Paris Saint-Germain left superstars Neymar and Lionel Messi out of their team for Saturday’s Ligue 1 match against Strasbourg.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino has left out any of the players that arrived late from the Euros or the Copa America for the second game of the season.
Messi only signed for PSG on Tuesday after playing in the South American final against Neymar and Brazil.
Messi, 34, did not begin training with his new teammates until Thursday.
Pochettino stated that the coaching team will work with the Argentine striker “step by step” to ensure that he is “in the best possible shape when he starts.”
“It was fantastic to watch him in action,” Pochettino remarked.
Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria, and Leandro Paredes, all of whom began the Copa final on July 10, and Italians Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marco Verratti, who started the Euro final victory over England the next day, are also missing from the squad.
They’re keeping up with the physical preparation they started on August 6 when they returned to the training center.
Another big-name signing for the summer Sergio Ramos is out with an injury and is unlikely to play until after the international break in early September.
Messi will continue to be the center of attention during a lavish evening planned for PSG’s first home league game of the season, when Parc des Princes will be sold out for the first time in over 17 months.
Before the game, Messi and the other new players from PSG’s busy summer will be introduced to the public.
Kylian Mbappe, who featured in the opening week triumph at Troyes and was part of the France team that was knocked out of the Euros by Switzerland in the round of 16, is in the squad.
Pochettino may name the same starting lineup that defeated Troyes last Saturday.
