Paris Saint-Germain will be without star Neymar for their midweek UEFA Champions League clash with RB Leipzig due to an injury sustained on international duty.
Neymar returned from South America with an adductor issue which will rule him out of the crunch clash.
The 29-year-old forward had impressed with a goal and an assist in Brazil’s 4-1 victory over Uruguay on Thursday.
He returned to France, missing PSG’s 2-1 win over Angers on Friday night, but boss Mauricio Pochettino confirmed he would be unavailable again.
“The priority is always the health of the players,” Pochettino told reporters at the pre-game press conference.
“In this case, (Neymar’s injury) is a small problem but we hope it is a matter of a few days before finding it.”
PSG will also be without Leandro Paredes after picking up a quad injury on Argentina duty, while Angel Di Maria (suspended), Mauro Icardi (personal reasons) and Sergio Ramos (fitness) are unavailable.
Leipzig and PSG met in the 2019-20 Champions League semi-finals, with the Parisians triumphed 3-0, before losing the final to Bayern Munich.
The Germans have lost their opening two fixtures in the Champions League, while PSG have collected four points, including beating Manchester City 2-0, with Lionel Messi netting his first goal for the club.
“Both Leipzig and us need to win this match,” Pochettino said. “We want the three points to stay at the top of the standings.
“They are a very energetic side, with many quality players, they are aggressive and they will be looking for a good result.”
