Champions League: PSG’s Angel Di Maria Misses Barcelona Match Due to Injury

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday with two high-profile matchups, both of which are available to stream on CBS All Access. Barcelona vs. PSG will take place at 3 p.m. ET, but a significant player will not be available. PSG will not have Angel Di Maria due to injury.

According to Outlook, the 33-year-old Di Maria suffered a thigh injury during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Marseille, a match that took place on his birthday. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino said that the star player would miss Tuesday’s game against Barcelona. Di Maria will also be unavailable for the Coupe de France game at Caen on Wednesday and Saturday’s match against Nice. “As the club said, there’ll be further communication within the week concerning Angel, but his participation in the match against Barcelona is compromised,” Pochettino said on Tuesday.

“His absence isn’t a reason to change our ideas,” Pochettino continued. “We’ll find the best available solutions. Angel has played a lot and he’s an important player for us. But there are other players who can play and enable us to win matches.” PSG will also be without Brazilian star Neymar’s services, who suffered an injury of his own.

Heading into Tuesday’s match, PSG will be fighting history. The team has faced off with Barcelona three times in the UEFA Champions League since 2012, losing all three matches. Barcelona knocked out PSG during the quarterfinals in 2012-13, the quarterfinals in 2014-15, and the round of 16 in 2016-17. The only previous time that PSG took care of business was in the quarterfinals in 1994-95.

Despite the 2017 collapse that resulted in a 6-1 loss to Barcelona and the injuries to key players, Pochettino is “excited” about the matchup. He explained that the injuries are significant and mentioned the other players who will step into the lineup. He said that the team has to be ready and that it will be ready.

“You can see the excitement throughout the club; for PSG, it is an obvious goal to win the Champions League and we understand the responsibility,” Pochettino said, per France 24. “It is clear that absences like those of Neymar or Di María are significant, but we have a group of players who are eager to play this game and I am sure that whoever plays tomorrow will fulfill their role.” Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.