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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.

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