Kylian Mbappe Fit to Make the PSG Bench for Atalanta Champions League Clash

Kylian Mbappe is fit enough to return to the bench for Paris Saint-Germain against Atalanta on Wednesday evening - but will not play a full 90 minutes.

The Frenchman had been a doubt for their Champions League quarter final clash with the Italians after suffering an ankle injury in PSG's Coupe de France final win over St Etienne in July. The injury caused him to miss their Coupe de la Ligue final victory against Lyon the following week, but he has since recovered.

Speaking to RMC Sport ahead of their quarter final in Portugal, head coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed that Mbappe is fit enough to play, but only from the bench.

The news comes following speculation that Mbappe could be in line to start against Atalanta after making a return to training, but Tuchel's confirmation means he's set to play a reduced role.

Despite the disappointment, the fact that the 21-year-old is able to play at all will be a boost. Reports suggested that Mbappe would be out for a minimum of three weeks following the injury, which was set to rule him out of the tie entirely.

While his recovery has boosted the squad, Tuchel is still without Marco Verratti. The Italian midfielder remains sidelined with a calf injury that looks certain to rule him out of action until September, despite him travelling to Portugal with the rest of the team.

PSG are also without Angel Di Maria heading into the tie, who is suspended, but will hope that a returning Mbappe is enough to see them through the 90 minute knockout format.

For all their success at domestic level, PSG's unrivalled spending is still yet to deliver them a Champions League win. They've exited the competition at the round of 16 stage in each of their last three seasons, but the makeshift knockout-style tournament brought on by the ongoing global pandemic means they're just three wins away from lifting the trophy.