Published: September 24, 2021 4:37 pm
Last Updated: September 24, 2021 4:40 pm
An update on the fitness of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has been forthcoming online, ahead of the club’s highly-anticipated meeting with Manchester City.
Messi missing
Recent days have of course seen the name of Argentine attacker Messi take centre stage in the media.
This comes after the 34-year-old was involved in an altogether concerning exchange with new boss Mauricio Pochettino towards the close of PSG’s meeting with Lyon last weekend.
After looking altogether bemused by his fellow countryman’s decision to haul him off with the score locked at a goal apiece, Messi was widely accused of snubbing Poch’s attempted handshake:
Pochettino wanted to shake Messi’s hand but Leo refused 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/MPHnxC3BaP
— 🪄🇳🇱 (@FDJChief) September 19, 2021
In the aftermath of the Parc des Princes clash, however, the PSG boss went on to confirm that, in fact, his star man was struggling with a knee problem:
‘We saw that Messi was checking his knee and then made some gestures.
‘We could also see [the discomfort] when he attempted a shot.
‘But I was pleased with his performance, He did very well in the first-half.’
#Pochettino confirms knee injury was the reason for subbing #Messi 🤕#Ligue1 🇫🇷
👉 Metz vs. PSG, Wednesday at 3PM ET on beIN SPORTS pic.twitter.com/GfBrBGuBo4
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) September 21, 2021
Leo latest
Messi, in turn, was subsequently forced to sit out his new club’s last-gasp Ligue 1 win over Metz on Wednesday night, with the former Barcelona man’s participation moving forward, as a result, thrown up in the air.
And, if the latest word stemming from the French media is anything to go by, then, as things stand, the situation does not look overly encouraging.
As per the generally reliable RMC Sport, Messi is expected to play no part in PSG’s clash with Montpellier on Saturday night.
The 6-time Ballon d’Or winner is therefore too viewed as a major doubt to feature next Tuesday, when the capital giants face an early-season litmus test, in the form of a Champions League showdown with Manchester City.
🔴🔵 Victime d’un coup à un genou gauche dimanche dernier face à l’OL, Lionel Messi est incertain pour le choc de Ligue des champions entre le PSG et Manchester City, ce mardi. L’Argentin a déjà manqué le déplacement à Metz et sera aussi absent face à Montpellier ce samedi.
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) September 24, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | -3 | 9 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 5 | -3 | 6 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 5 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 5 | -7 | 2 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 5 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 5 | -12 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Barnes, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
