Paris St Germain coach Thomas Tochle said on Monday that the Brazilian star Neymar may play against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League round 16, after recovering from a rib injury.
Neymar did not participate in the 4-4 Saint-Germain draw with its host Amiens this week when the players rested.
“He is here and he will train, and if everything goes well, he will play (Tuesday). Because for us, his participation changed everything and I hope he plays.”
Saint Germain bid farewell to the tournament in the last three seasons, and hope to leave their mark on the continental championship.
Tochl said: “(Neymar) changes everything because when he plays we have the competence, the confidence and the ability to be decisive.” He added: “This changes everything … because when he does not play, we do not have another player with this competence to make up for him.”
Tochl, who has trained Dortmund for two seasons before moving to Paris, needs a plan to stop the German team’s attack, which has scored 22 goals in five league games this year.
“We must play confidently in this stadium and in front of these fans, and this competitor because without it we will not be able to survive,” he added before the match at Signal Iduna Park.
Saint Germain is under great pressure to offer something real in the tournament, after spending a lot of money to sign players over the past few seasons to win the title.
He almost reached the quarter-finals last season, but he bid farewell to the championship against Manchester United because of a goal in injury time.
