Paris (AFP)

Deprived of Neymar, injured in the ankle, and his place as leader in Ligue 1, Paris SG must revive against Lorient on Wednesday (9:00 p.m.), four days before a shock at the top in Lille.

So it will never end?

Neymar's injuries at PSG are so recurrent that they become a bad soap opera.

This season alone, the Brazilian is already in his third medical absence, in addition to a disciplinary suspension.

The cause: a very poorly controlled tackle from his compatriot Thiago Mendes, logically excluded, at the very end of the match lost against Lyon (1-0).

Evacuated on a stretcher, crying, "Ney" recalled "the pain, fear, anguish, surgeries, crutches and other bad memories," he said on Instagram.

If the examination carried out on Monday is "reassuring" according to the club, the striker will undoubtedly miss the reception of Lorient.

Coach Thomas Tuchel did not completely rule out a return for the shock against Lille on Sunday.

"It's not impossible," he said, referring to the star's upcoming medical exams on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Paris will therefore have to do again without its Brazilian star, who saved it the Champions League with stellar performances during the return phase.

And not that: while the champion of France finally seemed to see the end of the injury tunnel, the physical problems are accumulating again.

Captain Marquinhos, already absent against Lyon, will also miss Lorient at least.

For Lille, "I really hope he can play," Tuchel said cautiously.

The other offensive star Kylian Mbappé will have to watch his playing time by the end of the year, he who could only play half an hour against Lyon due to muscle fatigue.

Added to this are the absences of Mauro Icardi and Abdou Diallo, who will not be back until 2021, of Pablo Sarabia, who will return at the earliest on December 23 against Strasbourg, and of Juan Bernat, long-injured .

- Hold mentally -

While waiting to challenge Lille, which took first place from them on Sunday, the Parisians must imperatively beat Lorient on pain of slipping further in the standings.

Third with 28 points, one less than the co-leaders Lille and Lyon, the Parisians are within range of rival Marseille (4th, 27 pts) and Montpellier (5th, 26 pts).

Can they withstand this pressure?

Sunday, Thomas Tuchel blasted a workforce "very mentally tired", who "gave points as gifts" to Lyon, Bordeaux (2-2) or Monaco (3-2 defeat after leading 2-0).

"We must find an eleven holder who can put more energy," he hammered Tuesday, announcing several changes in the workforce to face Lorient.

Positive point for PSG: by already aligning an bis team, the club had won a beautiful and convincing victory (3-1) in Montpellier.

And for now, the many absences and difficulties in the European Cup have not prevented PSG from being ruthless with the "little ones" of the championship.

In the second half of the table, only Bordeaux (2-2) snatched a point from the defending champion.

For Metz, Nice, Reims, Nîmes, Dijon and Nantes, the outcome was the same and the bill was often steep.

Something to shake Lorient, just above the waterline (17th, 11 points) despite his card Sunday against Nîmes (3-0).

But the pressure of the classification, accentuated by the accumulation of absences, can derail the machine at any time.

Hard, life without Neymar.

© 2020 AFP