Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel insisted his side "will be ready" for Tuesday's clash with Manchester United even if Edinson Cavani does not recover from injury in time.
Cavani did not reappear for the second half of Saturday's 1-0 win over Girondins de Bordeaux after scoring the penalty just before half-time that gave Paris the points in their Ligue 1 Conforama encounter at the Parc des Princes.
The Uruguayan seemed to hurt a leg taking the spot-kick, and the striker who has scored 22 times this season in all competitions now faces a race against the clock to be ready for the UEFA Champions League last 16, first leg at Old Trafford.
That is a potentially major problem for Tuchel, who is already without Neymar Jr. due to a metatarsal problem, but the German kept a brave face on things when asked if he had a back-up plan.
'Plan D'
"There are many Plan Bs. Without 'Ney', maybe without Marco (Verratti), maybe without 'Edi'. We have a 'Plan D'. We need to analyse Manchester United, stay confident and calm," Tuchel said.
"For matches like that, you need key players with confidence, experience and quality. They are used to playing in big matches. But if two or three key players are not there, it is our responsibility to find solutions. It is super difficult. If we are missing several players, then the challenge is even greater. But we will be ready on Tuesday."
Verratti return
The return of Verratti was one of the more positive aspects of the Bordeaux game. The Italian made his first appearance in three weeks after an ankle injury and lasted almost an hour before being replaced by Leandro Paredes. He remains a doubt for the trip to England though.
"We are very pleased that Marco is back," admitted Tuchel. "When he came off it was harded to control the match. It is super difficult to play when you have been injured like Marco.
"I don't know if it will be possible for him to play again at Old Trafford in three days. But in our situation maybe we needed to try. We need to wait to see what the doctor and the physios say.
"I know Marco's opinion, and if I ask him he will tell me he can play. He didn't feel any pain today. When I took him off he was not happy. But you can't listen to him, otherwise he would have played 90 minutes," Tuchel joked.
