Neymar doubtful for Champions League tie against Real

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Paris, February 27: Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar is a doubtful starter for last-16 UEFA Champions League second leg against Real Madrid on March 6 after the Brazilian suffered a fractured metatarsal and a sprained ankle during the Ligue 1 win over their arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille.

Ligue 1 leaders PSG said on their website that Neymar had suffered "a sprain of the right ankle and also a fracture of the fifth metatarsal" but did not say how long he would be sidelined.

"Additional examinations performed (ultrasound and CT) confirmed an external sprain of the right ankle, but also an associated fissure of the fifth metatarsal," the PSG statement added,

Neymar, who joined PSG for 222-million euro ($273.39 million) from Barcelona in the close season, posted a picture of his heavily bandaged ankle on Instagram, before deleting it later.

The 26-year has scored 28 times and provided 16 assists for PSG this season, although he gave a disappointing display against Real at the Bernabeu two weeks ago where his team lost 1-3.

With their hopes of a maiden Champions League title taking a further body blow grapevine is that Neymar may not be risked for the return leg at Parc des Princes, especially with the World Cup in Russia just three months away.

Neymar is all but certain to miss Wednesday's French Cup quarter-final against Marseille and the weekend's Ligue 1 visit to Troyes, with the Real clash just three days later.

Metatarsal injuries usually take weeks, if not months to recover from. Just last year, Neymar's international team-mate Gabriel Jesus was out of action for two months after breaking a metatarsal with Manchester City, and has struggled with further injuries since.

Former England stars David Beckham and Wayne Rooney spent six weeks on the sidelines with metatarsal injuries in the past, with both still arguably being rushed back too soon for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups respectively.

Brazil fans will also be keeping a close eye on Neymar's fitness, especially after he missed their 2014 World Cup thrashing by Germany with injury.

While Neymar was leaving the Parc des Princes on crutches, PSG coach Unai Emery insisted he was "optimistic".

"We'll be optimistic. If I had to say today (whether or not he will face Real) I would rather say yes," said the Spaniard, who will have to turn to Angel di Maria and Edinson Cavani if Neymar fails to recover in time for the crunch Real game.

(With Agency inputs)