Neymar ready to face Monaco
Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has recovered from a hamstring injury and is fit to face Monaco, according to coach Thomas Tuchel.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Neymar is fit to face Monaco in Monday's (AEDT) big Ligue 1 clash.
Tuchel explained that Neymar trained alone on Saturday (AEDT) in order to safeguard his recovery from a hamstring injury, ensuring his availability for the league leader, which faces 13th-placed Monaco at Stade Louis II.
The Brazil international played the second half of PSG's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but Tuchel opted to keep him isolated from the squad during training.
Explaining why, the German said: "Because he felt something in the adductors after the game, we didn't take any risks.
"So he did individual training. That way, we can control it better. Today [Saturday] he trained with us without any problem, I think.
"He's with the team, he can play."
PSG's equaliser against Madrid came from Pablo Sarabia, who scored eight minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in a frantic spell.
Tuchel was pleased to see his €18 million ($29 million) pre-season signing from Sevilla among the goals as he explained the challenge facing Sarabia as he adapts to his new, deeper midfield role.
"It's difficult for him to get a job like [he had] at Sevilla," Tuchel said of Sarabia. "At Sevilla, he had a position a little similar to that of Angel Di Maria here, or that of Ney [Neymar] or Kylian [Mbappe].
"He is a key player on the field. We recruited him because he is able to take responsibility, to play 50 or 60 matches per season. But now he has another role.
"He must adapt to our game, to our players. But he has played a lot of matches and he is very important to us because he gives intensity with and without the ball. He has aggression and we lack that in our game.
"He defends well, too. He is reliable and responsible. He has a good influence on our team.
"I'm very happy that it's him who scored [against Madrid] because he always gives everything during training."