PARIS (AP) – The absence of Kylian Mbappé will make things much more difficult for Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The 21-year-old striker was barred for about three weeks after suffering an ankle ligament injury on Friday against Saint-Étienne in the French Cup final. This makes prolific Mbappé, who has scored 30 goals in 34 appearances this season, highly doubtful about facing the Italian club Atalanta on August 12th in Lisbon.
Even if he plays, Mbappé will not be completely fit or in the game on a team even without Edinson Cavani and Ángel Di María.
Di María is suspended while Cavani – PSG’s all-time top scorer with 200 goals – started at the end of his contract in June. The same attacked right-back Thomas Meunier, who joined Borussia Dortmund. Neither player chose to sign a short extension like other players in European leagues did.
Mbappé also lost PSG’s return leg against Dortmund in the past 16 on 11 March due to a throat infection.
Di María received a yellow card at the end of the game and was suspended for the quarterfinals. After being replaced, the winger rushed off the bench to join a fight after Dortmund midfielder Emre Can’s foul on Neymar pushed a bit to push between the two teams.
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel has already found himself in a similar position.
It was without the injured Mbappé and Neymar suspended for the first game of the PSG Champions League campaign, a convincing 3-0 home win against Real Madrid in which Di María scored two goals.
At the time Madrid was out of shape, but this is not the case with Atalanta.
The free-scoring club is fighting against Inter and Lazio for second place behind the Juventus champion in Italy.
Against a physical side like Atalanta, Tuchel could be better off eliminating a 4-3-3 formation and strengthening his midfield in 4-4-2 with Julian Draxler and Pablo Sarabia in wide positions. This would mean that Neymar pushes up as a central striker alongside Mauro Icardi, however, when Neymar is often better off cutting from the hips.
The midfield is where PSG could really fight against a team that combines superb passes with a tough edge. While not exceeding the mark, Atalanta’s midfield is much more physical than that of PSG.
Highly qualified, too.
Against Juventus earlier this month, Atalanta swept the opposing midfield in the first 15 minutes with 160 amazing completed passes. Juve’s sweat-soaked midfielders seemed to chase the shadows as the smooth Papu Gómez pulled the ropes for Atalanta.
Gómez rarely loses the ball, while Josip Ilicic is physically impressive as well as technically excellent. Strikers Duván Zapata and Luis Muriel are both strong, good at keeping the game with their backs on the goal and very difficult to drop the ball.
Last Friday, angry at Mbappé’s injury, Tuchel said that the Saint-Étienne players had been criminals on the pitch and that the referee failed to protect Mbappé and Neymar.
It is a statement that Tuchel made earlier and perhaps masks a weakness against a physical playing style.
Atalanta will have taken note.
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