Angel Di Maria has been ruled out of Paris St Germain Champions League round of 16 first leg tie against Barcelona after he suffered a muscle issue in last weekend’s victory over Marseille.
The Argentine only saw 11 minutes of the encounter; setting up Kylian Mbappe for the opening goal before being forced off the pitch.
Coach of the French Champions Mauricio Pochettino has now disclosed the severity of the injury, which he said would keep the 32-year-old out of the club’s crucial European showdown against Barca on February 16.
Asked if Di Maria will be unavailable for the trip to Camp Nou, the PSG head coach told a press conference on Tuesday: “Yes, it’s over for Angel Di Maria [to play against Barcelona].
“We will communicate again in a week to see where we are.”
Pochettino went onto insist that the winger’s absence won’t change how he sets his team up against the Blaugrana, adding: “Not having Angel doesn’t give us any reason to vary or move away from our main tactics. The best solution will undoubtedly be found.
“We will move forward, day by day, with respect to the decisions that we are going to make. It’s not a question of choice number one or choice number two. You have to find the best combinations, the best moves in relation to the opponent. We have to find the best game plan for each game.”
Di Maria will also miss a mid-week clash with Caen and will miss out on Ligue 1 meeting with Nice on Saturday, which is a must win for PSG to close the gap with leaders Lyon.
PSG will face Monaco five days after their encounter with Barca, but it remains to be seen whether or not Di Maria will be fit to return for that fixture.
