PSG star Verratti could start Champions League final, Navas still in doubt: Thomas Tuchel
Aug 23, 2020
Lisbon [Portugal], Aug 23 : Ahead of the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel said midfielder Marco Verratti is fit enough to start but goalkeeper Keylor Navas' participation remains a doubt.
Verratti suffered a calf injury and travelled to Portugal later than the rest of his team-mates. He missed the quarterfinal game but he was sent on for the final seven minutes in the semifinal clash.
While Navas missed the semifinal game against RB Leipzig due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the final moments of PSG's 2-1 quarter-final win over Atalanta on August 12.
"Marco and Idrissa have trained with us since the Leipzig match. No issues at all. They will be involved in the entire training session, so they are available," Goal.com quoted Tuchel as saying.
"Keylor Navas is a different case. He will try to train normally today, it will be the first time he's trained. It will be a yes or no decision, it is black and white on that. We will see after training," he added.
Asked if Verratti was too much of a risk for the starting XI, Tuchel said: "Well, he was hit. It was not a muscle injury. The risk is not great. If he is comfortable, if he is not in pain, it is different."
The final decision on the midfielder will be taken ahead of the Champions League summit clash.
"It is the same as Kylian [Mbappe]. Will he [Verratti] have the best ability to play 120 minutes? Obviously not. The question is, 'Is he ready to play?' If nothing happens today in training, the answer is yes. Then we will decide tomorrow whether he will start or not," Tuchel said.
"If he is part of the group today during training, feeling good, he will be able to play tomorrow. Obviously he will not be able to play 90-120 minutes, especially in midfield where we expect a lot of intensity. We will see if he can start or end it for us," he added.
PSG will face Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at 12:30 am on Monday in Lisbon, Portugal.
