Football: PSG lose injured Mbappe for first leg of Bayern Champions League tie
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Mbappe was hurt during the first half of Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Montpellier in Ligue 1.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS - An injury to a key player is once again threatening to derail a Champions League campaign for Paris Saint-Germain with Kylian Mbappe having been ruled out of the first leg of their last-16 tie against Bayern Munich.
The star forward suffered the injury to his left thigh in the first half of PSG’s 3-1 win at Montpellier in midweek and had to come off, having already twice missed a penalty in the early stages of the match.
He faces three weeks out and will miss the home match against Bayern on Feb 14, PSG said on Thursday.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier had initially suggested Mbappe had suffered a knock to the back of the knee rather than a muscle injury, but tests have since confirmed the true extent of the problem.
“After undergoing tests, Kylian Mbappe suffered an injury to the left thigh at the level of the femoral biceps,” said a club statement.
PSG will hope that Mbappe, who has scored 25 goals in 26 appearances this season, will be fit for the second leg in Germany on March 8.
His injury raises questions about PSG’s handling of a player who returned to club training immediately after starring for France at the World Cup.
He was given a week’s holiday in January but has not looked as sharp. His only Ligue 1 goal since the World Cup was a penalty against Strasbourg on Dec 28.
Mbappe could also miss three key Ligue 1 games as well as a French Cup last-16 tie at Marseille.
PSG must now hope that the presence of Lionel Messi and Neymar will be enough for them in the first game against Bayern.
Their options to replace Mbappe are limited, given that a January transfer deadline-day move for Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech fell through, Pablo Sarabia has joined Wolverhampton Wanderers and centre-forward Hugo Ekitike may still be too raw for a match of this magnitude.
PSG are hoping to win European football’s most prestigious club competition for the first time since the Qatari takeover of 2011
Separately, Messi, who had said the 2022 World Cup would be his last, did not rule out an appearance in the 2026 edition.
The 35-year-old told Argentinian newspaper Diario Ole: “I love playing football and while I feel like I’m in good shape and enjoying this, I’m going to keep at it. It seems like a long time until the next World Cup, but it depends on how my career is going.” AFP, REUTERS
