Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe named in PSG squad to face Bayern Munich

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have been named in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s squad for the UEFA Champions League last 16 clash with Bayern Munich. The Parisians host the Bundesliga giants in the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday (February 14).

There have been concerns over the availability of Messi and Mbappe. The former picked up a muscular injury in the side's 2-1 defeat to Marseille in the Coupe de France on Wednesday (February 8). Meanwhile, the latter has been sidelined with a hamstring problem he incurred during a 3-1 victory over Montpellier on February 1.

Both missed PSG's 3-1 defeat to AS Monaco on Saturday (February 11) and were deemed doubts for the encounter with Bayern. However, Christophe Galtier's squad for the UEFA Champions League last 16 tie has been released. Both Messi and Mbappe feature in it.

The squad the Parisians have selected to face the Bavarians is as follows:

Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alexandre Lettlier, Sergio Rico.

Defenders:

Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, Timothee Pembele, El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Juan Bernat, Nuno Mendes, Danilo Pereira.

Midfielders:

Marco Verratti, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Ismael Gharbi.

Attackers:

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Carlos Soler, Hugo Ekitike.

Galtier's side will be looking to advance to the quarter-finals for just the third time in six years. Their opponents, Bayern, are the team that beat them 1-0 in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final.

Lionel Messi and Mbappe's inclusion is a massive boost for the Ligue 1 giants. The duo have been in red-hot form this season, with the Argentine icon scoring 15 goals and providing 14 assists in 25 games across competitions. Meanwhile, the French forward has bagged 25 goals in 26 matches.

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Donnarumma not using Lionel Messi and Mbappe's absences as an excuse for PSG loss to Monaco

PSG suffered their third league defeat after they were beaten 3-1 by Monaco at the Stade Louis II. It has placed doubts upon the Parisians' hopes of winning their first-ever UEFA Champions League.

The defeat showed how reliant Galtier's men are on Lionel Messi and Mbappe. The duo's absences were felt as the league leaders were out of ideas in attack. However, Donnarumma is not using this as an excuse for their setback against Les Rouge et Blanc. The Italian shot-stopper said following the loss (via PSG Talk):

“Absences during the day should not be an excuse. We had a horrible game and I apologize to the fans. We wanted to revive but we are starting to catch up in the league. We are living in difficult times."

Donnarumma is looking forward to Tuesday's Champions League tie with Bayern. He added:

“Tuesday’s game will be very important. We have to put our heads down and work a lot over the next few days. We have to focus on Bayern Munich now.”

PSG fans will hope that the attacking duo play a part against Julien Nagelsmann's side. They have lost just once in the Bundesliga this season.