The Coronavirus scare is gone for now as far as Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe is concerned. He tested negative following two days of absence from training due to chest pain complaints. However, it remains unclear if the prolific goalscorer will be deployed when the Parisians go against Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League tie.
PSG boss Thomas Tuchel said further checks will be conducted on the Frenchman, presumably to determine if he is fit to play in the crucial game against the Bundesliga. The first meeting of the matchup has been won by Dortmund so having a Mbappe on the pitch will surely make things easier for Tuchel.
It is good news though that Mbappe, who now counts 30 goals in 32 appearances so far in the season, has been declared free of the virus. According to Sky Sports, the PSG superstar was made to undergo the test when he was detected with high fever and sore throat.
Tuchel also revealed that Mbappe suffered from Angina that forced him to skip training. The negative test result is welcome as PSG is set to clash with a talented Dortmund squad and it is a must that the Parisians score a win in the leg or exit the European competition early.
Tuchel said the club still has to decide if Mbappe will be able to join the squad that will face the Bundesliga club.
"We are trying to maybe have a light practice [with him] this evening. But he did not practice with us the last two days ... We must wait and decide tomorrow morning [whether he will play]," said the German boss.
Of note, the UCL match between PSG and Dortmund will be played with no spectators as the French government and UEFA officials take measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. It will be just one of the UCL matches where game supporters will not be permitted to watch and likely it will be the way pending the advisory from health authorities.
Tuchel said the latest development will not favor PSG, which has to wipe out the lead earned by Dortmund during the Parisians' visit to Germany. The manager said having the fans around should fire up the players to rise and go for the win.
"It's another strange situation because we're playing without our spectators ... In a match of this importance, they are very important to create a special atmosphere, tension, pressure on our opponent," Metro reported Tuchel as saying.
The boss admitted that he must devise ways to make adjustments amid the pressures added by the illness that struck Mbappe and the unique game situation brought about by the Coronavirus outbreak.
