Will Kylian Mbappe play against Real Sociedad? Latest on PSG star's injury status for Champions League game

Dom Farrell

Will Kylian Mbappe play against Real Sociedad? Latest on PSG star's injury status for Champions League game image

Paris Saint-Germain resume their latest tilt at UEFA Champions League glory when they host Real Sociedad in the first leg of a tricky last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Luis Enrique's side progressed as runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund and at the expense of AC Milan and Newcastle United in a devilishly tough Group F.

The first knockout round has traditionally proved to be problematic for PSG. The beaten 2019/20 finalists have fallen at this hurdle in five of the past seven seasons, including last year when they were dispatched 3-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich.

Star forward Kylian Mbappe will be expected to have a key say on whether PSG progress into the latter stages this time around, especially with Lionel Messi and Neymar leaving Paris at the end of last season.

But will the France international be ready to feature when La Real arrive at the Parc des Princes?

MORE: Jude Bellingham injury update: How long Real Madrid star is out, games missed, and when he will be back

 

Will Kylian Mbappe play against Real Sociedad?

Mbappe is set to start the match against Real Sociedad despite missing last weekend's Ligue 1 win over Lille.

Head coach Luis Enrique stated on February 13, a day before the game in Paris: "I think that, when a team has a player of the level of Kylian Mbappe, you have to understand that the more he plays, the better it is for them.

"He could have played four days ago, but it wasn't worth the risk."

Given PSG's initially positive prognosis regarding the player's recovery, Mbappe taking the weekend off felt most likely to be a precautionary measure.

The Parisians have an 11-point lead over Nice at the top of Ligue 1, with another title seemingly a formality.

By contrast, the Champions League has proved to be anything but over recent years and former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique will be keen to establish a handsome first-leg advantage, given he knows all about the potential perils of a fired-up Anoeta in the return game.

Expect a refreshed Mbappe to start against Real Sociedad, or at least to be on the bench.

Kylian Mbappe injury: What happened to PSG star?

Mbappe opened the scoring in PSG's 3-1 Coupe de France win over Brest on February 7 before coming in for some rough treatment from opposition defender Lillian Brassier.

Brassier was booked for each of a pair of heavy fouls on Mbappe to be sent off. The 25-year-old completed the match despite clearly nursing some ankle soreness from the challenges.

"The doctors are going to do tests, he took a big blow to his ankle," Luis Enrique told reporters afterwards. "He was able to complete the match, so I don't think it will be very serious. This is the news I have."

Mbappe trained in the gym, away from the rest of his teammates when PSG returned to work ahead of the weekend game against Lille, for which the club said his place in the squad was "not in doubt".

Luis Enrique was indeed able to name Mbappe in his squad, although he remained an unused substitute during a come-from-behind 3-1 win for the reigning Ligue 1 champions.

Kylian Mbappe
Getty Images

What is Kylian Mbappe's record in the Champions League?

The goal against Brest took Mbappe to 30 in 29 appearances across all competitions for PSG this season.

Three of those came in the Champions League group stage, where he was ever-present in his team's six matches.

Overall, Mbappe has 43 goals in 67 Champions League appearances. These statistics include six in nine games during his breakout season at Monaco in 2016/17.

After that he joined PSG and his 242 goals in 289 games make him the club's all-time record goalscorer.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.