Paris Saint-Germain are fearful that star winger Neymar could miss the first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid which is scheduled for February. The Brazilian superstar is currently recovering from an ankle injury.
Neymar picked up an ankle injury during the League 1 clash against AS Saint-Étienne on 28th November. The winner has been out of action ever since. Reports coming out of Le Parc des Princes suggest that Neymar could miss the first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid on 16th February 2022 due to his injury.
The 29-year-old joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a world-record fee back in 2017. But since the switch to the French giants, Neymar has struggled with constant injury setbacks and time on the sidelines. He has at least suffered one setback that has seen him miss a major chunk of games every season since his move from Barcelona.
Neymar has made 130 appearances in all competitions for PSG since the switch. He has recorded 90 goals and 55 assists in this time. This term he has made just 14 appearances in all competitions. In this time he has recorded three goals and set up three goals for his teammates. (stats via Transfermarkt)
Can Neymar return for the second leg of the Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid?
According to a report by Marca, the initial projection of the Brazilian’s injury was more alarming than it has turned out to be. Following this the Brazilain is expected to miss the first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash.
Despite Neymar’s absence from the team, PSG are still quite comfortably top of the Ligue-1 table with 46 points from 19 league games. PSG currently have a 13 points lead over Nice who sit second in the league table. The French giants did however miss out on the top spot in their Champions League group. Manchester City topped the group with 12 points and will now face Sporting CP in the last-16 Champions League clash.
Neymar has also missed Champions League knockout round games in previous seasons too against Real Madrid and Manchester United. The superstar’s expected return date may be late in February and he is supposed to be available for the second leg of the Real Madrid Champions League tie.
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