Lionel Messi is suspended, so he will not feature for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when they travel to face Troyes in Ligue 1 on Sunday (May 7). The Parisians will look to return to winning ways after their 3-1 defeat to Lorient last time around.
Messi has received a two-week suspension after going on an unsanctioned Saudi Arabia trip. That means he will neither play nor train with the club for that period.
PSG manager Christophe Galtier has confirmed that he will have a discussion with Lionel Messi and the the club whether he will feature again for the first team. The French tactician was quoted as saying:
"We will see when Leo returns; we will see what will happen, obviously there will be discussions with the entire club, but also with Leo who is the first concerned.”
The Ligue 1 leaders will travel to Troyes without the World Cup-winning forward. Christophe Galtier's side will have to rely on Kylian Mbappe to get the goals in the absence of Messi and Neymar, who is out for the season due to injury.
PSG's squad for their game against Troyes can be seen below:
PSG and Troyes played out an exciting game earlier this season, with the Parisians winning 4-3. The defending champions came back from 2-1 down to go ahead 4-2 before Troyes scored with two minutes remaining, but an equaliser was not to be. Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar were on the scoresheet.
The Parisians are five points clear atop the Ligue 1 charts despite their defeat to Lorient last time around, with five games remaining. They have 75 points from 33 games.
Lionel Messi apologises to PSG for Saudi Arabia trip
Lionel Messi look to Instagram to apologise to his PSG teammates for his unofficial trip to Saudi Arabia. In the video, Messi said (via BBC Sport):
"I am sorry for what I did and I wait to see what the club decides. I honestly thought we were going to have the day off after the match as had happened in the previous weeks. I had organised this trip to Saudi Arabia having cancelled it previously. This time I couldn't cancel it."
Messi is widely expected to leave the club at the end of the season.