 "Paris Saint-Germain hit by COVID-19 ahead of Lorient visit; Kehrer and Dina Ebimbe test positive")
synopsis
Two Paris Saint-Germain players have tested positive for Covid-19 and a third is in isolation, the club said Wednesday a few hours before a Ligue 1 match at Lorient.
Paris Saint-Germain is the latest club in Europe to be hit by the Covid-19 wave ahead of a critical Ligue 1 clash at Lorient. Two players, Thilo Kehrer and Eric-Junior Dina Ebimbe tested positive and missed the match on Wednesday (December 22) night. In a statement, the French giant confirmed that midfielder Leandro Paredes had been placed in isolation 'as a precaution.'
PSG are one of the many Ligue 1 teams to reveal Covid-19 positive tests, although not at the same level as England, where matches have been postponed in Premier League and lower division. The Covid-19 outbreak in the PSG squad comes just days after striker Kylian Mbappe celebrated his 23rd birthday with teammates at a birthday party.
After revealing that the German international defender Kehrer and the French midfielder Dina-Ebimbe tested Covid-19 positive, the club said that the players are subject to appropriate health protocol. Both the players and Paredes, who is now in isolation, played Sunday's 3-0 French Cup victory over Entente Feignies-Aulnoye.
As per the latest Ligue 1 protocols, a team can play if it has 20 available players, including a goalkeeper; hence tonight's Lorient game is expected to occur as per schedule. Apart from announcing the positive tests, the French giant also released a list of 22 players, including Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, who made the trip to Brittany. If the 35-year-old Spanish defender features in tonight's clash, it will be the first time since joining PSG from Real Madrid in July that Ramos will appear in two consecutive games. So far, Ramos has appeared in one league game in November and played 45 minutes in the French Cup clash on Sunday.
Meanwhile, PSG will play the Lorient game without Mbappe and Neymar, with the former suspended for accumulating three yellow cards in 10 Ligue 1 games and the latter being injured.
Other French league clubs have also reported Covid-19 positive tests. Bordeaux's game against Lille will take place as scheduled after they said no further players had tested positive. Earlier this week, nine of their squad and six backroom staff members had tested positive. Meanwhile, Reims and Angers have been affected by the former -- who play Marseille -- announcing six positive tests: four players and two staff members. Angers did not give the number of positive tests but said they would delay their departure for Montpellier.
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