Coupe de France: How Marseille Plans to Defend Lionel Messi, per Valentin Rongier | OneFootball

While Neymar Jr. returns to the Paris Saint-Germain lineup after dealing with groin pain, the attack will likely run through Lionel Messi to avoid putting too much on the 31-year-old’s plate.

Nonetheless, despite Messi potentially being the offensive figure for the capital club in their Coupe de France Round of 16 clash against Olympique de Marseille, midfielder Valentin Rongier revealed their mindset against the Argentine.

“We don’t have an anti-Messi plan; it would be a mistake because they have good players in all positions,” Rongier told reporters Tuesday (h/t Le Figaro). “You have to stick to what you usually do. For me, this should not be done.”

Along with Messi and Neymar, other players on the squad will be asked to step up to fill the role left behind by Mbappe. Achraf Hakimi has upped his form with the French forward out of the lineup and continued his performance from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

If PSG wants to advance, they’ll need another quality performance and another player to join him, whether it be Neymar or another player on the squad, to build positive momentum ahead of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich on Feb. 14.