International Football

Injuries could leave the Champions League with an absence of numerous stars

Champions League Mbappe, Aguero and Dybala all facing fitness race

Injuries could leave the Champions League with an absence of numerous stars

The Champions League will return on August 7, however with an abridged version of the tournament taking place in Lisbon there are concerns that injuries could leave the competition with an absence of stars.

Paris Saint-Germain were left panicked after the Coupe de France final saw Kylian Mbappe suffer what looked to be a rather serious ankle injury.

A poor challenge by Loic Perrin left the forward with a sprained ankle, and he is now expected to miss around three weeks, a layoff which would see him facing a battle against the clock to be fit for a potential semi-final.

Sergio Aguero injured his left knee on June 24, and he had to undergo surgery which saw him ruled out of the second leg against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium.

If Manchester City can progress past Los Blancos the Argentine will be available for the remaining rounds in the tournament.

Zinedine Zidane, though, has fitness headaches of his own with Eden Hazard still not fully right after a season riddled with ankle injuries.

Furthermore, the news that Mariano Diaz has tested positive for COVID-19 has also thrown Los Merengues' plans for the second leg into disarray.

Thomas Partey has been one of Europe's most consistent midfielder's this season and is being eyed by a number of clubs, most notably Arsenal, yet he suffered a muscular injury in his thigh during the final LaLiga Santander fixture and is unlikely to face RB Leipzig in the quarter-final.

Barcelona are without Ousmane Dembele whilst Samuel Umtiti isn't available due to an ongoing problem in his right knee.

Clement Lenglet has a groin issue which leaves Quique Setien without too many options in defence, especially with Ronald Araujo also set to miss out after picking up a sprained ankle in Barcelona B's playoff.

Bayern Munich have emerged as one of the favourites to win the trophy under Hansi Flick's stewardship, yet they could be without Benjamin Pavard who suffered an ankle sprain during training.

Paulo Dybala has emerged as one of the true success stories of Maurizio Sarri's debut season in charge of Juventus, however the Argentine had to be substituted in the recent clash against Sampdoria after feeling discomfort in his left adductor.

There will be a wait to know the full extent of that ailment, although he has a high chance of taking part in Juventus' second leg against Lyon.