PSG ENJOY SELECTION BOOST AS OUSMANE DEMBéLé’S COMEBACK ADDS VERSATILITY
Ousmane Dembélé and captain Marquinhos return from injury for PSG's Champions League clash at Bayer Leverkusen. The boost comes as the reigning champions look to maintain their perfect UCL start.
After missing over six weeks due to a hamstring injury, Ousmane Dembélé has been added to the Paris Saint-Germain team that will travel to Bayer Leverkusen for their Champions League match on Tuesday.
Marquinhos, the captain of PSG, also returns after missing several weeks of play due to a problem with his left thigh.
While playing for France in a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in World Cup qualification on September 5, Dembélé sustained the injury.
Luis Enrique, coach of the reigning Champions League champion, responded to a question regarding Dembele's inclusion by saying he was happy to see additional possibilities rejoin his squad.
"You are really focused on the Ballon d'Or," he added, adding that Ousmane Dembele is the same player and person. He is not like the others. Along with Marquinhos and Désiré Doué, who returned last week, we are thrilled to have him back in the team.
Therefore, having players return is crucial for both the team and the players because it provides us with more choices. Since it is about how the players feel today, and we will see how it goes tomorrow, nothing changes.
Luis Enrique remarked on Leverkusen's future: "They have quality, can play with a press, and can defend deep."
"We must carefully control the game, but we are accustomed to it because we deal with a variety of football-related issues.
Thus, we are at ease and prepared. Today is the last practice to assess the players' performance before tomorrow's game.
The tournament's league phase has seen defending champion PSG win their first two games, but they drew 3-3 with Strasbourg over the weekend, putting them in the odd position of trailing Marseille in the Ligue 1 standings.
After eight games, PSG is one point behind Roberto De Zerbi's team in France's premier division with five wins, two draws, and one loss.
Before the match against PSG, Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand urged his team to have "belief" in their performance.
Leverkusen has had a difficult start to its Champions League campaign, sitting in the elimination spots with just two points following consecutive draws.
They enter Tuesday's game fresh off a spirited 4-3 Bundesliga victory over Mainz, and their most recent tournament play finished in a 1-1 draw with PSV.
PSG BENEFITS FROM FRIDAY FIXTURE AS LIVERPOOL RECOVERS FROM SATURDAY’S HIGH-INTENSITY CLASH
PSG beats Toulouse 3-1 as Ousmane Dembele scores twice. See why Luis Enrique is confident facing Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Liverpool’s got no time to catch its breath after losing to Manchester City on Saturday. Now comes the real test: Arne Slot’s team has to face the defending European champs next.
Honestly, after that 4-0 thumping at the Etihad, hope among Liverpool fans is pretty thin. The Champions League feels like the only shot at any kind of glory this season, but even that seems far-fetched right now. They’re heading to France to play PSG in the first leg of the quarter-final, and Luis Enrique’s squad had a way easier time this weekend.
While Liverpool struggled big time against Haaland and his crew, PSG cruised to a 3-1 win over Toulouse. Ousmane Dembele showed why he’s a Ballon d’Or winner; he scored two goals, one before and one after Toulouse’s strike. Then Goncalo Ramos sealed the deal in stoppage time.
PSG got to play on Friday, which means more rest and prep for the big Champions League clash. Enrique rotated his squad, resting three important players: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and Joao Neves started on the bench but got minutes later. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left just before the 70th minute, and Desire Doue was subbed out near the end.
Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, who hit their 200th club appearance, played the whole match. PSG really benefitted from Lens losing 3-0 to Lille too, solidifying their spot at the top.
Enrique seemed pretty pleased after the win. He said grabbing those points was crucial, especially after the international break. Lots of players came back tired, but PSG handled it. Playing on Friday made things harder, but now they’ve got some downtime before facing Liverpool.
Still, PSG’s victory wasn’t flawless. Matvei Safonov, their keeper, fumbled a cross that led to Toulouse’s goal. So now there’s talk about whether he should keep his place against Liverpool or if Lucas Chevalier gets the nod.
PSG heads into Wednesday’s showdown full of confidence. Liverpool, honestly, needs something special to turn things around.
PSG’S REQUEST FOR A WEEK OFF BETWEEN LIVERPOOL GAMES SPARKS DOMESTIC OUTRAGE
Paris Saint-Germain requests a Ligue 1 postponement against Lens to prepare for their Champions League tie with Liverpool.
Paris Saint-Germain is sticking to its request to postpone a Ligue 1 match so it can get ready for its big Champions League clash with Liverpool.
People have been poking fun at PSG for trying to move their game against Lens, another top team in the league. Lens flat-out rejected the idea. PSG pulled off something similar when they played Chelsea in Europe, and now they want another week off between their matches with Liverpool.
Right now, that Lens match falls right between the two Liverpool games. French media says the league will decide after the LFP board meets this Thursday.
Even with the criticism, PSG claims this isn’t just about them; it’s for the good of French football.
Le Parisien reports PSG’s message: they say their push to reschedule is organised, above board, and doesn’t undermine the competition. One club insider put it like this: Every French team in European competitions lifts the entire league. France is sitting in sixth place in the race for UEFA’s 2025-26 season, and getting to fifth would mean more French clubs in Europe – up to seven of them.
It’s not just pride that’s on the line; there’s cash and exposure, too. If two French teams make the European semi-finals, Ligue 1 gets a boost on and off the field.
PSG also pointed out that the league has moved matches for this exact reason plenty of times before, especially to help French clubs in Europe.
Lens, meanwhile, isn’t hiding how they feel. They released a statement making their opposition clear.
They said the whole thing makes it feel like Ligue 1 is just an afterthought, ready to change at a moment’s notice to suit European ambitions. They argue this simply isn’t fair, which, in their eyes, sets French football apart from other major leagues.
Lens says moving the game would mean they go fifteen days without playing, then suddenly play every three days. That’s a totally different schedule than what was agreed on at the start of the season, and it’s a load that could really mess with a club like theirs.
