Neymar Expected to Miss PSG Trip to Montpellier

Paris St Germain's Neymar Jr (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Stade Reims, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 29 January 2023. (EPA)
Paris St Germain's Neymar Jr (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Stade Reims, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 29 January 2023. (EPA)
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Neymar Expected to Miss PSG Trip to Montpellier

Paris St Germain's Neymar Jr (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Stade Reims, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 29 January 2023. (EPA)
Paris St Germain's Neymar Jr (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 lead during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris St Germain and Stade Reims, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, 29 January 2023. (EPA)

Paris St Germain are expected to be without Neymar when they travel to Montpellier for a Ligue 1 game on Wednesday as the Brazil forward is suffering from muscle fatigue, the club said on Tuesday.

"Neymar has muscle fatigue and will remain in care today," the Ligue 1 leaders said in a statement.

PSG have 48 points from 20 games and lead second-placed RC Lens by three points.

Christophe Galtier's side have had a mediocre start to 2023, losing their last two away games at Lens and Stade Rennais before being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Stade de Reims on Sunday.

They host Bayern Munich in their Champions League last 16 first leg on Feb. 14.



Arsenal, Tottenham to Play Pre-season North London Derby in Hong Kong

This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
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Arsenal, Tottenham to Play Pre-season North London Derby in Hong Kong

This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)

Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first North London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said Monday, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan.

The London rivals will play at the southern Chinese city's new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31.

"Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season," AFP quoted Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick as saying.

Liverpool will play Serie A giants Milan on July 26 at the same stadium.

It will be a replay of the classic 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds won on penalties after being 3-0 down at half-time.

Arne Slot's Liverpool are likely to head to Hong Kong as Premier League champions -- they are currently 12 points clear with nine games left.

Liverpool will also travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates.

Hong Kong this month officially opened a major $3.85 billion sports park with futuristic Kai Tak Stadium the centerpiece of it.

The stadium saw its first major event at the weekend when it hosted the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens with more than 110,000 spectators attending over three days.

It is all part of efforts to restore the city's image, which took a battering after political protests and a Beijing-imposed national security law.

Visitor numbers to Hong Kong also plummeted during almost three years of strict Covid curbs and have only recently begun to recover.