Injured Cavani unlikely to Face Man United

Thomas Tuchel said he is “worried” about the injury Edinson Cavani sustained during Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 home game against Bordeaux on Saturday, and thinks it will be hard for the striker to play against Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.

The Uruguay striker left the pitch on the stroke of half-time holding his thigh, just after opening the scoring with a penalty in the 43rd minute.

And PSG coach Tuchel told TF1’s Telefoot on Sunday morning: “There is no good news this morning. He has undergone exams and there will be more tests here at the training centre. My feeling is that it will be very difficult for him to feature in Manchester.

“In any case, we must wait a bit more as the exams are still ongoing. The club will communicate on this a bit later. I think that the news will not be very good. I still have a little hope, but the first tests were not good.

“I am worried, but only because we are missing key players. In matches like these, decisive Champions League games, you absolutely need your key men as they are experienced in handling pressure in matches like this one.”

Tuchel’s side will already be missing Brazil striker Neymar, who has been ruled out with a foot injury.

And speaking after the game, Tuchel said: “If he [Cavani] comes off, obviously I am worried. Striking the ball and having to come off is concerning. If Edi is not there in Manchester, of course it is big. Yes, there has been a lot of bad luck — we do not have a second Edi, or Neymar.

“There were many contingency plans: without Neymar, without Marco [Verratti), and now Edinson [Cavani]. We are no longer looking at Plan B, but Plan D! It is necessary to have these backup ideas in mind and I can think of several in advance. Whether it is Manchester United, or Liverpool, you really need your key players, and they must be calm. They need to know how to control and handle the pressure, but without two or three of them, it is up to us to come up with solutions.”