PSG lose injured Mbappe for first leg of Bayern Champions League tie
Kylian Mbappe will miss the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich.
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Injured PSG's Kylian Mbappe grimaces in pain during the French League One soccer match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain at the State La Mosson stadium in Montpellier, France, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023 (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Kylian Mbappe faces three weeks out with a thigh injury and will miss the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on February 14, his club announced Thursday.
The France star was hurt during the first half of Wednesday's 3-1 win at Montpellier in Ligue 1 having earlier had two penalties saved.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier had first suggested Mbappe had only a knock to the back of the knee, but the tests have confirmed the true extent of the problem, he "suffered an injury to the left thigh at the level of the femoral biceps," as per a club statement.
If Mbappe misses three weeks as expected, he can also expect to sit out next midweek's French Cup last-16 tie against Marseille and faces a race against time to return at the end of this month for a potentially pivotal Ligue 1 game away to the same opponents.
However, PSG will hope that Mbappe will be fit for the second leg against Bayern in Germany on March 8.
The French giants are desperate to avoid a repeat of last season's incident when they were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Real Madrid.
PSG is hoping to win for the first time the European club football's most prestigious competition after over 10 years of attempts since the 2011's Qatari takeover.
Last year, the PSG persuaded Mbappe to stay at the club and sign a new contract despite Real's interest in him as they hoped he would take them to victory in Europe.
Read: Mbappe chooses Paris-Saint Germain over Real Madrid transfer: Reports
The France star's injury comes just a month after he starred at the World Cup in Qatar, and the timing is even more of a blow for PSG after they witnessed on Tuesday a frustrating end to the January transfer window when they failed to process the paperwork to complete the loan signing of winger Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea.
The Moroccan winger had already passed a medical and was set to add an extra option in attack for Galtier after the departure of another forward, Pablo Sarabia, to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
