Football news - PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino sweating over Kylian Mbappe for Man City clash

ByReuters

Published 03/05/2021 at 18:41 GMT

Paris Saint-Germain will make a late decision on whether forward Kylian Mbappe will be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Monday. Video footage circulating on social media showed Mbappe limping on his arrival in Manchester.

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe reacts during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on April 28, 2021. (Photo by Anne

Image credit: Getty Images

Kylian Mbappe's inclusion in the PSG side to face Manchester City will be decided shortly before the game, said boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Mbappe, PSG's top scorer this season with 25 goals in Ligue 1 and eight in Europe, missed the 2-1 victory over Lens on Saturday due to a calf injury.

Video footage circulating on social media showed Mbappe limping on his arrival in Manchester for Tuesday's match at the Etihad Stadium, but Pochettino will make his final assessment after the first-team training session.

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"We need to assess Kylian, today he's going to start individual training session and see if he'll be with the team," Pochettino told a news conference. "It's still one day, we didn't decide and we will see tomorrow."

Having suffered a 2-1 defeat in Paris last week, PSG know they must score at least twice on Tuesday if they are to stand any chance of heading to their second straight Champions League final.

Pochettino said he will not tweak PSG's formation -- with or without Mbappe -- but emphasised the importance of his team converting their counter-attacking opportunities.