PSG

Third Tier outfit Chateauroux will welcome reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG in the Round of 64 of the French Cup.

Superstars Kylian Mbappe, Achraf Hakimi, Messi and Neymar are unlikely to feature in this cup tie despite being available for the contest. Les Parisiens struggled to find their rhythm in the final third without the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. While the hosts will be looking to cause a massive upset in the competition, the talent gap between these two teams is immense, and one can only envisage a one-way traffic for the visitors, regardless of who Galtier sends out on Friday.

The waters are not calm at Paris Saint-Germain. What should have been all good things for the French club has turned into a storm.

"Kylian had a good attitude, he was disappointed with the defeat but he went to congratulate Leo with a lot of class. Both forgot the colours of the French club and engaged in a brawl that did not go unnoticed. Even Christophe Galtier, the PSG coach himself, had to intervene. [Mbappe's absence deepens the rift with Messi at PSG](https://www.marca.com/en/football/psg/2023/01/05/63b6c6e6268e3ee7148b458f.html) [World Cup](https://www.marca.com/en/world-cup.html) winner with Argentina in Qatar - and Kylian Mbappe - beaten finalist with France - has left an open wound amongst the PSG teammates. [Galtier already has Messi to count on: When will he play for PSG again?](https://www.marca.com/en/football/psg/2023/01/05/63b6d859e2704e97968b459d.html)

In the absence of their star trio, PSG left it late to beat third-division Chateauroux, but a youthful lineup pieced together a Coupe de France win.

Juan Bernat added a third in stoppage time, finding the bottom corner with a driven finish to secure a 3-1 win. Vitinha lifted a ball to the back post, which Ekitike headed towards goal. TELL ME MORE: Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring early on, latching on to a through ball from Ismael Garbi and poking it off the post and into the net.

PSG coach Christophe Galtier rested star forwards Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi yet still started with seven international players against a side ...

Roux nearly scored moments later with a speculative shot just past the post, with Navas stranded. “Did we think things would be easy once we took the lead? With no extra time in the early rounds, Châteauroux was getting on top of the game and a penalty shootout loomed.

Paris Saint-Germain rested their biggest stars but still won 3-1 at third-tier Chateauroux in the French Cup round of 64 on Friday night.Â.

Montpellier dominated possession and levelled with a Valere Germain header in the 70th minute, but Pau struck on the counter attack as Mayron George scored an 81st minute winner following a defensive mix up. In the one mild upset of the night, second-division Pau eliminated Ligue 1 strugglers Montpellier. The home team hit back with a 37th minute goal by Natanael Ntolla and created several other chances before fading in the closing stages.

If PSG lower their price, then Neymar could attract interest from Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle.

Hence, this time the French club has changed its stance as they look to get his massive salary off their books. “So what we agreed together – after the World Cup, sit down together. Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly willing to listen to offers for Neymar in the summer and could also lower their asking price for as little as €50m.