• Kimpembe, Mendes and Sanches will also miss today’s game with injuries
Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi will not be involved against Benfica today after failing to recover from a calf injury in time for the Champions League group stage game, the French club said yesterday.
Messi had missed the weekend’s Ligue 1 draw against Stade de Reims in which table toppers PSG failed to score in the league for the first time this season. The 35-year-old had asked to be withdrawn in the reverse fixture at Benfica last week due to the calf problem but PSG boss Christophe Galtier said he expected him to return for the weekend clash against third-placed Olympique de Marseille.
“We know the importance of Leo in our game, his form and the connection he can have with other players,” Galtier told reporters. “We can’t be happy about his absence. But we will have to find other connections to bring danger to the Benfica defence. We must have other options.
“We need to be able to play down both sides. When Messi plays, we play a lot down the middle. We’ve been working hard on distribution to bring more variety in our attack.”
Mbappe had taken a dig at Galtier in a deleted Instagram post after Saturday’s 0-0 draw, suggesting he did not like playing up front as a lone striker and Galtier said he had spoken to the frustrated French forward. “Kylian is already at 11 goals and given his quality I know he will score many more. He was not supposed to play in Reims, he was ill. But Messi was absent and Neymar was having muscle problems with so many games back-to-back,” Galtier said.
“So if Neymar and Messi were available, Kylian wouldn’t have played. He was ill and tired. The game didn’t go very well for us... hence, his reaction. These are discussions that we often have with Kylian. I exchange a lot with him to try to reassure him... We are very sensitive to his remarks and his thoughts because he’s a very important player.”
Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes and Renato Sanches will also miss today’s game with injuries. PSG are top of Group H at the halfway stage with seven points, the same as Benfica, while Juventus are four points behind in third.
Ancelotti says Benzema will start against Shakhtar
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that striker Karim Benzema is fit and will start for Real Madrid against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League today, ahead of Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona. Benzema will lead the attack for Madrid in Warsaw, where Shakhtar are playing their home matches because of the Russian war on Ukraine.
The forward missed the 1-0 win at Getafe on Saturday in La Liga, after featuring in two matches following his comeback from a thigh injury. Vinicius Junior may be rested, with the Clasico in mind.
“Vini is one of the players I have to evaluate because he’s played everything. He played on Saturday night, we had the travel today, we have to evaluate it,” said Ancelotti. “Karim is doing well. We’re quite sure he’ll start the game tomorrow. He will play, like (Toni) Kroos, (Ferland) Mendy, who are fresh and will play.”
Real Madrid are top of Group F and can seal qualification to the last 16 with a win over Shakhtar. Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin will start again against the side from his homeland, although Ancelotti said Thibaut Courtois was feeling better after sciatica and could return for the Clasico.
“Andriy is quite shy. He’s not a person that talks too much, it’s normal that everything that is happening affects him, as it affects everyone in Ukraine,” said Ancelotti. “The only thing that we can do it offer solidarity. If he needs anything, we are here to help him. He’s doing well. He’s young. He has a lot of quality. These games help him gain experience and knowledge, the only things he needs, because he has the qualities of a great goalkeeper.”