Monday 16 February 2015 11:15, UK
As Paris St Germain defender David Luiz prepares to face his old Chelsea team-mates in the Champions League on Tuesday, he had a confidence boost for some of his former colleagues.
In fact, Luiz picked more Chelsea players than PSG team-mates in his dream XI listed in the Mail before the first leg of their round of 16 clash in the French capital.
Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Willian got the nod from Luiz but only Thiago Silva and compatriot Maxwell were included among his current club colleagues.
That meant no place for PSG’s star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although given the identity of the two forwards that is somewhat understandable.
While the names of Lionel Messi and Neymar come as little surprise, the selection of Pablo Aimar, who Luiz played with at Benfica, represents a blast from the past.
The former Valencia playmaker most recently saw action in Malaysia with Johor Darul Takzim last year but boasts a big reputation in South America and was a personal hero of Messi.
Luiz said his team could only include players he had played with – with the exception of Messi.
Of course, Luiz also managed to find room for himself at the heart of his dream defence.
Do you agree with Luiz’s team? Check out his picks below…
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Thiago Silva (PSG)
David Luiz (PSG)
Maxwell (PSG)
Willian (Chelsea)
Michael Essien (Milan)
Pablo Aimar (Free Agent)
Angel di Maria (Manchester United)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Neymar (Barcelona)