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Verratti back from injury in time for Champions League clash against Barcelona

By Praneet Shetty

BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 21: Leo Messi and Marco Verratti during the match of UEFA Champions League Quarter finals second leg between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou stadium on April 21, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Valls / Urbanandsport /Nurphoto) -- (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 21: Leo Messi and Marco Verratti during the match of UEFA Champions League Quarter finals second leg between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou stadium on April 21, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Valls / Urbanandsport /Nurphoto) -- (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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Paris Saint Germain are set to have their star midfielder Marco Verratti back into action for the Champions League match against Barcelona as he travelled with the squad to Bordeaux for the Ligue 1 match today.

Marco Verratti is set to make a return from injury for PSG after missing all the games since they won 4-1 against Bordeaux in the Semi-final of the Coupe de la Ligue on January 24th because of a calf injury he suffered in training.

But his inclusion in the squad means a perfect boost for the Parisians for their Round of 16 first leg match against the Catalan giants the coming week. When the two sides last met , Verratti was clearly one of the best players on the team.

Another good news for the Qatari club is that Thomas Meunier is also available for selection as he too travels with the squad to Bordeaux after missing the last two games for PSG with an ankle problem.

Kevin Trapp who suffered a thigh injury against Monaco in their 1-1 draw and was subbed mid-game is also back from injury and in the squad , with Emery ready to put his trust in him after Areola’s horrendous mistake against Lille.

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However Javier Pastore , who featured last on 2nd feb against the 0-4 win against Stade Rennais is yet to return after a new injury caused him to stay out of action once again.

In a recent press conference ,  Emery discussed his team selection ,  the Bordeaux match and the match against Barcelona.

Speaking about injuries he said, ” We have named a 20-man squad. Javier Pastore continues to work with the physios. Grzegorz Krychowiak and Giovani Lo Celso will train on Friday. Marco Verratti returns. He has trained normally on Wednesday and Thursday. It’s possible that he plays on Friday, either in the starting line-up or off the bench. We will look for the best solution for him and the team.”

” We beat Bordeaux 4-1 two weeks ago in the Coupe de la Ligue. But Bordeaux are in excellent form at the moment and beat Caen 4-0 on the weekend. They will be ready and have plenty of desire. This is a very important match for us and we must be entirely focused on this match alone.” , said Emery when asked about their clash against Bordeaux.

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When asked about the clash against Barca , Emery said that its going to be tough matches but as of now they’re more focused on thinking about how to stop Kamano, Malcom, Laborde, Rolan, Ménez, Sankharé and after the game will think about Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Jordi Alba, Pique etc. , emphasizing the fact that the team had their mind-set on the Ligue 1 clash first rather than the Barca match they are to play later on.

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