Emery Hopes Di Maria Would Be Fit to Face Arsenal

Di Maria

The Argentine should be fit to face Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday despite going off injured against Nantes, according to Unai Emery.

The Argentina international was forced off after hitting the net at Parc des Princes, but he is expected to be back in action against the Gunners.

Winger Di Maria opened the scoring inside 15 minutes at Parc des Princes, only to hobble off with an apparent hamstring problem.

However, Emery – whose side capped off the win with Jese Rodriguez’s 90th-minute penalty – believes Di Maria, who played in both of Argentina’s international fixtures last week, will be able to feature at Emirates Stadium.

“Angel, his exit was a precaution. I hope he will be fine for Wednesday’s game,” head coach Emery said. “We talked with him before the game, he said he felt good to play even though he had travelled.

“After the international matches and before Wednesday’s game, the focus was hard for the side, but we worked hard.

“We lost more balls than we would have liked. I do not think we really conceded a lot of chances, but those situations are to the credit of Nantes’ attacking play.

“The three points were very important to continue our progress in the league but also to prepare and give us confidence for Wednesday’s game.”

The victory lifts PSG into second in Ligue 1, level with Nice and leaders Monaco on 29 points.