Paulo Dybala injury puts World Cup spot at risk

Paulo Dybala suffered an injury as Roma defeated Lecce on Sunday, 2-1. The Argentine striker hobbled after scoring the winning goal just four minutes after the start of the second half.

After slotting a penalty past Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone, Dybala winced and grabbed his left leg. In the halted celebrations, Dybala tried to walk off the knock, while other Roma players signaled to the bench. Eventually, manager Jose Mourinho substituted Dybala off the field, with Nemanja Matic coming on in his stead.

After the game, Mourinho spoke about the potential severity of the Paulo Dybala injury. Speaking to DAZN, Mourinho said the outlook is bad, just based on the manager’s experience with this kind of injury.

“I say [Dybala is] bad. Not to say very, very bad. Unfortunately, it is more very bad than [just] bad,” Mourinho said. Early reports on the injury claim it could last four to eight weeks. It is listed as a quadriceps injury.

Like many other teams spread out in European competition, AS Roma has a loaded schedule before the World Cup begins in November. Paulo Dybala is almost assuredly out of the nine games Roma has through mid-November. However, that is not the biggest loss for the player.

Paulo Dybala injury and the World Cup

Part of the reason Paulo Dybala switched over to Roma was to increase his form in preparation for the World Cup. As of now, Dybala is not a bonafide starter for the Argentina national team. In fact, there is a case he does not even get on the plane to Doha.

Through 11 games, that bet paid. Dybala has seven goals and two assists across his time in Serie A and the Europa League in 2022/23. However, this injury not only stops his form, but it puts Paulo Dybala on the fence for selection entirely.

Lionel Scaloni did not select Dybala for the 2021 Copa America. However, he did call Dybala up for the Finalissima against Italy this past summer. The Roma forward scored after coming off the bench in stoppage time.

The World Cup for Argentina begins Tuesday, Nov. 22. It opens the tournament as one of the favorites and a first group stage game against Saudi Arabia.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Uk Sports Pics Ltd