Lionel Messi to miss game against Montpellier but could be back against Man City in UCL

Paris Saint-Germain are preparing to take on Montpellier on Saturday in the Ligue 1; however, they will have to do so again without six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino had said that the Argentine star forward missed the game against Metz due to a knock he picked up in the match against Lyon. Poch has now revealed that he will not be available for their match this weekend but there is a possibility that he could be back for PSG's midweek clash against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. Speaking at a press conference ahead of PSG's match against Montpellier Pochettino said that while Messi has started "running" again on Friday. He said that the medical staff will have a look at Messi's injury again on Sunday. Poch further added that while he hopes Messi can be back for their fixture against City they still have to be careful.

"Leo started running again on Friday. We hope that things will keep progressing as planned, and we'll look at it again on Sunday. Could he play against Manchester City? Yes, we hope so, but we have to be cautious. We'll see how he progresses in the coming days," said Pochettino as quoted by en.psg.fr.

Messi's substitution and Pochettino's reaction to the denial of handshake

After PSG emerged victorious in their Ligue 1 clash against Lyon on September 20, the biggest talking point of the match was not the last-minute winner but Lionel Messi’s substitution in the 66th minute of the game. Manager Mauricio Pochettino replaced Messi with Achraf Hakimi when the scores were level at 1-1. Messi looked confused while returning to the dugout and refused to shake his manager's hands. The PSG coach was asked about the image of what looked like Messi denying a handshake when taken off, and he responded by saying:

"Of course I understand the situation and I accept it as it is. I am not more or less surprised. The priority is always the players and their well-being. As I explained earlier with the internal information that we had, we felt that the best thing for him after 75 minutes was to bring him off. Of course, all top players want to be on the pitch at all times. As that is understandable. I am calm about it. I am not surprised, and it is normal for that sort of thing to happen."

Image: AP