Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe might not be able to play in his team’s must-win Champions League game on Wednesday as the French star is dealing with a throat infection and a fever.
Mbappe was also tested for coronavirus, according to L’Equipe, but the results came back negative. Mbappe is expected to be a game-time decision versus Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
PSG is down, 2-1, in the tie and will play in an empty Parc des Princes in the second leg of its round of 16 tie due to coronavirus concerns.
“He was sick yesterday and he is sick today with angina,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said Tuesday, according to beIN Sports. “We must wait and decide tomorrow morning [whether he will play].”
PSG picked up an away goal from Neymar in the first leg in Germany to give itself a nice shot of advancing to the quarterfinals, but not having Mbappe would make getting through even more complicated.
The 21-year-old Paris native is having a monster campaign and looks set to surpass last season’s goal total of 39.
He’s got 30 goals in 32 matches so far this season and is coming off of a hat trick versus Lyon a week ago.
Mbappe has scored in six of the team’s last nine games, and he’s either registered a goal or an assist in each of the last six games.
If he can’t go, PSG will have more than enough quality to get a result. Tuchel has done well rotating his loaded attack that includes Mbappe, Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Mauro Icardi. Mbappe’s speed and ability to step up in big games would certainly be a plus in this one, but Tuchel will still be confident in getting a result if his prized young goalscorer can’t play.
A 1-0 win for PSG would be enough to move on, while a 2-1 victory would force extra time. Dortmund needs just a draw to move on to the next round
