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Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain travel to bitter rivals Marseille for Le Classique on Sunday night, looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.
PSG currently have a five-point advantage over Marseille, but have shown vulnerabilities this season despite winning 18 of their 24 league games.
Neymar’s absence is a huge blow for Christophe Galtier, who is still licking his wounds from PSG’s loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
With others concerns also disrupting Galtier’s selection plans, here’s the XI he may pick to get the job done in Marseille.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Clean sheets haven’t been easy to come by for Donnarumma this season – surprising given the quality in front of him.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – Young Timothee Pembele stepped into the breach against Lille when Hakimi was sidelined through injury, but he could return here. If the Moroccan doesn’t make the starting XI, Nordi Mukiele is another player nearing full fitness.
CB: Marquinhos – Back in training and more than likely straight back into the side.
CB: Sergio Ramos – Presnel Kimpembe will likely make way for Marquinhos’ return, leaving the recently retired from the international stage Ramos to slot in on the left-side of a superb duo.
LB: Juan Bernat – Nuno Mendes misses out after limping off against Lille, which should lead to Bernat’s return to the starting lineup.
DM: Marco Verratti – The key cog at the base of PSG’s midfield, there are few better than Verratti in world football.
CM: Danilo Pereira – Experience in midfield is likely what Galtier will opt for against such strong opposition.
CM: Vitinha – One player who seemingly has the full trust of Galtier is Vitinha. There’s no reason to think the Portuguese will lose his spot here.
AM: Lionel Messi – Alongside Mbappe, Messi spared PSG’s blushes against Lille to ensure they didn’t extend their losing streak to four games.
ST: Hugo Ekitike – It’s that time of year for Neymar, who usually has his feet up in early March. This time, however, he has a pretty nasty ankle injury, and that should earn Ekitike a starting berth.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – Always seems to rise to the big occasion for PSG – victory here may eradicate any lingering doubts about the mentality of this team.
