Paris Saint-Germain predicted lineup vs Marseille - Ligue 1
League-leading Paris Saint-Germain host their familiar rivals Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday night.
Another week has elapsed and another cloud of controversy has gathered above PSG. Three and a half months into the job, Christophe Galtier has already had enough of the media's interest in off-pitch matters. "It’s the f***ing pinnacle of French football and we don’t want to talk about the game," he exclaimed during his pre-match press conference.
So, adhering to Galtier's demands, here's the lineup the exasperated coach may deploy for the match taking place this Sunday.
1. PSG XI (3-4-3)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma - The prodigious rise of Donnarumma is the stuff of comic book fantasies - quite literally, considering the Italy number one starred in a special edition of the famous magazine Topolino as a giant rooster back in 2017.
CB: Nordi Mukiele - With Sergio Ramos suspended, Mukiele is poised to fill the boots of a man who is paying the price of his 28th career red card.
CB: Marquinhos - In 17 appearances against PSG's most hated rivals, Marquinhos has never lost (W14 D3).
CB: Danilo Pereira - The Guinea-Bissau-born Portugal international has played football in Italy, Greece, the Netherlands and, of course, France.
RWB: Achraf Hakimi - The first red card Hakimi received since his days in Real Madrid's B team came against Marseille last season.
CM: Vitinha - "Two extraordinary people, as well as being incredible footballers" - Danilo and Nuno Mendes, in the words of Vitinha - helped their compatriot settle into life in Paris so swiftly.
CM: Marco Verratti - The metronomic midfielder has won more Ligue 1 titles (eight) than he has goals (seven) in the competition.
LWB: Juan Bernat - An irate Uli Hoeness once revealed that Bayern Munich "decided to get rid of" Bernat after the fullback gave away one goal against Sevilla in the Champions League, selling him to PSG for less than £5m.
RW: Lionel Messi - The former Barcelona man may be the top scorer in the history of El Clasico but he is yet to find the net in Le Classique.
ST: Kylian Mbappe - The latest instalment of PSG's soap opera which so enraged Galtier has forced the club to deny allegations that they launched a smear campaign against their own star player. Tune in next week.
LW: Neymar - Marseille are the only club against whom Neymar has been sent off more than once in his career.