The FC panel share their thoughts on whether or not PSG can band together without Neymar in their UCL second leg against Real Madrid. The FC crew explain how Real Madrid's loss at Espanyol will affect the club's mindset ahead of their crucial rematch with PSG in the Champions League.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says that he is monitoring the recoveries of injured midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric "day-to-day" and wants both back at "100 percent" for Tuesday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg at Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid were boosted on Thursday with left-back Marcelo returning to training having recovered from a hamstring problem, but Modric and Kroos remain sidelined with hamstring and knee injuries respectively just four days ahead of the game at the Parc des Princes.
Zidane told a news conference he was happy Marcelo was available for Saturday evening's La Liga game at home to Getafe, and would be talking closely to Kroos and Modric to see if they can make the trip to Paris, where Madrid will defend a 3-1 advantage from the first leg.
"The important thing is that Marcelo is with us tomorrow, that first," Zidane said. "Then we will see day to day [about Kroos and Modric]. I cannot tell you much. The feeling of the player is the most important, and what I want is the player at 100 percent. We do not know yet for Tuesday."
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are uncertain to face PSG in the Champions League because of injury.
Following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Espanyol, Madrid remain third in La Liga, 15 points behind leaders Barcelona, and 10 adrift of Atletico Madrid who are second.
Zidane said his team were not completely out of the title race yet, pointing to how Atletico had unexpectedly made up ground on Barca in recent weeks.
"People might think it is already over, but that never happens in football," he said. "For us [winning] La Liga will be difficult, of course, but not impossible. If Atletico win [at the Camp Nou] on Sunday they will be two points back, nobody expected that. So there is a Liga title race. I am always optimistic, until the end."
Getafe have lost 15 of their last 16 games against Madrid in all competitions, and conceded at least four times in each of their six most recent visits to the Bernabeu. However Zidane said his players could not already be thinking ahead to Paris.
"The reality we have is that we always play against super motivated, super committed teams," he said. "For them it is the biggest game of the year. We must look on it the same way. We have been doing well, the first half against Espanyol was very good, the second half no. Thinking of Tuesday's game, a player always has that in mind. But first, to prepare for Tuesday, we must prepare for tomorrow's game and play well."
Zidane denied that PSG star Neymar's confirmed absence from Tuesday's game at Parc des Princes made his side heavy favourites to progress.
"We are sorry for Neymar," he said. "But they are a very strong team, and the player who will come in for him will be a very good player too. It will be a very difficult game, but we knew that from the first leg."
Zidane dismissed a suggestion that he had been angered by Isco's reaction at being substituted on Tuesday at Espanyol, with the Spain international taking 35 seconds to make his way from the pitch.
"Isco was annoyed, did not want to leave the pitch," Zidane said. "That is normal, same as all the players. But his attitude is always spectacular, he trains well, and that issue for me does not exist."
Dermot Corrigan is a Madrid-based football writer who covers La Liga and the Spain national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @dermotmcorrigan
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Source: espn.co.uk