In his pre-match press conference ahead of PSG’s upcoming clash against Marseille in the latest instalment of Le Classique, Luis Enrique was asked about the possibility of being without Kylian Mbappé (25) for the match.

The PSG manager has not been afraid of benching Mbappé or withdrawing him somewhat prematurely, in the eyes of some, as Les Parisiens prepare for life without the France captain. Mbappé is expected to make his long-expected move to Real Madrid when his current contract expires with the Ligue 1 champions.

Asked about repeating the trend and potentially benching the 25-year-old for their match against Marseille, Luis Enrique said, “Everything is possible in life. What I am aware of is the importance of Le Classique for our supporters, for the club and this historic rivalry. My desire is that everything goes well, that there is a spectacle and that we see a very good football match between two very good teams. Our goal is to win this match against our eternal rival.”

Continuing on the subject of benching the PSG forward and not being able to please everyone, the former Spain boss added, “As manager of my team and the club, I have to see this match very clearly but also have a general vision of what is best for us, that’s my job. I have to make a decision and I will do it thinking about what I consider to be best for the team. This means that there are people who do not agree as always but, of course, we are going to go to Marseille to be competitive and give great joy to our supporters.”

Before PSG’s matches against Nice and Montpellier, Luis Enrique withdrawing Mbappé before the final whistle became a common theme. However, after impressive performances against Montpellier in particular with a hat trick, the France international retained his place for 90 minutes. With PSG’s most important domestic game of the season on the horizon, it remains to be seen if the Spaniard can afford to bench his star attacker once again.

GFFN | Liam Wraith