The pre-season campaign for Europe’s top football teams is in full swing as teams scour the globe for pre-season tours and tournaments.
These kinds of matches are an important time to build fitness and chemistry ahead of a grueling European season. These kinds of matches are also commercially lucrative, offering fans around the world the chance to see soccer superstars in person.
Paris Saint-Germain is one such team that is going global, playing three pre-season games in Japan, the first of which was against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
The team will be watched with interest following the departure of Lionel Messi and transfer speculation for Kylian Mbappe, with more scrutiny falling on Brazilian star Neymar, who has been hampered by injury of late.
Will Neymar play against Al Nassr today?
There has been no definitive announcement on whether Neymar will feature in PSG’s friendly match against Al Nassr, with the Brazilian winger being sidelines since February after picking up an ankle injury in a league match.
The chances of him playing in the match were considered unlikely, with some reports stating Neymar and midfielder Kang-In Lee will be unavailable due to injury.
However, images and video of the Brazil star returning to team training yesterday sparked speculation his recovery may be progressing faster than expected, as vision of Neymar practising free-kicks circulated on Twitter.
If Neymar is to take the field against Al Nassr, it will most likely be a short cameo appearance off the bench due to his lack of game and training time in recent months.
There is a greater chance of more playing time in the side’s other friendly matches against Cerezo Osaka and Inter Milan.