The Uruguayan threatens to add to PSG’s injury woes after suffering an apparent thigh problem on Saturday after scoring against Bordeaux

Thomas Tuchel acknowledged he could be without Marco Verratti and Edinson Cavani for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League trip to Manchester United on Tuesday.

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Cavani scored the only goal of the game from the spot in PSG’s win over Bordeaux on Saturday, but he was unable to finish the match and limped off soon after finding the net, reportedly with a thigh strain.

The Uruguay international was one of few PSG stars to start the match, as Tuchel kept the likes of Leandro Paredes and Kylian Mbappe in reserve ahead of the last-16 first leg at Old Trafford.

PSG are already without Neymar for the match and Tuchel accepts Cavani may have to miss out as well, dealing the Ligue 1 champions a major blow ahead of facing a United side who have won 10 out of a possible 11 matches under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“There are lots of plan Bs now,” Tuchel told reporters. “Without Ney [Neymar], maybe without Marco, maybe without Edi [Cavani], now we need a plan D.

“I can’t think about so many different plans in advance. We have to analyse Manchester United, we have to stay calm and confident.

“Normally, my opinion is definitely clear: for a game against Manchester United, for a game against Liverpool or even against Red Star Belgrade, you need your key players with confidence, experience, quality, who are used to playing that kind of game, are used to playing big games full of pressure, who are used to managing the pressure.

“But, if two or three key players are not here, it’s our duty to find solutions. It’s very difficult if we play with our best team, it’s a big challenge. If we are missing lots of key players, it’s an even bigger challenge, but we will be ready on Tuesday, I think.”

Speaking on Sunday morning, Tuchel added to TF1: “We don’t have good news for Edi. My feeling is that it will be very difficult for him to play.

“The club will wait a little longer, but in my opinion the news will not be good. Hope is very, very small.”

Verratti played for an hour on Saturday after three weeks out with an ankle injury, and Tuchel admitted he might have to risk the Italian due to their injury problems.

“Obviously, we are very happy Marco is back with us,” Tuchel added. “He brings quality, as we could see today. After he left the pitch, it was more difficult for us to control the game.

“Normally, it’s very difficult to play so soon when you have been injured as Marco has. It was his first game since his injury.

“He played 60 minutes, I don’t know if it’s possible for him to play again at Old Trafford against Manchester United only three days later.

“But, in our situation, it’s maybe necessary to try to make him play. We have to decide tomorrow [Sunday] about that. We have to wait for Marco’s opinion.

“But, obviously I already know Marco’s opinion. If I ask him if he can play [he will want to play] … But we have to wait for the doctor’s opinion to see if it’s possible or not.”

After scoring his side’s second goal on the way to a famous victory at Old Trafford, the striker called on PSG to finish the job in March’s return leg

Kylian Mbappe said Paris Saint-Germain must not feel fear after a 2-0 win at Manchester United established a dominant position in their Champions League last-16 tie.

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Mbappe doubled PSG’s lead after Presnel Kimpembe gave the Ligue 1 champions the advantage at Old Trafford on Tuesday, with former United winger Angel Di Maria creating both goals.

United’s first defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also their heaviest ever home loss in European competition, while Paul Pogba’s late red card added to their problems ahead of next month’s return leg in Paris.

PSG lost 5-2 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the last 16 a year ago and in 2016-17 they were on the end of one of football’s greatest ever comebacks, Barcelona overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit to progress.

But although PSG have regularly failed in the knockout rounds of the competition, Mbappe urged Thomas Tuchel’s side – who were without Edinson Cavani and Neymar due to injury – to be brave.

“Tuchel told me that it was going to be different, that I was going to touch the ball a lot less,” Mbappe said to RMC Sport. 

“It was difficult because I am learning this role [as a central striker] but I am not frustrated.

“We must stop feeling fear. Football is played on the field. Neymar and Cavani are ultra-important but people have to support us.

“French football must go as far as possible in the Champions League. People must support us, we will support Lyon [against Barca] next week. We must stop being afraid.”

Only an improbable comeback would see United knock PSG out but Mbappe will not be counting on a place in the last eight until the job is done.

“It’s not perfect but it’s good. Perfect, it will be after the qualification,” he said. “We are happy but we are only at half-time.

“We will continue to prepare well because we had a small physical issue over the last 20 minutes.

“It was a really new system. We were not used to it. We needed a little time to adapt.

“We came back with better intentions in the second half. We knew they wanted to score and we did it.”

The Blues made “a lot of mistakes against the wrong opponents” in their 6-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, conceded the Italian boss

Maurizio Sarri defended his style of football after Chelsea were thrashed 6-0 by Manchester City but said his players were not fulfilling his intentions on the pitch.

Defeat at the Etihad Stadium was Chelsea’s third in succession away from home in the Premier League, and the manner of the Blues’ first-half capitulation, falling 4-0 behind inside 25 minutes, left Sarri unable to explain what went wrong.

The 60-year-old led Chelsea on a 12-game unbeaten run from the start of the season through to late November, but they have since lost six times.

Sarri’s men are sixth in the table, outside the qualifying spots for the Champions League and 15 points behind leaders City, who romped to victory courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick, a brace for Raheem Sterling and a goal from Ilkay Gundogan.

When asked post-match if he had any doubts about whether his style of play could work at Stamford Bridge, Sarri responded: “No, because today I didn’t see my football.

“At the beginning [of the season] it worked. So now we need only to understand the reasons why at the moment it isn’t working.

“Something is changing. I am not able to see the reason but we have to work for this. My target is to play my football, not to change [to] another football because at the moment we are playing another football.”

Sarri rebuffed questions over his future at the club and also dismissed suggestions that he refused to shake City boss Pep Guardiola’s hand after the game, insisting he had not seen his counterpart.

He blamed Chelsea’s defeat on a number of mistakes made during a crucial period of the game but said there was no issue with motivation among his players.

“My feeling today was really very good,” said Sarri. “The area map was really good so I think the motivation was at the right level. We started well then we conceded the goal after four minutes in a stupid way.

“In that moment, we needed to stay in the match and we were not able to. They [City] played really fantastic football today.”

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Melbourne Rebels flyer Sefanaia Naivalu has penned a new deal with the club until the end of 2019.  

Naivalu has returned from a broken leg this season to become one of the most exciting finishers in the Rebels attack, with two tries from his six matches this year.

Head coach Tony McGahan said it was a major coup to have the speester re-commit.

“Sefa has an exciting Rugby future ahead of him and is a critical part of the Rebels plans moving forward,” McGahan said.

“His electrifying pace and physical presence, synonymous with Fijian Rugby, has quickly made him a Melbourne Rebels fan favourite.”

The Fijian speedster will likely team up with Melbourne Storm convert Marika Koroibete in season to come, in what looms as an intimidating prospect for the Rebels’ competition.

Naivalu said he was thrilled to stay with the club for another three seasons, a move that will also make him eligible to play for the Wallabies down the track.

“It’s a great honour to re-sign with the Rebels, the club has a good atmosphere, good staff and a good group of blokes so it’s exciting to play for the Rebels for the next few seasons,” Naivalu said.

“I want to keep improving in every game so working with Tony McGahan and Baden Stephenson are really helping me out with this opportunity, they know that I’m capable of playing good footy and I want to take it to another level for Australia.

“I’ve lived here for almost three years so I now call Melbourne home.”

Reds co-coaches Matt O’Connor and Nick Stiles are confident they can break through the “honeymoon’ period that comes with change.

The pair will coach for the first time at AAMI Park this weekend and O’Connor said their focus was on bringing positive change in the long-term.

O’Connor promised the Reds’ season wouldn’t simply be “Groundhog Day”, but rather they were aiming for improvement over the remaining weeks.

“There’s a freshness for freshness sake (with coaching change) because the players need to see that aesthetically more than anything,” he said.

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“So it is a little bit different it is a bit vibrant, it’s not Groundhog Day.

“How people do things comes down to the individual. It’s not systems it’s process, it’s about personality and how you get the best out of individuals.

The way Stilesy and I go about getting the best out of individuals is slightly different to Richard but we’ll see (and) performances will show whether it’s working or not.

While plenty of teams have rebounded after a coaching shuffle, O’Connor said the key was to make sure it lasted longer than just 80 minutes in Melbourne.

“We think we’re  good enough to win this weekend.

“It’s very easy to get a rebound in week one but the important thing for us is we’ve got an exciting young group.

“The challenge for us is to be better not just this week but each week for the rest of the season.”

It’s not just about wins and losses, though, with pride a major factor for Queensland.

“It’s about those blokes being able to look the mirror and be happy with their performance,” he said.

The Reds travel to Melbourne to face the rebels at AAMI Park, against a team that includes former Reds, headlined by recent additions James Hanson and Adam Thomson.

The Waratahs have moved swiftly to cover their backrow depth after the departure of Wycliff Palu and Dave Dennis, signing Brumbies backrower Michael Wells.

Wells has commited to the Waratahs for the next two years having debuted for the Brumbies in round four against the Stormers earlier this year.

The inclusion of Wells adds to a promising group of young backrowers on the Waratahs list with Jed Holloway and Jack Dempsey enjoying breakout Super Rugby seasons in 2016.

Wells has international experience as well, having represented the Australian Sevens squad during the 2014/15 season before making the switch to the 15-a-side game.

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said he was looking forward to seeing the impact Wells would have at the Waratahs in the years to come.

“Michael is an excellent addition to our back row. He has earned valuable experience this year and will create further competition in our squad,” Gibson said.

“I spoke with Michael and he’s determined and keen to have a crack as he returns to his home state.

“He is the type of character and person we value in our team and will no doubt help add to the new energy of the team in 2017 and beyond.”

Wells will line up for Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield final on Saturday, along with former Brumbies teammate Michael Dowsett.

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He’s yet to make his starting debut but Izaia Perese is already drawing comparisons to one of Queensland rugby’s favourite sons, Digby Ioane.

At 180cm and 91kg, Perese has a near identical frame to Ioane, who he will mark when he makes his run-on debut on Saturday night.

That’s not where the similarities end, though, as Perese’s power-packed game filled with dazzling footwork, surprising strength and fantastic finishes is reminiscent of the way Ioane helped carry the Reds to the Super Rugby title in 2011.

Ioane’s return to the Crusaders XV means Saturday night will be the ultimate baptism of fire for the 19-year-old, as there is no more explosive winger in world rugby.

“There are a lot of similarities isn’t there,” coach Nick Stiles said.“Digby’s want and fight through contact is something that has really set him apart from other wingers and when you watch Izzy play, he has exactly that.

“He’s so physical and intense with everything that it reminds you of a young Digby.

Perese lit up last year’s NRC and lead both tackle busts and line breaks en route to a Wallabies Spring Tour call up.

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“Obviously he’s a player with immense potential,” Stiles said.

“That was shown by his selection to go on the Wallabies tour as a development player when he hadn’t played a second of Super Rugby.

“That shows you what some coaches in Australian rugby think of him and I just liked when he came on against the Force, how he carried the ball with absolute aggression and intent to break tackles.A schoolboy star at Churchie in 2014, Perese spoke with a youthful joy when asked about the prospect of facing off with a childhood hero.

“I grew up and watched him (Ioane) play and went to a few of his games when I was a kid and I honestly thought he was a phenomenal player,” he said.

“I really think that some of how I play is similar to him but at the same time I would like to be recognised as myself, Izaia Perese.”

The slippery, weaving runs of Melbourne Storm star Billy Slater also shaped as an inspiration for Perese.

“I really looked up to Billy Slater – I thought he was an amazing player,” he said.

“I just admired how hard he worked off the ball and how he would just put his body on the line for the boys so I really admired Billy Slater since I was a kid.”

Jono Lance will make his return from injury in the Force’s opening 2017 trial on the Gold Coast next week.

Lance was a late inclusion in the team’s Brisbane Tens squad earlier this week and has worked his way back from a broken arm sustained in last year’s Wallaby XV match against the French Barbarians.

The Force have named a relatively strong lineup for the clash, including Wallabies fullback Dane Haylett-Petty and winger Luke Morahan, but 2016 Test debutant Adam Coleman is still out with a knee injury.

Captain Ben McCalman will be a major absentee from the cross-country trip, still recovering from thumb surgery.

New centre pairing Curtis Rona and Bill Meakes will have another chance to prove themselves, after a strong debut against the Spirit in their recent intra-club trial.

Meanwhile, Heath Tessman will start at hooker over Tatafu Polota-Nau as coach Dave Wessels manages his combinations leading into their first Super Rugby game, against the Waratahs.

The Force take on the Rebels on Monday at Bond University, kicking off at 6:30pm AEDT.

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Force starting team to take on Rebels 

1. Pek Cowan

2. Heath Tessmann

3. Shambeckler Vui

4. Matt Philip

5. Ross Haylett-Petty

6. Kane Koteka

7. Richard Hardwick

8. Brynard Stander

9. Ryan Louwrens

10. Jono Lance

11. Chance Peni

12. Bill Meakes

13. Curtis Rona

14. Luke Morahan

15.Dane Haylett-Petty

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Queensland Reds captain James Slipper will return home from the team’s tour of South Africa and Argentina immediately, after suffering a ruptured Achilles in his side’s loss to the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

He will be replaced on the tour by prop Phil Kite, who trained with the squad throughout the pre-season.

Reds head coach Nick Stiles said: “It’s obviously really disappointing for James to suffer such a serious injury this early in the season. We’ll miss his contributions on the field, but knowing the sort of bloke he is, he’ll still be heavily involved from the sidelines.

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“We’re fortunate that we’ve got Stephen Moore in the side, who is the current Wallabies skipper. He will take over the captaincy in Slipper’s absence.”

Meanwhile Stiles won’t “sugarcoat” the 44-14 loss to the Lions but he will demand a better performance from his team.

That’s the message from the Queensland Reds coach after they slumped to a 1-3 record to start the 2017 Super Rugby season.

“Neither of us will sugarcoat that loss at all but when you’re playing the Lions with 14 men in the second half, the guys that came on, the young kids, put their hand up and had a crack,” he said.

“That’s good for us long term, definitely, but we need to get better in the short term as well.”

The reality of the Reds letting a pair of wins slide against the Force and Crusaders is now being fully realised, as they face another tough road test against the Jaguares in Argentina next week before returning home to host the Hurricanes.

“This competition is that tough that when you’ve got an opportunity to win a game you have to win it,” Stiles said.

“(Against the) Crusaders, we were terribly unlucky not to win that.

“It changes your season this early to have those couple wins in the bank.”

An acid test fortnight awaits the reeling Reds, who will almost certainly be without Quade Cooper due to suspension and captain James Slipper if a snapped achilles is confirmed by scans tomorrow.

When asked about Cooper’s red card for a high shot on Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Stiles did not have any major qualms.

“He hit the shoulder, bounced up, had intent and the way they are refereeing it, it’s a red card.

“Referees, it’s difficult for them, it’s tough but that’s how it is.”

Lachlan Maranta, the former Brisbane Bronco, flew out to join the Reds on Sunday night as cover for Cooper who team officials are expecting to cop at least some sort of suspension for his high shot on van Rensburg,.

The Turkey international was the man taken to the Italian capital as a Serie A heavyweight sought to fill the void created by a deal with Liverpool

Cengiz Under has embraced the responsibility of filling Mohamed Salah’s shoes at Roma, with the Turkey international telling Goal that he is happy with the impact he has made in Italy.

After seeing a star forward lured away to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, those in the Italian capital scoured the market for a suitable replacement.

They invested just €13.4 million (£12m/$15m) in taking Under away from Istanbul Basaksehir.

Roma have seen a healthy return on that show of faith, with a highly-rated 21-year-old winger having delivered a steady stream of goals and assists in a role once occupied by Salah.

“It was very important for me that I was coming in to replace Salah as he did really well here,” Under told Goal when quizzed on the expectation which greeted his arrival.

“There was a lot of pressure but fortunately once I started scoring and became more involved – thanks to the help of all my team-mates – I really felt I was a part of the team.”

Under added on the progress he has made over the last 18 months: “The first six months were quite difficult because of the language and because I had to adjust.  Once I started scoring and I began playing better, I felt I like part of the team.

“In my first season I had some difficulties at the start but then I was able to show what I can do. This year I’ve got this injury problem. Having to sit on the sidelines for three weeks has got me down a bit but I hope to be back in action soon.

“Last year we reached the Champions League semi-finals and hopefully we can do as well again this year. In Serie A I hope we can finish among the top spots.”

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Under has not featured for Roma since January 19, but has three goals and five assists to his name in Serie A and the same tally of strikes in the Champions League.

He feels as though he has adjusted quickly to the demands of life in Italy, saying of the differences between the top tier in his native Turkey: “I think both are difficult and tough, like football generally.

“The main difference is that people give youth more of a chance in Italy. When I was in Turkey, we only had three or four Turkish players around the age of 20. It was thanks to the coach that I was able to emerge. We need to give young players more of a chance in Turkey.”

While Under was making a name for himself in Istanbul, he was seeking to mould his game on that of a World Cup winner.

He admits to being a big fan of a Manchester City playmaker who tasted global glory with Spain in 2010.

Asked to name his idol, Under said: “David Silva. I’ve always liked him.”

And among those he plays alongside at Roma, Under said of the pick of the bunch: “My favourite is Edin Dzeko because we have a really good understanding.”

Roma will be hoping to see that understanding deliver more rich rewards, with Under continuing to fill the void created by Salah’s departure as Dzeko remains a prolific option in a central striking role.