Messi set to be in Paris Saint-Germain squad for Reims trip

PSG,
who
have
won
their
opening
three
Ligue
1
fixtures,
travel
to
Reims
for
their
final
match
before
the
international
break.

Messi,
signed
on
a
free
transfer
from
Barcelona
earlier
this
month,
did
not
feature
against
Brest
last
time
out
despite
having
trained
with
his
new
team-mates,
while
Neymar
was
also
absent.

As
speculation
continues
over
the
future
of
Kylian
Mbappe
amid
interest
from
Real
Madrid,
Pochettino
confirmed
that
Messi,
Neymar
and
the
aforementioned
France
star
would
all
be
involved
in
some
capacity
on
Sunday.

“They
will
certainly
all
be
in
the
squad,
so
we
will
see
if
they
are
in
the
starting
11
tomorrow,”
Pochettino
told
a
news
conference.

“We
will
assess
how
he
is
doing
and
then
see
if
he
is
in
the
squad
or
not.
I
haven’t
given
a
precise
answer
yet,
so
I
think
it
is
normal
for
there
to
be
doubts
about
that.

“When
we
sign
a
player,
we
try
not
to
have
big
expectations,
but
to
discover
and
find
out
information
when
we
are
together.
Every
club
is
different
so
you
cannot
make
comparisons.

“What
we
are
finding
out
about
Leo
is
that
he
is
a
professional
and
a
great
player,
although
we
do
not
need
to
say
that.
He
is
adapting
very
well
to
his
new
club,
new
team-mates
and
a
new
environment.”

Asked
how
Messi
will
fit
into
PSG’s
style
of
play,
Pochettino
said:
“We
are
a
team
that
likes
to
play
on
the
front
and
keep
possession.
So,
I
think
that
is
also
what
he
is
used
to
doing.

“For
a
player
like
him,
he
will
certainly
play
a
key
role
in
the
French
league
–
regardless
of
the
different
attributes
that
the
league
has
compared
to
England
and
Spain
–
because
we
are
talking
about
one
of
the
best
if
not
the
best
player
in
the
world.

“I
don’t
think
there
will
be
any
issues
of
him
settling
in,
and
he
is
looking
forward
to
making
his
debut
and
helping
the
team
reach
its
objectives.”

With
Messi
and
Neymar
waiting
to
feature,
Mbappe
opened
his
account
for
the
season
in
the
4-2
win
over
Brest.
The
22-year-old
has
been
involved
in
four
of
PSG’s
past
seven
goals
against
Reims
in
Ligue
1
(two
goals,
two
assists).

While
goals
had
escaped
him
until
last
week,
Mbappe
has
attempted
(25)
and
completed
(13)
the
highest
tally
of
dribbles
in
Ligue
1
so
far
this
term,
as
PSG
look
to
extend
an
unbeaten
run
on
the
road
in
the
league
to
11
matches.