Upon drawing Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, fans quickly became excited over the prospect of seeing PSG take on the Spanish giants and their star attacker Neymar return to the Camp Nou. However, given that the Brazilian picked up a nasty ankle injury in the 1-0 weekend defeat to Lyon, many began wondering whether he would even be fit and available.
The Selecao sensation was on the receiving end of a poor tackle and had to stretchered off the pitch in tears while the culprit – Thiago Mendes – was sent off after intervention from VAR. The immediate fear was that the 28-year-old had suffered a fracture given the amount of visible pain he was in but tests later revealed that this was not the case.
The French giants have dodged a bullet, confirming the injury to the world's most expensive player to be a mere ankle sprain. Neymar was glad to hear this update, thanking God for the positive outcome after missing one too many UEFA Champions League knockout games through injuries.
"It could have been worse, but once again God saved me from something serious. My cry was of pain, despair, fear, anguish, surgery, crutches and other horrible memories," Neymar posted on Instagram.
"I hope to recover and return as quickly as possible."
In fact, the Brazilian could be back in the squad a lot sooner than expected. Unfortunately, Les Parisiens crucial weekend showdown with Lille could come too early, with Tuchel admitting that while there is a possibility of Neymar featuring, there is no guarantee.
"Neymar may be back against Lille this Sunday. There will be new exams tomorrow. There is hope but no certainty," the manager said in a pre-match press conference.
Thomas Tuchel : " @neymarjr sera peut-être de retour contre Lille ce dimanche. Il y aura de nouveaux examens demain. Il y a un espoir mais aucune certitude.. "https://t.co/KnmXbCwRyD#PSGlive
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) December 15, 2020
Having lost 1-0 to Lyon on Sunday, PSG will be aiming to return to winning ways and to the top of the table. The Ligue 1 champions dropped to third in the standings after that result and will look to make amends first this midweek in Wednesday's clash with Lorient, then the weekend trip to Lille.
