Paris St Germain have an abundance of talent and the potential absence of Brazilian Neymar does not make them less dangerous, Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said ahead of their Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday.
Forward Neymar has been sidelined for weeks with a rib injury and he also missed their 4-4 draw in Ligue 1 against struggling Amiens on Saturday, along with several other key players who were rested.
“They have so many players with great qualities and they beat Real Madrid (in the group stage) even without Neymar,” Favre told a news conference on Monday.
The French team beat Real 3-0 in Paris while drawing 2-2 in the second game in Spain.
“Neymar is obviously a great player but so is (Kylian) Mbappe and (Angel) Di Maria. I can name at least 10 players on that team with huge potential,” Favre added.
Dortmund will have to be at their defensive best if they are to contain the French side’s speed, just as they were in their 4-0 Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday.
“If Neymar plays tomorrow and I am pretty sure he is going to play, then we have to take care of him,” Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel said.
“But they have so many good players we have to be compact and we have to defend as a team and really be strong.”
The second leg is in Paris on March 11.
REUTERS