Speaking at his press conference this afternoon, Christophe Galtier was notably asked about Lionel Messi’s two-week suspension over an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia at the start of the week.
The manager did not give any opinion on the move, and indicated that the decision had been out of his hands in any case:
“I was informed by the management at the start of the week of the decision to suspend Leo. I have taken the responsibility not to comment on it.”
On whether Messi would be returning to the squad at the end of his suspension – at which point there will only be three games left of the campaign – Galtier was equally elusive:
“We’ll see when Leo comes back. Obviously there will be discussions with the entire club, but also with Leo who is the most important person in the situation.”
PSG travel on Sunday to Troyes – their lead could be cut down to just two points by then, depending on Saturday evening’s clash between their closest challengers for the title in Lens and Marseille. The Aube outfit, meanwhile, will look to salvage some hope at staying up as they sit ten points adrift of safety – and remain winless in five months under Australian manager Patrick Kisnorbo. Galtier has nevertheless called on his team to bounce back from last week’s defeat, against a team he believes will want to pull off a statement result in difficult circumstances.
