MY ACCOUNT
Julian Nagelsmann is not buying Paris Saint-Germain’s claims that Kylian Mbappe will miss the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against his Bayern Munich team.
Mbappe sustained a hamstring injury in Wednesday’s Ligue 1 clash with Montpellier.
PSG subsequently announced the 24-year-old is set to be sidelined for around three weeks.
If that estimated recovery time is accurate, Mbappe would be unavailable for the first leg of PSG’s clash with Bundesliga champions Bayern on February 14.
However, Bayern coach Nagelsmann is not fully convinced that will be the case.
“I don’t think he will be out, I don’t expect anything else. I don’t know what [injury] he’s got, I assume [he will be] playing,” Nagelsmann said at a press conference ahead of Bayern’s trip to Wolfsburg on Saturday.
“I don’t know what he has. It’s relatively vague on the PSG website. If it’s not a structural injury, I can’t imagine him missing the game, but I don’t know. Of course, they can play poker.
“I am preparing for the game as if he is going to play.”
While Nagelsmann does not fully believe PSG’s news about Mbappe, he could be seen as playing mind games of his own, as he revealed Sadio Mane will not be fit to feature against the French champions.
Mane missed the World Cup due to an injury sustained while in action for Bayern just ahead of last year’s tournament but returned to training last month.
“I am expecting him back in the middle or at the end of February,” Nagelsmann said of the former Liverpool attacker.
“Things are looking good and he’s pain-free. He will definitely miss the first leg against PSG.”
Bayern claimed their first win of 2023 in emphatic fashion last time out, beating Mainz 4-0 in the DFB Pokal.
They have drawn their three Bundesliga matches since the season’s resumption, though face a Wolfsburg team that have lost their last two games.
Making his debut following a loan move from Manchester City, Joao Cancelo impressed against Mainz, and Nagelsmann had praise for his latest recruit.
“He’s a very likeable player and will help better us,” he said.
“He’s a fighter who likes to play as much as possible and who wants to impact the game. He adds new options to our team. He was very strong in the first half against Mainz.”
