Thomas Tuchel backed Mauro Icardi to deliver for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta with Kylian Mbappe still nursing an ankle injury.
Icardi failed to score in the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue finals as PSG returned to competitive action last month.
The 27-year-old has netted 20 goals in 33 games in 2019-20, and will need to step up amid doubts over Kylian Mbappe, who is dealing with an ankle injury.
PSG coach Tuchel said Icardi would play an important role in Lisbon on Wednesday.
‘Mauro is very important, especially with Kylian’s injury and Edi Cavani absent,’ he told a news conference.
‘It will be very important that he play a great game, showing his personality, showing that he can fight in important games. He is never scared, he can always score.
‘We can rely on him tactically and defensively. His integration was great with the group, which was not very complicated as we have plenty of South American players, but he really fits in this locker room.
‘It’s now time for him to put us into the semis.’
Despite a lingering injury, Tuchel hinted that Mbappe is set to feature for the French giants against Atalanta, with the Frenchman recovering quicker than expected.
Icardi, meanwhile, noted last month that the remaining teams in the Champions League are a mixed bag with plenty to prove and PSG desperate to finally succeed in the competition.
‘I realised on the day of the draw that on our side there was no team that had already won the competition, while on the other side, there are practically only previous winners,’ he said.
‘But be careful, because the teams in our part of the draw all have the same ambition as us, that is to say to finally win this title and change the course of history.
‘In recent years the team have failed in the Champions League and we are all very committed to changing that. The club’s objective is to reach the final, and God willing, to finally be able to lift this trophy, because that is the reason why the club has invested in recent years.’
