Paris: Leaders Paris Saint-Germain will be without Neymar at Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, with Brazil forward suffering from muscular fatigue as the capital side struggle for form.
PSG have 48 points from 20 matches and their advantage over second-placed RC Lens has come down to three points. Christophe Galtier’s side has made an average start to 2023, losing their last two games at Lens and Rennes before being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Stade de Reims on Sunday. They host Bayern Munich in their Champions League last 16 first leg in Feb. 14.
“I have spoken to the squad, we need to get some consistency back in our performances but there are times in a season where it’s more difficult,” Galtier told a news conference on Tuesday.
PSG will also be without midfielder Marco Verratti, who is suspended after picking up a straight red card on Sunday just 14 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.
“We have to rediscover the right formula in midfield. We need more density and more fluidity,” Galtier explained.
“We need more rigor and (must) make more efforts collectively. We used to do this in the first months of the season. Everyone needs to look into their performances and what they are doing for the team.”
Against Reims, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Lionel Messi started together for the first time this year but barely defended, leaving the team split in two and weakened at the back.
“We have three incredibly talented offensive players and playing without one of them to be more balanced would be a mistake,” said Galtier.
“We have been solid with the three of them together before. We, however, can’t be satisfied with the Reims game.”
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