PSG expected to name 30-year-old star in line-up to face Benfica due to the absence of Lionel Messi: Reports

In Lionel Messi’s absence, French juggernauts Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are expected to name Pablo Sarabia in their line-up to face Benfica, French journalist Hadrien Grenier has claimed via Twitter.

PSG are set to square off against Group H rivals Benfica on matchday four of their 2022-23 UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday night (October 11). The two teams, who are level on seven points, played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse match last week. Lionel Messi, who scored the Parisians’ only goal in the match in Portugal, is set to miss out due to a calf issue.

The Argentine maverick picked up the injury in the latter stages of the matchday three clash. As a result, he sat out PSG’s goalless draw with Reims on Saturday (October 9). With the forward ruled out, Christopher Galtier is reportedly set to turn to 30-year-old Spanish attacker, Sarabia.

According to Grenier, Galtier could opt for the following lineup for the clash against Benfica on Tuesday:

Gianluigi Donnarumma; Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos (c), Danilo Pereira; Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Marco Verratti, Juan Bernat; Pablo Sarabia, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar

Sarabia, who is yet to score in the nine games he has featured in this season, also started in Saturday’s draw with Reims but failed to make a tangible impact.

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PSG coach Christophe Galtier hopeful of having Lionel Messi at his disposal against Marseille

During his pre-match press conference on Monday (October 10), Galtier provided an injury update on superstar Lionel Messi. He clarified that the player was feeling better than earlier, but he was not feeling 100% up for the match against Benfica.

The French manager then revealed that Messi’s situation will continue to be assessed over the week, but there was a good chance that he would play against Marseille (October 16).

He said (via PSGTalk):

“Leo felt a discomfort in his calf against Benfica. We thought he would be able to participate in tomorrow’s game, but in the end it is still limited. He is much better, he is confident, but he still has an unpleasant feeling, so he prefers not to play tomorrow.

“For Marseille, we will see the evolution all week, but it is very likely that he will be present.”

Lionel Messi has featured in 13 games for the Parisians this season across competitions, scoring eight goals and claiming eight assists.