Kylian Mbappe tipped by Marquinhos to bounce back from miserable Barcelona display
Kylian Mbappe tipped by Marquinhos to bounce back from miserable Barcelona display and fire PSG to Champions League semi-finals
Marquinhos threw his weight behind Kylian Mbappe despite a poor showing in the first leg against Barcelona and backed him to shine in Spain next week.
- Mbappe had a disappointing outing against Barca
- Failed to get on the scoresheet as Barca beat PSG 3-2
- Marquinhos trusts him to turn around the tie in the second leg
WHAT HAPPENED?
Mbappe endured a quiet evening as Barcelona overcame PSG with a 3-2 victory. Raphinha emerged as the standout performer for Barcelona, scoring twice and causing constant trouble for the Parisian defence. In contrast, Mbappe failed to make a significant impact, displaying lapses in key areas such as passing accuracy and finishing.
WHAT MARQUINHOS SAID
Despite the lacklustre performance, Marquinhos expressed his confidence in Mbappe’s abilities, stating to reporters, “Surely Mbappé is going to be better in Barcelona. He is the first one who wants to go to the semifinals, he is a very important player for us. I am sure that he will give the best version of himself in Barcelona.”
Reflecting on the match, Marquinhos acknowledged Barcelona’s superiority and added: “They were more decisive than us and won the game. It was an open match. People who like football surely liked the game. I think that the people who had PSG as favourites wanted to put pressure on us.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
As PSG looks ahead to the decisive second leg, all eyes will be on Mbappe to deliver a performance worthy of his reputation. Failure to do so could mark the end of his Champions League journey with PSG, making the upcoming match in Catalonia a defining moment for the French superstar.
With PSG having a week to prepare for the second leg and no domestic commitments over the weekend, they have ample time to regroup and strategize. In contrast, Barcelona faces a La Liga fixture against Cadiz on Saturday evening which would force them to play two matches within a week.
