The fans are angry, it should also have cracked in the cabin: Paris Saint-Germain is alarmed. “It looks like a bad movie,” wrote the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe” a few days before the Champions League duel with Bayern Munich. The club in the capital is going through the worst winter since it was taken over by the Qatari investment fund in 2011.
“With three defeats of the season, the shareholder starts to get angry, with four a crisis is brewing, with five the coach is threatened,” said “L’Équipe”. The 1: 3 on Saturday at AS Monaco was already the fourth competitive defeat this year.
Coach Christophe Galtier admitted that he was worried – but with a view to the forthcoming round of 16 first leg against Bayern in the Prinzenpark on Tuesday and the tense personnel situation at PSG. The hopes of the French champion now rest even more on world champion Lionel Messi.
The 35-year-old Argentinian was injured in the cup defeat in Marseille on Wednesday and missed the Principality. Messi should be back for the final training session on Monday. Marco Verratti is probably available again against Munich.
As for Kylian Mbappé, who is due out for three weeks after suffering a muscle injury earlier in the month, Galtier reiterated that he doesn’t think the ex-French world champion will be fit. “We’re taking zero, zero risk with Kylian.”
Of the superstar trio in PSG’s attack against Monaco, only Neymar remained, who is said to have bickered with fellow players on the pitch, but also in the cabin with PSG advisor Luís Campos, according to French media reports. Captain Marquinhos is said to have sided with fellow Brazilian Neymar. “Where is the crisis leading to?” asked “20 Minutes”.
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