuchel: "If everything works well in training later with Marco Verratti and Layvin Kurzawa, perhaps we can give them some minutes.
"That will help us a lot in overall recuperation and management of the minutes."
One player who is definitely out for tonight's match is German winger Julian Draxler, who suffered a slight knock in training.
Di Maria linked up with the PSG squad only yesterday after being given extended leave due to his exertions at the recent World Cup.
Argentina crashed out of the competition after losing 4-3 to eventual winners France in the Round of 16 on June 30, with di Maria getting onto the score sheet with a spectacular long-range effort.
He had an excellent club campaign last term, notching 21 goals and 12 assists in all competitions to help PSG to a domestic quadruple.
With the Ligue 1 season starting in two weeks, di Maria's return will be a boost for the Parisian side, who are missing other World Cup players such as French teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe, Brazilian forward Neymar and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani.
While there are no indications that any of the trio will be joining the squad in Singapore, PSG's Brazilian defenders Thiago Silva and Marquinhos are expected to link up over these few days, ahead of their French Super Cup match against AS Monaco in Shenzhen, China, on Saturday.
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