Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
With eye on Qatar, PSG rest Marquinhos; Messi included
PARIS: Brazil defender Marquinhos has been rested for Paris Saint-Germain’s final game before the World Cup in Qatar because of muscle discomfort.
French league leaders PSG said on Saturday that their captain Marquinhos, who is a key player in coach Tite’s Brazil team and has made 71 international appearances, would be left out of the side to face Auxerre on Sunday.
But Argentina star Lionel Messi, France striker Kylian Mbappe and Brazil’s Neymar will be included in the PSG squad before flying out to Qatar.
Messi missed last weekend’s game against Lorient because of inflammation on his Achilles tendon, with central defender Presnel Kimpembe rested for a similar problem. Mbappe also went off near the end with muscle fatigue.
Kimpembe, who has played only one hour of football since sustaining a hamstring injury on September 18, is also in coach Christophe Galtier’s squad for the Auxerre game. Kimpembe then flies out to join his France teammates in Qatar for the World Cup that kicks off next Sunday.
Injured Son named in South Korea squad
SEOUL: Son Heung-min has been included in South Korea’s 26-man squad for the World Cup in Qatar despite suffering a fractured eye socket playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League this month.
Head coach Paulo Bento included Son in his squad after the 30-year-old declared himself fit to feature for the Koreans, who will be making their 10th consecutive appearance.
“We are in contact with him, with the Tottenham medical department, but about the exact time, the exact day he can train with the team we don’t have that information yet,” Bento said. “We need to wait, we need to analyse day-by-day his situation. We have time to decide and the most important is he recovers as well as possible, he feels comfortable and then we will take the final decision.”
Bento named a 27th player, forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, who will train with the team in Qatar and could replace Son if he does not make it.