Kylian Mbappe will miss the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich with a thigh injury.
Mbappe limped off the pitch in his side's Ligue 1 victory at Montpellier on Wednesday night to complete a short and miserable evening for the striker. He missed back-to-back penalties earlier in the tie, as he failed to produce his normal level of clinical calmness.
The France superstar was afforded an early chance to give his side the lead away at Montpellier when Sergio Ramos was fouled in the box after seven minutes. However, keeper Benjamin Lecomte guessed correctly and got a strong hand to deny the well-struck penalty.
VAR intervened, concluding that Lecomte had come off his line too early, earning Mbappe a welcome reprieve. But after a long wait, he was denied again, this time the keeper pushing his effort onto the post – before the striker then blasted high and wide with the open goal at his mercy.
Mbappe then pulled up with a muscular injury later in the half and could be seen mouthing to the PSG bench in video footage, stating: "It hurts too much." This understandably caused alarm at the club ahead of a testing fixture schedule.
PSG have confirmed that Mbappe will now miss the next three weeks of action which includes the home tie against Bayern on 14 February. The striker should return to fitness in time for the return leg in Munich on 8 March.
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The 23-year-old will also miss a series of testing Ligue 1 matches against Toulouse, Monaco, Lille and potentially Marseille, while he will also miss Christophe Galtier’s side Coupe de France clash against the same opposition.
Mbappe has endured a frustrating few months for club and country. Despite his World Cup final treble and scoring his penalty in the shootout, his side were edged out by Argentina and his return to PSG has not been smooth.
Presnel Kimpembe confirmed he was “not made aware” of the striker replacing him as the club's vice-captain at the start of the season, as fresh fractures emerged in the Parc des Princes locker room. Mbappe is now number two to club captain Marquinhos with the striker’s increased status at the club following his new three-year contract penned last May.
The decision to instil Mbappe as vice-captain also notably overlooked Lionel Messi for the role – the Argentine had captained Barcelona for three seasons but does not hold similar status in Paris. Mbappe directed one of his goal celebrations in the World Cup final in front of Messi, hinting at heightened tensions between the two.
The latest developments come amid Mbappe’s reported ongoing reported feud with attacking teammate Neymar. Mbappe and Neymar fell out over the order of penalty-takers earlier this season in a Ligue 1 clash.
While their Ligue 1 title is far from a formality with Marseille and Lens making it a three-team race, PSG’s season is likely to be defined by their fortunes and progress in the Champions League – a trophy the club have never won. The absence of Mbappe against Bayern will come as a major blow to Les Parisiens.
