The moment has arrived when Lionel Messi could take the field for a domestic match wearing a jersey that is not Barcelona’s. The Argentine superstar will likely make his debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday against Stade de Reims in a Ligue 1 matchup (here’s how to watch). But Messi is not in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting lineup.
The French giants confirmed Saturday that Messi (buy his new PSG jersey here), Neymar and Kylian Mbappe would be in the PSG squad for the clash at Stade Auguste Delaune. Messi will come off the bench if he plays Sunday, but Mbappe — potentially in his final game for the club — is in the PSG starting XI. Here’s the PSG starting lineup.
Messi’s potential debut is not the only major talking point coming into this game; there is also the question of Mbappe’s future. Real Madrid are pushing hard to secure him in a big-money move before this summer’s transfer window closes on Aug. 31. But both Mbappe and Messi are expected to feature heavily against Reims. As if that was not enough, Neymar is also in line for his first minutes of the 2021-22 season, having not featured in any of PSG’s wins over ESTAC Troyes, RC Strasbourg Alsace and Stade Brestois 29.
We’ll be providing live updates from Reims-PSG with analysis, highlights and the latest news. Follow along below.