Champions League: Neymar has not played since picking up the injury in a French Cup victory over Caen in early February.
“We have not had to make a decision, it is simply the state of fitness of a player, in this case ‘Ney’, who can’t make it,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said during a virtual press conference ahead of the game at the Parc des Princes.
“He is not fit enough to play a competitive game. This is just a reality, a fact.
“It’s a shame because he had been really looking forward to this game. It is a difficult moment for him because he had been expecting to recover but clearly he is still a few days away from being able to help the team.”
The 29-year-old has not played since picking up the injury in a French Cup victory over Caen in early February.
He also missed the first leg of the Champions League tie at the Camp Nou, which PSG won 4-1 with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick, due to the issue.
That result puts Pochettino’s team in a strong position to qualify for the quarter-finals going into the return leg, although the former Tottenham Hotspur coach preached caution in front of the media.
Neymar will miss Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League last 16 second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday after failing to shake off a thigh injury, the French champions confirmed. PSG said on Tuesday the Brazil attacker would continue to train individually and would be assessed again “in the coming days”.
Neymar will not be available for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League decider with Barcelona after failing to shake off a thigh injury, the French champions said on Tuesday.
In a statement, PSG said that Brazil forward Neymar “will continue his individual training”, saying that a new assessment would be made “in the coming days”.
The injury meant he also missed the first leg at the Camp Nou, which PSG won 4-1.
