PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar is uncertain to play in Sunday’s match at bitter rival Marseille after missing training because of gastroenteritis, coach Mauricio Pochettino said.
“We hope that Neymar recovers as quickly as possible,” Pochettino said at a news conference on Saturday. “We will see tomorrow if he can be part of the squad.”
Pochettino also has doubts over center half Marquinhos and midfielder Marco Verratti.
“They’ve trained with the squad. But as with Neymar, we will decide tomorrow,” Pochettino said.
French champion PSG said backup defender Timothee Pembele has the coronavirus and is self-isolating. Central defender Abdou Diallo, who contracted the virus on Jan. 29, is still following COVID-19 protocols and will miss the game.
First-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas is nursing an adductor muscle injury and midfielder Ander Herrera is not yet match fit after recently resuming training.
“He (Navas) is recovering well, but he won’t be ready for the match tomorrow,” Pochettino said. “We’ll see how he gets on with a view to the French Cup game next Wednesday.”
Marseille could be without imposing striker Arkadiusz Milik, the club’s new signing from Napoli. After scoring in a 2-2 draw at Lens on Wednesday, he went off on the hour mark with a thigh problem.
The clubs are meeting for the third time this season, having won once each.
Marseille won 1-0 in an ill-tempered league game at Parc des Princes in September when Neymar was among five players sent off.
Neymar scored when PSG beat Marseille 2-1 last month to win the Champions Trophy.
PSG entered the weekend in third place, trailing leader Lille by three points and Lyon by one.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
