PSG have suffered a few major problems ahead of their highly anticipated Champions League Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich.
The Parisian side were recently knocked out of the Coupe de France and is low in morale ahead of this big game.
If that wasn’t enough, then Christophe Galtier’s side is also suffering from major injury issues.
Leo Messi had an injury scare after picking up a knock against Marseille. Kylian Mbappe didn’t even get to play that game because he suffered a hamstring injury in PSG’s 3-1 win over Montpellier at the start of the month.
Can Mbappe make a return against Bayern?
There are now fears that the Parisians might miss having to play without their star forward for the first leg, which will happen at the Parc des Princes. PSG might have a stacked squad, but they need their powerhouse forward to give them the ammunition to get a big win over the Bavarians.
After suffering a left thigh tear in the Montpellier game, Mbappe has spent the last week working tirelessly on his recovery. Normally, he would be ruled out for three weeks, which would make him miss the first leg at home.
However, the French forward craves major Champions League games and is working with PSG’s medical staff to get back to action as soon as possible. It doesn’t appear that he’ll be able to start the game but could actually get some minutes under his belt if his recovery goes well.
As per Le Parisien, there is still some hope within the PSG management that Mbappe will be able to feature in the game against Bayern at home.
He won’t be able to start the game or play the entire 90 minutes but could have a little cameo to help his side if they are in need of scoring goals in the game.
There is some optimism that the French forward will be able to play for around 15 minutes in the second half if required. He won’t be at his 100% in terms of fitness, but should at least be fit enough to make a late impact if PSG are in dire need of goals.
What Christophe Galtier said about Mbappe
Galtier has already confirmed that Messi should be ready for the Bayern game, while Mbappe is still ‘healing’. He said:
Regarding Kylian, the communication has been made. We spoke of a three-week unavailability. Kylian is undergoing treatment. Leo has felt muscle fatigue, he will resume training on Monday. He is not uncertain for Bayern.
Of course, it is understandable that the PSG manager is keeping his cards close to his chest in staying mum about the potential availability of Mbappe for this big game.
It could be a potential ploy from the French side to lure Bayern into thinking they won’t have to deal with the Frenchman, only for him to torment their defenders in the second half of the first-leg encounter.
Mbappe is currently the joint-highest goalscorer in the Champions League this season, with seven goals from just six games. He’ll aim to add to that in the upcoming games against Bayern and help take PSG one step closer to breaking their Champions League curse.
