It almost seems choreographed. Just as Paris Saint-Germain enter the run of games that usually defines the success of their season, a key player suffers an injury. Normally it's Neymar. But he's already out. For early February 2023? Hobble forward Monsieur Kylian Mbappé.
The France international injured his left leg mid-way through the first-half of Wednesday night's Ligue 1 clash at Montpellier.
The 24-year-old will be out for around three weeks, PSG confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
During his absence, PSG host Toulouse on 4 February in Ligue 1 and they play in the Coupe de France at Marseille on 8 February.
There is also the trip to Mbappé's former club Monaco on 11 February as well as the first leg in the last-16 of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on 14 February.
Neymar missed the voyage to Montpellier with what PSG medics called muscular fatigue. But there are also concerns about the injuries the 30-year-old Brazilian brought back with him from the World Cup in Qatar.
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And PSG seem thin for experienced back-ups. The Morocco international Hakim Ziyech was targeted. But the loan deal with the Chelsea forward fell through on the final day of the January transfer window.
“For various reasons, we could not make it work," said PSG boss Christophe Galtier. "I believe that the responsibility does not lie with our club. That’s how it is, that’s life, we look ahead.”
What PSG also have to consider is a veritable scrap for the Ligue 1 title.
The 3-1 victory at Montpellier was their first success since beating Angers 2-0 at the Parc des Princes on 11 January.
And though Mbappé and defender Sergio Ramos suffered injuries, there was a ray of light with the first goal of academy product Warren Zaire-Emery.
💫 𝟭𝟲 𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘁 𝟯𝟯𝟬 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀❗️
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) February 2, 2023
À Montpellier, notre Titi 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗭𝗮𝗶̈𝗿𝗲-𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆 est devenu le plus jeune buteur de l'histoire du Paris Saint-Germain ! ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/6yGzR1bv9q
The stoppage time strike to seal the victory made him at 16 years and 330 days the youngest player to score a goal for the first team.
The win gave PSG 51 points from their 21 games. Marseille trail the pacesetters by five points after their 2-0 win at Nantes.
Marseille boss Igor Tudor refused to entertain talk of a title challenge despite the team's impressive form which has harvested 28 from a possible 30 points.
"We shouldn't think about that," Tudor told Prime Video. "The fans can dream all the time. We know that in this championship, PSG spends a lot of money on players. We must not think about that. We must think about beating Nice on Sunday night."
Tudor did not give a run out to 32 million euro club record signing Vitinha. But another new recruit featured. Azzedine Ounahi - formerly of the parish of Angers - came on late in the second-half and scored the second goal.
⏱ 90’ | #FCNOM 0️⃣-2️⃣
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) February 1, 2023
OH MAIS QUEL FESTIVAL, MAIS QUI EST-IL, MAIS QUEL GESTE, QUEL BUT !!!!🤩🔥
AZZEDINE OUNAHI POUR LE BREAK 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/0E8WmFCxVe
"It was just like my debut at Angers," said the 22-year-old Morocco international.
"I came on and scored in what was my first match in Ligue 1. And I did the same tonight in my first game for Marseille. The team played well and scored two good goals. I am very pleased that we got the three points."
The confidence flowing around Marseille contrasts sharply with the air of tension and gloom surrounding PSG.
Their Qatari bosses have prioritised the acquisition of the Champions League. A plethora of coaches have been conveyed to the pyre for their failure to bring the crown back to the Parc des Princes.
Another early elimination would raise further question marks over the ethos of the club and provide schadenfreude galore for the club's detractors.
Lens, who sit in third before they travel to Brest on Sunday night, crave simple participation in European club football's most prestigious tournament.
After 21 games, they boast 45 points – six less than PSG and one point less than Marseille.
If they cannot maintain a title push, they have to hold off Monaco and Rennes in the race for third – the berth that leads to the qualifying rounds for the Champions League.
Before Wednesday night's game against Nice at the Stade Bollaert, the Lens boss Franck Haise warned that his side faced a tough challenge against an outfit that had not lost since Didier Digard replaced Lucien Favre at the start of January.
And his premonitions were proved correct. Gaetan Laborde scored Nice's winner just after the pause.
"They were a very high quality opponent," said Haise after the 1-0 loss.
"We did some good things but not enough. They didn't steal their victory."
The 51-year-old Frenchman added: "I know we're not going to fly through the season. There will be moments, in terms of results or performances that are going to be more difficult."
A scenario they know so well at PSG.
