Lionel Messi is reportedly a doubt for PSG‘s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich with the Argentina star struggling with a hamstring injury.
The World Cup hero picked up the problem in PSG’s 2-1 French Cup defeat to Marseille on Wednesday – despite playing the full 90 minutes – and his manager Christophe Galtier is now sweating on his fitness.
According to L’Equipe, the legendary forward is facing a race against time to be fit for the last-16 first leg clash against Bayern at the Parc des Princes on February 14 – and he is already set to miss the club’s trip to Monaco.
PSG chiefs are quietly confident that Messi can recover in time to play at least part of their game against Bayern – where they will need as many of their top stars as possible as the club bid to finally capture the elusive trophy.
Galtier is already facing something of an injury crisis with both Kylian Mbappe and currently out and Neymar also picking up niggling injuries too. The Brazilian missed their 2-1 win over Toulouse but returned against Marseille.
Lionel Messi is reportedly a doubt for PSG’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich
The Argentine superstar picked up a hamstring injury in their 2-1 French Cup loss to Marseille
Mbappe has not featured since a 3-1 win over Montpellier on February 1 where he picked up a thigh injury and the forward has been ruled out for three weeks – meaning he will miss the Bayern Munich game.
Galtier will be hoping to have both Messi and Neymar available against the Germans – after stressing how important he was last week, when he said the rest of the team must ‘work’ for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi scored in back-to-back games against Toulouse and Montpellier and his boss outlined his influence after he took his tally to ten goals and ten assists.
PSG are already set to be without Kylian Mbappe for the crucial game against Bayern
‘Lionel Messi was a very important engine, like his goal and the situations he created,’ Galtier said. ‘I ask the team to play for Leo and work for him. He must be exempted from certain tasks.
‘His partners must redouble their efforts to recover and create movement so that he distils passes, which are so rare in today’s football, in such small spaces.
‘There are a lot of connections between the three. Between Mbappe and Neymar, Messi and Neymar… But I have to organize the team around Leo given the absences, as we did in Montpellier.
‘Leo is going to be in his zone… afterward, it is up to the players who will replace them to raise their level of play, to be very available, and to seize opportunities.”
source: dailymail.co.uk
