Paris Saint-Germain will be without Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. for their contest against Toulouse FC on Saturday at the Parc des Princes. As a result, the capital club is going to lean on Lionel Messi.
Since arriving at PSG in 2021, Messi hasn’t needed to shoulder the entire offensive load with Mbappe and Neymar by his side. However, this weekend will change and manager Christophe Galtier shed light on Messi’s role in the clash against Toulouse.
“I have to organize the team around a combined absence of Kylian and Ney, around Leo, a bit as we did during the match in Montpellier,” Galtier told reporters on Friday. “Leo is going to be in his registry. Afterward, it’s up to the players who will replace Ney and Kylian to raise their level of play.”
Mbappe suffered an injury to the left thigh at the level of the femoral biceps during PSG’s 3-1 victory over Montpellier on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the capital club is concerned over Neymar’s ankle injury that he picked up during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As a result, Messi could be counted on to lead PSG’s attack until Neymar and Mbappe are back 100 percent healthy
[DON’T MISS] Sergio Ramos now admits Lionel Messi is the greatest ever
Sergio Ramos has finally decided that Lionel Messi is the greatest player ever, after years of ‘suffering’ at the hands of his once rival.
For many years, it’s likely that Ramos would have named Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest of all time, with the two men winning countless trophies at Real Madrid together.
Ramos at least acknowledged Messi as on a level with his then Bernabeu teammate, as he pointed out to mock Antoine Griezmann once, but it’s safe to say the pair didn’t really get on.
As staunch protectors of the opposite ends of the rivalry, the Spanish defender and the then Barcelona forward would often clash during Clasico games.
The combative defender was certainly one of the few people who could really rile up Messi when they were opponents, and was accused of elbowing the Argentine in the face.
Ramos is also responsible for one of the best pieces of defending the World Cup winner has probably ever faced, but it’s all different these days.
Now the pair are teammates at PSG together, and the sight of them meeting as colleagues for the first time was certainly weird to see.
In their 18 months together, Ramos has obviously seen enough of Messi to finally admit that he is the greatest footballer of all time.
“There was suffering for several years playing against Messi,” the 36-year-old told PSG TV, ” I am now enjoying him. He is the best player football has ever produced.”
It might come as a blow to Ronaldo, who might have always expected his former Bernabeu brother to have his back in football’s longest running debate.
However, the pair actually went a couple of years without talking after the forward left the Spanish capital to join Juventus, back in 2018.
They were reunited and full of smiles recently however, when the Ligue 1 giants flew out to Saudi Arabia for a mid season friendly game.
Christophe Galtier’s side came up against Ronaldo, who has just moved to Saudi Arabia, as part of an All Star XI, and the forward shared an embrace with Ramos ahead of kick off.
The 37-year-old even pointed out to his former teammate that he still had his earrings in before kick off, what a nice friend he is.
SOURCE: psgtalk.com, sportbible.com
