Leipzig (Germany) (AFP)
Paris SG striker Kylian Mbappé withdrew from the Champions League match at RB Leipzig on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, his club announced on Tuesday, without specifying a period of unavailability.
This absence is added to those of Neymar and Mauro Icardi, two others of the "Fantastic Four" in Paris, for this decisive match for the qualification for the round of 16.
The Brazilian, injured in the adductors, and the Argentine, to one knee, are expected on the field after the international break, on November 20.
Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler too, according to the club's latest medical statement.
Mbappé, one of the most used players since the start of the season, both for PSG and for the French team, came out in the 74th minute of the Ligue 1 match in Nantes on Saturday (3-0), his hand behind the right thigh.
"It's fatigue, not an injury," swept his coach Thomas Tuchel after the meeting.
But the atmosphere turned to pessimism on Sunday and then Monday, with medical examinations which confirmed the concerns: the player is suffering from "muscle discomfort in the right hamstring" which prevents him from going to Germany, according to the club .
In the absence of Neymar and Icardi, Mbappé was expected there as the N.1 asset of Paris.
In great form, with 7 goals and 4 assists in Ligue 1, the 21-year-old world champion is his team's most effective striker since the resumption.
Moise Kean, author of a double in the last C1 match at Basaksehir Istanbul on Wednesday (2-0), Angel di Maria and Pablo Sarabia should start on the lawn of the Red Bull Arena.
For the third day, PSG plays RB Leipzig, the team it beat in the semifinals last August (3-0), a decisive match for qualification.
The two teams are tied (3 points), behind the leader Manchester United (6 pts).
© 2020 AFP