Edinson Cavani will sit out the first leg of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League encounter with Manchester United, French sports daily L’Equipe and the daily Parisien newspaper reported on Sunday, while club coach Thomas Tuchel described his participation as highly unlikely.
L’Equipe reported that a medical on Sunday had revealed a torn thigh muscle and suggested Cavani, known as El Matador for his clinical finishing skills, would also miss the return leg March 6.
Earlier Sunday Tuchel described Cavani’s situation, stemming from a fiercely converted penalty on Saturday, as bleak.
“There is no good news for Edi this morning, there are still examinations today at our training centre, the club will speak a little later, but in my opinion, the news is not going to be very good,” Tuchel said.
“It will be very difficult for him to play.”
The Uruguayan centre-forward has scored 17 times in the French league and twice in the Champions League this season.
PSG visit Old Trafford on Tuesday for the first leg of their encounter in the round-of-16, the stage at which the French champions went out in the last two seasons.
Cavani suffered what L’Equpe reported Sunday as a torn thigh muscle, probably when blasting home the 42nd-minute penalty that gave PSG a 1-0 victory in Bordeaux. He did not play the second half.
“We always hope but the first exams are not good,” Tuchel said.
He said the club would make a statement later in the day.
PSG will are already missing superstar striker Neymar sidelined until at least April with a foot injury.
Tuchel said there was good news for another of his key players, midfielder Marco Verratti who started against Bordeaux after three weeks out with an ankle problem.
“Verratti can play and will play,” said the German coach.
“I’m worried because we are missing key players,” said Tuchel. “For the big games in the Champions League, it is absolutely necessary to have key players with a lot of experience”.
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