Mbappé in, Messi and Neymar out as PSG start 2022

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·3 January 2022

Mbappé in, Messi and Neymar out as PSG start 2022

Danger man Kylian Mbappé will be on hand to lead the line as PSG - shorn of Lionel Messi (COVID) and Neymar (ankle) - do battle with D4 amateurs Vannes OC in the Coupe de France round of 32 on Monday evening.

Coupe de France round of 32 Stade de la Rabine, Vannes Vannes OC - Paris Saint-Germain - Kick-off at 21:10 CET (20:10 GMT) It has been something of a rocky winter break for Mauricio Pochettino's Paris Saint-Germain, with COVID cutting a swathe through the squad and adding the names of Lionel Messi, Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico and most likely Danilo Pereira (who had symptoms on Sunday) to an absentee list that counts Neymar (ankle) and AFCON participants Idrissa Gueye, Abdou Diallo (both Senegal) and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) among its number. Poch: 'Absentees are not an excuse'

"We needed to take this time for us during this break, after a tough schedule and most importantly another hard year for everyone from a health perspective," said Pochettino in his pre-match presser on Sunday. "The team will be competitive tomorrow, the absentees are not an excuse, we'll be ready for this game. We're not thinking about the other games yet, we’re focused on Vannes. We know that the players will have the right attitude on the pitch, no matter what the lineup is, because that's what we want to be and show."

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Vannes will doubtless still be very wary of their capital club visitors at a Stade de la Rabine reduced to a COVID-friendly 5,000 seats - especially with a certain Kylian Mbappé leading the line. The now-23 year-old has been involved in the most goals of any player in Ligue 1 Uber Eats this season - nine strikes and eight assists for a total of 17 - and he will be on hand to shoulder the scoring burden flanked by youngster Xavi Simons and Georginio Wijnaldum in a 4-3-3. Marco Verratti is tipped to anchor the midfield alongside Ander Herrera and another youngster in Eric Dina Ebimbe, while Presnel Kimpembe marshals a four-man backline alongside Thilo Kehrer, Colin Dagba and Nuno Mendes and in front of Gigio Donnarumma. Probable teams Vannes OC: Pétrel; Duclovel, Lavenant, Lescot, Bérénice; Daury, Yobe, Mama, Ngoubou; Persico (c), Kouassi Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma; Dagba, Kehrer, Kimpembe (c), Nuno Mendes; Herrera, Verratti, Dina Ebimbe; Simons, Mbappé, Wijnaldum

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