Paris Saint-Germain’s quest to finally win a Champions League just keeps getting more difficult.
Speaking ahead of his side’s home match against Nantes, PSG boss Christophe Gaultier has confirmed that Neymar will be out for both this weekend’s game as well as Wednesday’s second leg at Bayern Munich.
“Neymar will not be available in the next two games,” Galtier told reporters on Friday. “Without him, we may play with two [central] midfielders and three attackers, or three midfielders and two attackers.”
Back on February 19, Neymar appeared to roll his ankle in PSG’s wild 4-3 comeback win over Lille, leaving the game early in the second half on a stretcher. The following weekend, PSG adjusted to his absence in a 3-0 win at Marseille by bringing Marquinhos in at the back, shifting into a 3-5-2 formation.
Against Lille, Galtier sent Hugo Ekitiké in as Neymar’s replacement, but the 20-year-old is a very different sort of player. That wasn’t the only injury-enforced change for PSG on the day, as Nuno Mendes left the match after just 31 minutes. The Portuguese left back’s status for PSG’s upcoming games is uncertain.
PSG badly shorthanded vs. Bayern
While the win over Marseille was potentially decisive in Ligue 1 — PSG moved eight points ahead of l’OM, their closest competition for the league title at the moment — it came with yet another serious injury. Presnel Kimpembe suffered a torn Achilles tendon, adding to a growing list of injury doubts as PSG faces its biggest challenge of the season at the Allianz Arena.
In his press conference, Galtier noted that wingback Achraf Hakimi — who is being investigated for rape by French authorities — is questionable due to “muscle pain” that the coach says stems from an injury picked up during the World Cup.
Renato Sanches, meanwhile, seems sure to remain out after suffering a reoccurrence of a hamstring strain last month.
It’s not a great recipe for a PSG side that were outplayed in Paris by Bayern, falling 1-0 on a goal from Kingsley Coman. At full strength, they would have an enormously difficult task on their hands: no one has beaten Bayern at home since Eintracht Frankfurt notched a 2-1 victory back on October 3, 2021.
But without Neymar and so many other important players? It’s hard to see PSG managing to advance to the quarterfinals, leaving their pursuit of Champions League glory on hold for at least another year.
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