BEVERLY HILLS, March 03, (THEWILL) – Ligue 1 giants, Paris Saint-Germain, announced on Wednesday that their Italian international forward, Moise Kean, who had been in scintillating form this season with 11 goals in 18 matches, would not be in the squad to face 11th-placed Bordeaux at the Stade Matmut-Atlantique in Ligue 1 this evening.
Kean, who is second only to the effervescent Kylian Mbappe for goals in the Paris side ahead of the Brazilian playmaker Neymar, tested positive for COVID-19 in latest testing results and must observe the self-isolation rules in place.
RMC, the private French-Monégasque radio station that broadcasts from France with studios in Paris and Monte-Carlo, claim that apart from the away match at Bordeaux, the 21-year-old Italian is on course to be unavailable for the Round of 16 return leg encounter with Barcelona scheduled for next week.
THEWILL recalls that in the first leg of the last 16 tie, Mbappe netted a remarkable hat-trick as the visitors came from behind to trounce the Catalan giants 4-1.
The Parisians were back at Camp Nou for the first time since their humiliating Champions League collapse in 2017 when they were thumped 6-1 after winning the first leg 4-0, and they got a semblance of revenge with an emphatic victory.
Although there were no early signs of such a beating when Lionel Messi reached 20 goals for a 13th successive season by putting Barca ahead just before the half-hour mark with a penalty, PSG turned up the extra burners to illustrate why they were a far more potent threat in attack than their hosts and fully deserved the equaliser that Mbappe crafted.
The young French forward doubled his personal tally in the second half and the similarly lively Kean got PSG’s third soon after, before the France star completed his treble with a sumptuous finish on the break that will likely put qualification beyond Barca, though Ronald Koeman’s charges have pulled off more unlikely comebacks before.
Now, PSG will have to control the home encounter of the second leg without losing sight of the goal to reach the next stage which is in their hands even in the absence of their two other high goal scorers in Kean and Neymar. Mbappe will have to bear the goal-scoring responsibilities which, given his form, he will relish doing.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.