Strasbourg face attacking reshuffle after Joaquin Panichelli suffers serious knee injury | OneFootball

Strasbourg must redraw their attack after Joaquin Panichelli suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while with Argentina. The Argentine federation said the striker sustained a right knee trauma on Thursday and would undergo tests on Friday.

Initially overlooked by Lionel Scaloni despite Lautaro Martinez’s absence, he was later called up when a second friendly against Zambia was confirmed. He was injured during a training session and is expected back in France within hours for assessment.

Strasbourg face Nice in the Coupe de France semi-final at La Meinau on 22 April, and Mainz in the Europa Conference League quarter-final on nine and 16 April. Panichelli has been pivotal for Gary O’Neil, the most-used outfield player with 2,832 minutes across 37 matches.

Signed from Alavés for €16.5m last summer, he has scored 20 and leads Ligue 1, a breakthrough season now cut short. David Datro Fofana, on loan from Chelsea, struggled in starts against Auxerre, 0-0 on seven March, and Nantes, 3-2.

Martial Godo offers a central option, and Julio Enciso has been used higher up in recent weeks. Emmanuel Emegha is still dealing with hamstring trouble and will need time to find rhythm, though O’Neil hopes he could be ready for four April against Nice.

Panichelli will now watch from the stands. He ruptured the ACL in his left knee in summer 2023 and has said the lay-off strengthened his mentality. His World Cup dream has collapsed, as has Strasbourg’s fairytale finish.

Source: L'Équipe