PSG confident on Verratti fitness for Champions League final

Lisbon (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has expressed confidence that playmaker Marco Verratti will be fit enough to start in Sunday’s Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

The key Italian international missed PSG’s quarter-final win over Atalanta because of a calf problem and only played seven minutes as a substitute in the 3-0 semi-final victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

But Tuchel revealed that Verratti, along with fellow midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, had since been back in full training. However, first-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas remains a doubt.

“Marco and Idrissa trained with us after the Leipzig game without any problem… they are both available,” Tuchel said on Saturday, ahead of the final at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz.

Gueye played against Atalanta but was replaced in the second half of that match and played no part against Leipzig.

Leandro Paredes and Ander Herrera started alongside Marquinhos in a three-man midfield in the semi-final.

Of Verratti, Tuchel added: “His injury was a knock. It wasn’t muscular, so the risk is not big.”

“It will be difficult for him to last 120 minutes or 90 minutes in the midfield tomorrow, but as long as nothing happens to him in training yes (he can play), and then we will see in the morning if he can start.”

Tuchel added: “For Keylor it is different. He is going to try today (Saturday) to train fully for the first time, but that is a decision we will need to take later.

“It will be yes or no, black or white. We will make a decision after training.”

Sergio Rico is standing by to replace Navas, having already done so in the semi-final. Navas won the Champions League three times as a Real Madrid player between 2016 and 2018.