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Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar Jr suffered a left adductor injury in his 1-0 victory over SM Caen in the Coupe de France earlier in the week, and he was later confirmed as the forward Brazilian would miss about four weeks of action.
The one-month delay rules him out for PSG’s first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 next week as they travel to Camp Nou to face former club Barcelona. The spotlight will be almost only on Lionel Messi with the absence of Neymar, as Barça will seek to take advantage of the blow to visitors.
The second leg is scheduled for March 10 at Parc des Princes, where 29-year-old Neymar could have a chance to return to the pitch as he is just at the end of the initial four-week schedule.
Neymar is tied as UCL’s top scorer this season with six goals throughout the group stage – an honor he shares with Alvaro Morata, Marcus Rashford and Erling Haaland.
The injury comes at a particularly inopportune time as PSG have already confirmed that striker Angel Di Maria will also miss the first leg after suffering a thigh injury last week against Marseille in Ligue 1. Di Maria and Neymar total nine goals and 11 league assists so far this season, with Di Maria scoring eight of those team-leading assists.
Fortunately for PSG, young superstar Kylian Mbappé is always ready to play in the first leg and will most likely bear the brunt of the offensive responsibilities. The 22-year-old is the current top scorer in Ligue 1 with 16 goals this season.
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