Crippled ruler against Barca – who will even play for PSG?

Paris Saint-Germain head into this week’s trip to Barcelona under a cloud of injury concerns, with Luis Enrique facing a mounting list of absentees just as the holders of the Champions League come calling.

The most notable name missing is Ousmane Dembele, fresh off his Ballon d’Or triumph in recognition of a sparkling 2024/25 season that brought him 35 goals.

For Dembele, this clash could have carried extra significance. Returning to the club he left in 2023 after six rollercoaster years—marked by flashes of brilliance but constant battles with injuries—would have been the perfect stage. It also promised a tantalising duel with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, the youngster he edged out for the Ballon d’Or but who claimed the Kopa Trophy for the best U21 player in the world.

Instead, Dembele is still sidelined by a thigh problem picked up on international duty with France earlier this month. His comeback is not expected for at least another fortnight.

"It is going well. I will be back very soon," Dembele told French television, having shown off his new Ballon d’Or trophy to PSG fans at the Parc des Princes after the 2-0 win over Auxerre on Saturday.

Enrique’s troubles don’t end there. Desire Doue, the exciting 20-year-old who finished runner-up to Yamal in the Kopa rankings, is also unavailable with a calf injury suffered at the same time as Dembele while away with France.

In addition, captain Marquinhos and dynamic midfielder Joao Neves are both nursing muscle issues, while playmaker Vitinha—third in the Ballon d’Or vote—limped off before half-time at the weekend. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also had to be substituted at the interval.

The hope is that both were withdrawn before anything more serious developed, but the injury list has quickly left Enrique’s squad looking thin.

"We have to stay positive because we need to be able to manage this situation," said Enrique after Saturday’s victory. "Paris Saint-Germain are not the only team with injuries. It is the case for every team with such an intense calendar."

The relentless schedule has clearly taken its toll. PSG played 65 matches last season, cramming 11 months with domestic, European, and Club World Cup fixtures. Dembele alone has racked up 99 games for club and 20 more for country since arriving in Paris just over two years ago. Vitinha has appeared 113 times for PSG since the start of 2023/24, alongside 21 for Portugal. Right-back Achraf Hakimi has featured an astonishing 131 times for club and country in the same stretch—and still has the Africa Cup of Nations and next year’s World Cup on the horizon.

For neutrals, this week’s clash is the kind of spectacle where the newly crowned best player in the world should be on the pitch. Instead, PSG are left to prove that their squad depth is up to the task, even if injuries have exposed some weaknesses.

Still, Luis Enrique’s men arrive in Catalonia buoyed by a 4-0 dismantling of Atalanta in their European opener. And with plenty of fixtures left in the league stage, even a setback at Camp Nou wouldn’t necessarily derail their qualification hopes.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

Atalanta - Club Brugge 2-1 (0-1)

/Samardzic 73 pen, Pasalic 87 - Tzolis 38/

Kairat - Real Madrid 0-5 (0-1)

/Mbappe 25 pen, 52, 74, Camavinga 83, Diaz 90+3/

Atletico Madrid - Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 (3-0)

/Raspadori 4, Le Normand 33, Griezmann 45+1, 68, Alvarez 82 pen - Burkardt 57/

Bodo/Glimt - Tottenham 2-2 (0-0)

/Hauge 53, 66 - Van de Ven 69, Richarlison 89/

Chelsea - Benfica 1-0 (1-0)

/Rios 18 og/

Galatasaray - Liverpool 1-0 (1-0)

/Osimhen 16 pen/

Inter - Slavia Prague 3-0 (2-0)

/Lautaro 30, 65, Dumfries 34/

Olympique Marseille - Ajax 4-0 (3-0)

/Paixao 6, 13, Greenwood 26, Aubameyang 53/

Pafos - Bayern 1-5 (1-4)

/Orsic 45 - Kane 15, 35, Guerreiro 21, Jackson 31, Olise 69/

Wednesday

19.45: (2.70) Qarabag (3.35) Copenhagen (2.60)

19.45: (3.50) St.Gilloise (3.45) Newcastle (2.10)

22.00: (1.20) Arsenal (6.75) Olympiakos (14.0)

22.00: (1.95) Barcelona (3.70) PSG (3.70)

22.00: (1.83) Dortmund (3.50) Ath.Bilbao (4.50)

22.00: (1.87) Leverkusen (3.60) PSV (4.20)

22.00: (6.75) Monaco (4.40) Man.City (1.48)

22.00: (1.90) Napoli (3.50) Sporting (4.10)

22.00: (2.35) Villareal (3.35) Juventus (3.05)

***odds are subject to change***