BEVERLY HILLS, April 30, (THEWILL) – In unfortunate news for Ligue 1 defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, there are worrying signs that their French goal-scoring forward Kylian Mbappe has picked up a calf injury. This comes with considerable implications for Mauricio Pochettino’s side’s pursuit of silverware on two fronts, both of which are in advanced stages where they need every talent they can call upon.
Mbappe’s calf issue immediately sidelines him from the crunch UEFA Champions League second leg with Manchester City next week, which will drastically cut down the attacking threat of Les Parisiens at a stage where there is everything to play for.
This has been an outstandingly remarkable campaign for the young striker. In March, he crowned a splendid showing for PSG when he became the youngest French League player to score 100 goals in the Ligue 1 with a brace that powered the side to a 4-2 win away at the Groupama Stadium of Olympique Lyonnais.
He continued that display in April, when he single-handedly brushed aside the threats of a Lionel Messi-captained Barcelona of La Liga, to qualify the French giants for the semi-finals of the UCL.
Domestically, he has netted 25 goals in 29 appearances to help the defending champions contend against the stubborn challenge of Lille, who are hell-bent on making sure PSG does not add to the seven Ligue 1 titles they have won in the last eight seasons.
As good as the French striker has been, aided by the injury-prone midfield talents of his Brazilian teammate, Neymar, Christophe Galtier’s Lille have matched them, play for play. The challengers now sit a point ahead of PSG in the Ligue 1 standings with just four games of the season to play. That is why Mbappe’s calf problems could not have come at a worse time.
In announcing the news via their official website, PSG offered little in the way of a timeframe for how long the World Cup winner will be on the sidelines. They went with the simple message: “Kylian Mbappe: right calf injury.”
Mauricio Pochettino will feel the blow the most as they prepare to welcome fifth-placed side, Lens, to the Parc des Princes on Saturday, in a must-win tie for the sake of keeping up with the title chase, as League leaders Lille also host ninth-placed club Nice.
Irrespective of the result from Saturday, the most nightmarish prospect for the club will be overturning the UCL first leg home loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City without the inspiring and considerable contribution that Mbappe gives the team with the force of his presence and his ability to rise to the occasion in the biggest games.
It will bother club faithfuls that the evasive UCL trophy might slip from PSG’s grasp again this season after all the obstacles they surmounted to reach this stage, which is still not as close as they were able to reach as last season’s finalists that they are. They will be left wondering what could have been if there was an Mbappe in Tuesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
And, yet, there could be. It is only a matter of time to know if there will be an Mbappe in the team sheet upon release as the PSG medical staff work ceaselessly to get him fit enough for the trip to Manchester.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
