Neymar ruled out of Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Barcelona

While a sensational Kylian Mbappe hattrick, alongside a goal from Moise Kean, sealed a 4-1 win in the first-leg for PSG against Barcelona, Neymar’s absence was a big black mark on the fixture. It meant that many hoped the Brazilian would be fit in time to make his appearance in the second leg especially given his past with the La Liga giants. Yet, while the 29-year-old returned to light training a few days ago, rumours indicated that Neymar wouldn’t be able to participate.

That has now been confirmed by Paris Saint-Germain as they revealed that despite returning to light training, the second leg Champions League fixture comes too early for Neymar. The statement also confirmed that Juan Bernat will also miss out with an injury and so will Moise Kean, who remains in self-isolation after a positive COVID-19 test. This is not the first time this has happened at this particular stage of the competition with Neymar missing out on games against Real Madrid and Manchester United over the last few years.

This does come as a massive blow for Paris Saint-Germain but they do hold a commanding lead going into the second leg but reports have indicated that the club will make another assessment before the game. ESPN further reported that PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino did consider adding Neymar to the club’s squad for the game but then decided against it, something the 29-year-old agreed to.