Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain will be without Lionel Messi when they travel to Reims on Saturday.
Lionel Messi will sit out of Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 trip to Reims after suffering from discomfort in his calf, Christophe Galtier has confirmed.
Messi opened the scoring in spectacular fashion as PSG drew 1-1 at Benfica on Wednesday, becoming the first player to score against 40 different teams in Champions League history.
He has also been involved in seven goals in the last five Ligue 1 games (two goals, five assists), but a medical update released by the club revealed that Messi will miss Saturday’s game despite undergoing a “reassuring examination” on a calf injury.
“There will be changes,” PSG boss Galtier said afterwards at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“Leo Messi will not be fit for Reims but will continue training on Sunday morning. Kylian Mbappe has angina but will travel to Reims.”
Meanwhile, Galtier praised Gianluigi Donnarumma for his response to criticism of his performances earlier in the season after the Italian goalkeeper made six saves at Benfica.
“It works well, no one is airtight against comments – sometimes it becomes criticism and no one is insensitive,” Galtier said.
“During this period, I could notice that he was still focused on his work, trying to eliminate his minor flaws and maintain his strengths.
“I didn’t see anything different in his preparation for the Benfica game. It’s clear that he and the whole team were happy with his performance in Lisbon.”
“I always pointed out his few little mistakes, whether it was a lack of concentration or other problems. After Benfica, he was told that he has to continue to be efficient at all times.”
PSG will take 28 points from the first 10 games of the Ligue 1 campaign if they win at Reims.
In the 21st century, only two teams have reached at least 28 points at this stage of a Ligue 1 season, both finishing as champions (Lyon – 28 in 2006-07 and PSG – 30 in 2018-19).
