No Neymar effect: Paris Saint-Germain held to a goalless draw by Montpellier

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery said he expects Neymar to return from injury for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich, after his side struggled to a 0-0 draw at Montpellier on Saturday in the Brazilian’s absence.

Neymar missed the game after suffering a right foot injury, and PSG duly saw their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season come to an end in their first match without the 25-year-old since his world record move from Barcelona.

“We will wait until tomorrow (Sunday) to see about his return,” Emery said. “There are three days left to prepare for the match, but I think that if everything goes normally he will be back.”

The capital-city side have seen their early lead at the top of the table cut to one point this weekend after reigning champions Monaco thumped Lille on Friday. Emery wants his men to be able to break down stubborn opposition without their key playmaker. “We need all the players, when a player is missing it’s important to maintain the level and pace,” the Spaniard added, after his side mustered just one shot on target.

“Others have had time to play and they’ve helped the team, but we can’t say that the match would have been different with Neymar. We will play more matches with Neymar this season, but we also need to work (when we’re) without a player.”

Rising star Kylian Mbappe had the best of the visitors’ chances at the Stade de la Mosson, but the 18-year-old was profligate in front of goal.

Toothless PSG

Without Neymar pulling the strings, Paris were toothless for the first 45 minutes, with some players perhaps keeping one eye on the Bayern game. PSG did finally create a decent chance shortly after the restart, as Montpellier threw away possession on the edge of their own area and Mbappe curled a tame shot straight at home goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte.

The teenager, who will become the world’s second-most expensive player behind Neymar when he completes his permanent transfer from Monaco next year, should have broken the deadlock, but headed wide when unmarked from only a few yards out.

Mbappe was starting to make an impact, as he raced through on goal only to scuff his shot and allow the home defence to clear. Striker Edinson Cavani, who missed a penalty last week after an argument with Neymar, had an appeal for a spot-kick waved away after going down in a heap under a potentially goal-saving tackle from defender Pedro Mendes.

But last season’s runners-up were left frustrated by Montpellier’s organisation and 5-4-1 formation. Monaco had put the pressure on PSG at the summit as Radamel Falcao took his goal tally for the season to 11 with a brace in a 4-0 thrashing of Lille. The champions were barely made to sweat by their pitiful hosts, whose coach Marcelo Bielsa is now under serious pressure after a six-match winless run.