Lionel Messi has said that he believes that his team Paris Saint Germain can beat Bayern Munich to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals. This comes after Neymar has been confirmed to miss the match as has been sidelined for the rest of the season through injury.
PSG and Messi are about to face Bayern Munich for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 matches on Wednesday night. They have already lost the first leg 1-0. Amid all this, one of their key players Neymar Jr has gotten injured. Many doubt whether PSG can survive going to Munich. However, Lionel Messi is not scared so easily.
In an interview with his club’s official channel PSGTV, he told them, “It’s going to be a very difficult game which will be decided by small details. Winning at this stadium is very tough. But I think we’re well prepared and capable of turning the situation around. We’ll go to Munich with this intention.”
Leo Messi: "The Bayern match will be difficult and will be played on small details. It is very difficult to win at their stadium, but I think we are ready and able to turn the situation around." pic.twitter.com/OUCD7IFPYT
— Leo Messi 🔟 Fan Club (@WeAreMessi) March 6, 2023
Messi last scored in a 4-2 win over Nantes in Ligue 1. It was his 799th career goal and a goal against Bayern can make it 800. It was also a record of 1000 club goal involvements for the Argentine as he continues to dominate the French league. The World Cup winner has 13 goals and 12 assists in just 21 league appearances this season helping PSG retain the first spot in Ligue 1.
After arriving in Paris from Barcelona last season where he initially suffered, he has since turned it up this season. He was also the World Cup’s Best player and won FIFA’s Best award.
Why is Neymar unavailable for this crucial fixture?
Neymar Jr was declared to be unavailable for the rest of the season by the club on Monday. He is set to go under the surgeon’s knife in Doha, Qatar after suffering damage to his ankle ligaments during the 4-3 win over Lille in the last month. He has 13 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season and was pivotal at times for the French club. The team will certainly miss the Brazilian and his creativity up front.
BREAKING: Neymar’s season is over. A surgery will be carried out in the coming days in Doha. 🚨🔴🔵🇧🇷 #Neymar
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 6, 2023
➕ Neymar will not return to collective training for 3-4 months, PSG confirm. pic.twitter.com/RTIlwAWWro
Manager Christopher Galtier said after Neymar’s unavailability, “He is one of the top scorers and assists providers in Ligue 1, so he is a big loss,”
It is now up to Messi and French superstar Kylian Mbappe to overturn the tie against Bayern. Both have been proven to step up when their team needs them the most. Messi has carried Barcelona and Argentina to miracles numerous times so if he pulls another miracle out of his bag we should not be surprised.
