PARIS. – Paris St-Germain forward Neymar is set to miss the Champions League soccer last-16 second-leg tie against Real Madrid after being diagnosed with a fractured metatarsal and a sprained ankle.

The Brazilian (26) was injured during Sunday’s French Ligue 1 win over Marseille. Neymar joined PSG for a world record £200m fee from Barcelona last August and has scored 29 goals in 30 games.

The club said he suffered “a sprain of the right ankle and fissure of the fifth metatarsal”.

They did not indicate how long he would be out for.

PSG are 14 points clear of second-placed Monaco in the league and on March 6 will host Champions League holders Real Madrid, trailing 3-1 from the first leg.

Neymar’s compatriot, Gabriel Jesus, missed 10 weeks for Manchester City last season with a fractured metatarsal.

A similar length of time out for Neymar could result in the 26-year-old missing the rest of PSG’s season. Unai Emery’s side are 14 points clear in Ligue 1 but are chasing a domestic treble. PSG face Marseille in a Coupe de France quarter-final today, and will play Monaco in the League Cup final on March 31.

Neymar could face a race to be fit for the Champions League quarter-finals, which begin on April 3 – if PSG can overcome a 3-1 first-leg deficit without him. Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane reacted to the news, saying “I don’t like it when a player hurts himself, I am not happy about the injury. We never rejoice when a rival is absent due to injury.” – BBC Sport.

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