PSG star Neymar was all set to face his former club Barcelona for the first time in the second leg of their Round of 16 clash in the UEFA Champions League.
But a thigh injury will cause him to miss that match as well, according to an announcement made by PSG.
“Neymar resumed partial training with the squad last week and will continue his individual recovery work,” the team said.
The Brazilian forward already missed the first leg of their matchup at Camp Nou last month, which PSG still won, 4-1. 22-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe stepped up in his absence, finishing with a hat-trick to give the French club a resounding victory on the road.
There was initially some hope that the former Barcelona player would be able to return to play against the La Liga giants as he was already partaking in some light training. However, PSG eventually ruled him out of the match against Barca. Neymar has missed six games in various competitions for the French side since February 10, and it looks like the club is taking no chances in the 29-year-old’s recovery from the injury.
The second leg, meanwhile, will take place in Paris, with the Ligue 1 champions looking to knock off the La Liga club, which has made it to the Champions League quarterfinals in each of the past 13 seasons.
Barcelona, meanwhile, will be without defenders Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo as well as midfielder Philippe Coutinho. But even if they are facing a shorthanded squad, PSG remains wary of the Lionel Messi-led team, as they managed to come back and beat them in stunning fashion in their last Champions League meeting back in 2016-2017.
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