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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) head coach Christophe Galtier has blamed the tough schedule for left-back Nuno Mendes' injury during his team's recent 1-1 draw against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League.
The Parisians' perfect run in the continental competition came to an end at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Wednesday. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a left-footed shot before Danilo Pereira turned the ball into his own net four minutes before the break.
Mendes, who started his third UEFA Champions League Group H match, was replaced by Juan Bernat in the 67th minute after suffering a muscle injury. He completed 23 passes, won two tackles, made three recoveries and won five ground duels in the match.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Galtier shed light on their preparations for their next clash against Benfica. He also rued the loss of Mendes amidst a busy calendar. He said (via RMC Sport):
"Obviously it will be a very important match, we will see how we will recover because we will play again in two days, and we will have very little recovery time to play Benfica, but it's the same for them."
He continued:
"It's a very special season, there is fatigue and breakage. Today, we lost Nuno Mendes and we realise that in this overloaded calendar that there are a lot of incidents with muscles and injuries."
Analyzing the match, he added:
"In the first half, we didn't have a lot of chances, even if we scored a wonderful goal. In the second half, we asked the boys to have more mobility, more depth and more input on the sides. We had a good second half, the Portuguese goalkeeper [Odysseas Vlachodimos] was good."
Mendes, 20, permanently joined PSG from Sporting CP for €38 million earlier this summer. He has contributed one goal and two assists in 13 appearances across all competitions in the ongoing season.
PSG are next scheduled to lock horns with Stade de Reims at the Stade Auguste Delaune in a Ligue 1 contest on Saturday (October 8).
PSG aim to extend their unbeaten start to the season in Ligue 1
Despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Benfica, PSG are unbeaten in their UEFA Champions League group with two wins and one draw in three matches. On the other hand, the Parisians have registered eight wins and one draw in nine Ligue 1 games in the ongoing campaign.
Scoring 28 and conceding just five goals, Christophe Galtier's side are currently atop the Ligue 1 standings with 25 points from nine matches. The club will aim to extend their unbeaten run against the 17th-placed Reims, who have won just once this season.
