Neymar constantly injured in CL last 16, but never missed any at Barca!

BeSoccer 3 years ago 6.6k |

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Neymar has been injured many times in the Champions League last 16 phase. AFP

The Brazilian will not be able to face his old club despite admitting that it was one of the matches he was most looking forward to. It will be the fifth time he misses a Champions League last 16 game with the Parisians while he never missed a single one at Barca.

He did everything he possibly could, but he will miss out on the second leg at the Parc des Princes. Neymar was confirmed by PSG as being out for Wednesday's game and he will once again not be able to face Barca. He has not been able to do that since going out the back door at the Camp Nou.

Looking at BeSoccer Pro in more detail, we discover that he has major injury issues when it comes to playing in the Champions League last 16 stages. Of the eight matches PSG have played in the last 16 since leaving Barca, Neymar will have missed five. That is 62.5% of the matches. He was unavailable in the two seasons his team were knocked out at the last 16 stage.

The jinx began in his first season in the French capital. The star got injured after the first leg against Real Madrid (3-1 for Real) and he was unable to help Unai Emery's PSG in the second leg.

In 2018-19, the same thing happened. PSG faced Man Utd in the last 16 and after a brilliant first leg at Old Trafford which saw Di Maria and Mbappe give the French side a 0-2 lead, Tuchel's men slipped up in the home leg against a United team who had many players out. PSG lost 1-3 and were eliminated on away goals. Neymar, once again, had to watch the game from the stands.

Last season, when PSG reached the final, he was good for the French side and himself. Neymar finally played in both legs of the last 16 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Then, he played in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Lisbon. However, Bayern stopped him from lifting the trophy.

Funnily enough, this change in fortune for Neymar is not just limited to knockout matches. At Barca, in the whole of the group phase, he missed just three of the 24 matches Barca played (12.5%), but at PSG, he started getting more and more injury problems. Of the 24 games the Parisians have played in the Champions League since his arrival, Neymar missed five (20.83%).

Luckily for him, this season, the last 16 first leg score is more in PSG's favour than in other campaigns. It seems like Neymar, barring a major collapse by PSG this Wednesday, will make the last eight.

The stats for Neymar at PSG are the following:

Group stage: 19 with Neymar, 5 without (20.83% absence)

Knockout ties: 6 with Neymar, 5 without (45.45% absence)

Last 16: 3 with Neymar, 5 without (62.5% absence)

Quarter finals: 1 with Neymar, 0 without

Semi-finals: 1 with Neymar, 0 without

Final: 1 with Neymar, 0 without

Total: 25 with Neymar, 10 without (28.57% absence)