Paris Saint-Germain is kicking off its 2019 UEFA Champions League campaign minus the club's key attackers, no thanks to injuries and suspension.
It has been confirmed that Kylian Mbappe, Edison Cavani and Neymar will skip PSG's tussle against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Mbappe will be out of action due to hamstring injury while Cavani has been diagnosed with a tweaked hip last August. Both have been ruled out by PSG for the UCL opener against Real Madrid, but officials from PSG have indicated that the two strikers are set to resume training by the end of the week, per the report from The Score.
Another casualty for PSG is Neymar, who is serving a two-game suspension, a carry-over penalty from the club's losing effort last against the Manchester United last year. Recall that Neymar was slapped with the ban following his lashing out at the referees during the match, which marked PSG's exit from the round-of-16.
In a Twitter post, Mbappe reported that he will be forced to watch his PSG teammates from the sidelines when the UCL hostilities commence.
"It is now official - I will not start our European campaign at home against Real Madrid. I am very sad not to be able to play, but I will give the team all the support I can from the stands. I still hope to return at 100 percent and to give my best, as always," ESPN reported Mbappe as saying.
In the same report, the sports network likewise noted that both teams' rosters had been decimated. For Real, Marcelo, Isco, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, and Fede Valverde have been listed as physically unfit to play.
In addition, Sergio Ramos and Nacho Fernandez are prevented from suiting up this week due to suspension.
For its part, PSG will sorely miss the services of its three key players, whom the Bleacher Report described as "preferred front three for the meeting with the Spanish giants."
In last year's Champions League, the triumvirate of Mbappe, Cavani, and Neymar registered a total of 20 goals, and the figures should signify how crucial their contribution will be as PSG guns to perform better for the 2019 UCL campaign.
Still, the French club is expected to hurdle through the first knockout round of the competition, and the same is true with the perennial top performer Real Madrid, according to an analysis offered by Bleacher Report.
PSG, however, gaining deeper ground at the UCL will greatly depend on the club's succeeding matches as the same report observed: "Finishing top of the group could be crucial to getting an easier route to the latter stages."