Report: Neymar to Miss Champions League Match vs. Real Madrid After Injury

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar will reportedly miss the second leg of his side's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash against Real Madrid next Tuesday due to an ankle injury. 

Sky Sports News reported on Monday that Neymar is set to be absent for the second-leg meeting after he was stretchered off in Sunday's 3-0 win over Marseille.

It's expected he will miss three weeks of action, making it highly unlikely Neymar will face Real as things stand, and PSG are sure to miss their summer signing as they look to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg.

It's mentioned in the report that initial fears were that he had broken his ankle, and the Brazilian left the field in tears.

However, a three-week wait on the sidelines now looks more likely after he suffered what looks to be a sprain. Replays showed the blow came almost unchallenged as Neymar rolled his ankle on the Parc des Princes turf, via Goal:

PSG went a goal up at the Bernabeu thanks to Adrien Rabiot but succumbed to a comeback from the hosts, and their chances of overturning the deficit look that much slimmer without Neymar present.

Sport Witness provided a screenshot of French newspaper L'Equipe's reaction to the injury, which will have been felt as a hammer blow by PSG manager Unai Emery:

Angel Di Maria or Julian Draxler will be expected to fill in on the left flank in the event Neymar can't recover from his knock in time.

That being said, neither alternative boasts the same potency that's seen Neymar score 29 goals in his first 29 games for the club, and OptaPaolo highlighted the South American's elite credentials:

Real will feel more confident about their chances at holding the hosts at bay next Tuesday if Neymar isn't on the teamsheet, although they had to rely on two goals in the last 10 minutes to edge a 3-1 first-leg win.

The timing couldn't be worse as far as the French powerhouse is concerned, and Neymar may now be held back from the biggest match of PSG's season in the same competition he was brought to the club to win.