PARIS, Feb 3, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - An injury to a key player is once again
threatening to derail a Champions League campaign for Paris Saint-Germain
with Kylian Mbappe having been ruled out of the first leg of their last-16
tie against Bayern Munich.

Mbappe suffered the injury to his left thigh in the first half of PSG's 3-1
win at Montpellier in midweek and had to come off, having already twice
missed a penalty in the early stages of the match.

It raises questions about PSG's handling of a player who starred for France
at the World Cup right to the end, scoring a hat-trick in the final against
Argentina, but then opted to make an immediate return to training with his
club.

He was eventually afforded a week's holiday at the start of January but he
has not looked as sharp as usual -- his only Ligue 1 goal since the World Cup
was a penalty against Strasbourg on December 28.

PSG have said Mbappe will be sidelined for around three weeks, meaning he
could miss three key Ligue 1 games as well as a French Cup last-16 tie in
Marseille.

While he will hope to be back in time for the second leg of that Champions
League tie against Bayern on March 8, PSG must now hope that the presence of
Lionel Messi and Neymar can be enough for them in the first game against the
Germans on February 14.

In recent seasons the injury headaches have usually been caused by Neymar,
who has had a tendency to suffer from fitness issues just before big European
ties.

But there must also be doubts about who can take Mbappe's place in the team,
given that a January transfer deadline-day move for Chelsea winger Hakim
Ziyech fell through, Pablo Sarabia has left the club and centre-forward Hugo
Ekitike may still be too raw for a huge Champions League tie.

Whatever happens, it is a stinging blow to lose Mbappe now after PSG pushed
the boat out to offer him a new contract last year in order to lead the
club's latest charge for European glory.

In the meantime PSG have at least extended their cushion at the top of Ligue
1 to five points and Saturday's visit of mid-table Toulouse will give coach
Christophe Galtier the chance to look at other options.

Galtier has already been struggling to find a suitable system for his team in
recent games, switching from a three-man central defence to a 4-3-3 and a 4-
4-2.

One player who will hope to make more of an impact is Warren Zaire-Emery, the
gifted midfielder who is not 17 until next month but scored his first Ligue 1
goal against Montpellier.

Player to watch: Vitinha

The 22-year-old Portuguese prospect was a surprise deadline-day signing by
Marseille, who arrived from Braga for a fee that could reach a total of 32
million euros ($34.9m). He has scored 13 times for Braga this season and his
arrival boosts a Marseille side sitting second in the Ligue 1 table.

Vitinha opted to join the former European champions despite reported interest
in him from Premier League clubs such as Brighton and Hove Albion,
Southampton and Aston Villa.

"They were my first choice because OM are a historic club and one that is
renowned around the world. It was an easy decision," he said.

Key stats

4 - Mbappe has not scored in any of his last four Ligue 1 appearances. You
have to go back to the spring of 2018 to find a longer drought.

13 - Bottom club Angers have set a new French top-flight record by losing
their last 13 games in a row.

10 - Rennes are on a club record run of 10 straight home wins.

Fixtures (kick-offs GMT)

Saturday

Paris Saint-Germain v Toulouse (1600), Troyes v Lyon (1800), Rennes v Lille
(2000)

Sunday

Clermont v Monaco (1200), Ajaccio v Nantes, Auxerre v Reims, Lorient v
Angers, Strasbourg v Montpellier (all 1400), Brest v Lens (1605), Marseille v
Nice (1945)