Julian Draxler confident PSG can keep in-form Paul Pogba quiet as they head to Old Trafford for Champions League showdown with Man United
- Man United host Paris Saint-Germain in first leg of Champions League last-16
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have won 10 of their 11 matches during his tenure
- Key to their recent resurgence has been French midfielder Paul Pogba
- He has scored eight goals and contributed five assists under Solskjaer
- PSG’s Julian Draxler knows Pogba will be the one they need to stop on Tuesday
Julian Draxler is confident Paris Saint-Germain will be able to handle in-form Paul Pogba in Tuesday night’s Champions League showdown with Manchester United.
The French midfielder has scored eight times and set up another five goals since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in as United’s interim manager in December, replacing Jose Mourinho.
That excellent form continued on Saturday as United won 3-0 at Fulham in the Premier League, with Pogba scoring two goals as they made it 10 wins from 11 in all competitions.
Paul Pogba has scored eight goals and contributed five assists under Solskjaer’s tenure
PSG’s Julian Draxler is confident his side can cope with the in-form Pogba on Tuesday night
Now attention returns to the Champions League, with United playing French champions PSG at Old Trafford in the first leg of their mouth-watering last-16 tie.
Draxler believes stopping Pogba won’t be a problem for a PSG side packed with talent even in the absence of the injured Neymar and Edinson Cavani.
He said: ‘They have got some great players at Man United, especially in midfield, with Pogba and [Nemanja] Matic. They will be key in the game.
‘But we’ve got a lot of quality, too. Our players are more than capable. We stopped Paul sometimes in games between Germany and France.
‘We’ll see what he does. He can do everything, but we’ve got players capable of stopping Paul.’
Julian Draxler in action for PSG during a Ligue 1 match against Rennes late last month
Pogba in a happy mood as United train on Monday ahead of the showdown with PSG
Tuesday night will see Angel di Maria return to Old Trafford for a club match for the first time since he left United for PSG in the summer of 2015.
United spent a British transfer record £59million to sign the Argentine from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, but Di Maria managed just four goals for them in his sole season there.
‘I was asking him some things about Man United, but I won’t tell you what he said – it was nothing bad!’ Draxler said.
‘We will need him without Cavani and Neymar. Hopefully, he gives a good performance.
‘I don’t really know what position I will be playing, but I’m comfortable in lots of positions. I’m not the same type of player as Neymar and, clearly, we’ll miss him. I’ll try to put in a great performance.’
