At a time when the high altitudes of Europe are looming, PSG has the habit of counting its players in the infirmary. This season, no Neymar recovering but only a few injuries known for several weeks already. For now. It is understood, Milan Skriniar and Presnel Kimpembe will miss the meeting on February 14 against Real Sociedad in the round of 16 of the Champions League, just like Nuno Mendes.
On the other side of the Pyrenees, the medical bulletin is much busier. Before last weekend’s draw against Rayo Vallecano (0-0), the Basques lost Aihen Munoz during the match against Celta Vigo. Victim of a cruciate ligament rupture, the right side will miss the end of the season. Long affected by his hamstring muscles, his competitor Kieran Tierney is also on the sidelines after an injury to his left thigh.
For the moment, Real Sociedad has not yet set a resumption date but hopes to be able to have the Scotsman available for the trip to the Parc des Princes. Two other injuries were added on Saturday during the match against Rayo Vallecano: in the first half hour, Arsen Zakharyan left his partners after being hit in the ankle. Far from being an indisputable starter, the Russian was nevertheless gaining momentum and has seen his playing time considerably increase since November.
“We felt these absences and there was less variety”
At the end of the match, it was Robin Le Normand’s turn to get injured while blocking an opponent’s cross before leaving his partners. Pillar of the defense of the sixth in La Liga, the duration of his unavailability has not yet been communicated, but his participation in the match in Paris remains uncertain.
“We felt these absences and there was less variety in their game,” confided Florian Lejeune, the French defender of Rayo Vallecano, in an interview with our newspaper. They had fewer options but still had quality players. Compared to the match we played against them in October, they have a drop in performance because they have played a lot between the Cup and the Championship. They have a busy schedule before the Champions League and I don’t know how they will manage that but I experienced Sociedad with a full squad and each time I suffered a lot. »
In addition to its injured players, Real Sociedad must also carefully monitor the progress of two of its players participating in the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup respectively. Centerpiece of the Spanish starting eleven, Take Kubo will play the round of 16 with Japan this Wednesday against Bahrain, while Hamari Traoré and Mali qualified for the quarterfinals this Tuesday by beating Burkina Faso 2-1.
In the event of participation in the final of their competition on February 10 and 11, a return for the 14th seems hypothetical. Including the current convalescents and the absent internationals, six players could be missing.
