Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Paris Saint-Germain receive double injury boost ahead of Marseille showdown

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 February 2023, 14:07
Paris Saint-Germain have received a double defensive injury boost as they prepare to take on Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday night.

The contest pits Ligue 1's top two sides against one another at the Parc des Princes, as PSG aim to extend their five-point lead over the second-placed Olympiens at the summit.

Christophe Galtier's men managed to maintain their unassailable lead over Marseille courtesy of a dramatic 4-3 win over Lille last week, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat courtesy of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi's late strikes.

Galtier himself was not present at training on Thursday after coming down with flu-like symptoms, and it remains to be seen if the under-fire coach will take his place on the touchline for Sunday's showdown.

However, both Marquinhos and Nordi Mukiele were able to take part in full training, giving PSG some long-awaited positive news on the injury front after a miserable period of setbacks.

Marquinhos was a casualty of PSG's 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League affair last week, where he lasted the full 90 minutes before reporting a thigh issue.

The Parisiens captain subsequently missed his side's success over Lille at the weekend, where the pairing of Presnel Kimpembe and Sergio Ramos conceded three to Les Dogues.

However, Marquinhos is now expected to be fit enough to return to the starting XI, and the versatile Mukiele could also make his long-awaited return to the squad following a hamstring problem.

The 25-year-old - who signed from RB Leipzig in the summer - has missed the champions' last eight games in all competitions after sustaining the issue in their loss to Rennes on January 15.

Mukiele has largely played second fiddle to Achraf Hakimi this term, but he has still started 10 Ligue 1 matches, and Hakimi's recent fitness troubles continued at the weekend as he missed out against Lille with a thigh strain.

Hakimi's issue is not expected to keep him out of Sunday's game, but Mukiele could still be pressed into an immediate return to the first XI, unless Galtier takes a punt on Timothee Pembele.

With Marquinhos and Mukiele back in the fold, PSG are working with three remaining injury concerns in the form of Nuno Mendes, Neymar and Renato Sanches, the latter of whom is still recovering from a hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, Neymar left the Parc des Princes field on a stretcher after sustaining his ankle sprain in a challenge with Benjamin Andre, and reports have claimed that the issue could sideline him for up to four weeks.

As a result, the 31-year-old is set to miss the second leg of PSG's Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern, while left-back Mendes had to come off in the first half on Sunday due to a knock to the knee.

PSG stated that Mendes was due to resume training at some point this week, but having not been seen on Thursday, the Portugal international's participation in Le Classique is up in the air.

Top News

13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Championship title hopefuls Leeds United will be looking to maintain their position at the top of the table when they travel to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers on Saturday lunchtime. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League courtesy of a 4-1 victory over 10-man Real Sociedad in the second leg of their last-16 contest in the competition on Thursday night. 13 March 2025 talksport.com Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and made Europa League history as Manchester United came from behind to beat Real Sociedad 4-1. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea maintained their flawless record in the Conference League as they defeated Copenhagen 1-0 on Thursday, sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory and booking their place in the quarter-finals. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of ending a 17-year trophy drought remain alive thanks to a 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie, which sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides looking to move further clear of the Turkish Super Lig relegation zone go head-to-head on Saturday as Kasimpasa welcome Alanyaspor to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams looking to bounce back from defeats meet on Saturday as Istanbul Basaksehir host Trabzonspor at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Off the back of a narrow loss to Inter Miami in their last league outing, Charlotte FC will host FC Cincinnati in their latest MLS fixture at the Bank of America Stadium on Saturday evening. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides at opposite ends of the Turkish Super Lig table will go head-to-head as Konyaspor welcome Besiktas to the Torku Arena. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep will be looking to secure three successive victories for the first time this season when they welcome relegation-threatened Kayserispor to Gaziantep Stadium on Saturday. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Kansas City will be looking to snap their run of five defeats from their opening five games when they play host to Minnesota United at Children's Mercy Park on Sunday morning. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton welcome West Ham United to Goodison Park for a bottom-half Premier League contest on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford boss Thomas Frank has revealed that Fabio Carvalho faces an uphill battle to play again this season. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named Ayden Heaven in his starting side for Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg with Real Sociedad. 13 March 2025 talksport.com Mauricio Pochettino has told talkSPORT he dreams of returning to Tottenham one day. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea and Copenhagen have confirmed their starting lineups for Thursday's Conference League fixture at Stamford Bridge. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes Pep Guardiola's side will need to score at least two goals if they wish to beat Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday's Premier League contest at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Santos president Marcelo Teixeira is hopeful that the club will be able to sign Neymar to a fresh contract. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland will attempt to set a fresh Premier League record when Manchester City welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe has exclusively told Sports Mole he does not believe that Darwin Nunez can rescue his career at Liverpool. 13 March 2025 talksport.com Real Sociedad midfielder Arsen Zakharyan is reportedly unavailable for their second leg clash Manchester United due to visa issues. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly reignited their interest in Lille forward Jonathan David. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have confirmed that Ferland Mendy is facing a spell on the sidelines with the muscular problem that he picked up during Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United could be without up to four players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton are set to be without five players for Saturday's Premier League clash with West Ham United at Goodison Park. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk UEFA have revealed that they will "enter discussions" with FIFA and IFAB over a potential rule change following Julian Alvarez's controversial spot-kick in Wednesday's Champions League clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton manager David Moyes will renew acquaintances with one of his former clubs West Ham United when they do battle at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion could be without up to seven players for Saturday's Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be without at least four players for Saturday's Premier League clash Brighton & Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. 13 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia's battle to stay out of the La Liga relegation zone will continue on Saturday night, when they head to Estadi Montilivi to tackle a Girona outfit that are without a victory since the start of February.