OUSMANE DEMBELE TIPPED TO RETURN AND FACE TOTTENHAM IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Ousmane Dembele is back in training for PSG and could feature against Tottenham in the Champions League after a three-week calf injury layoff.
Ousmane Dembélé practised with his PSG teammates on Tuesday and might play in the Champions League game against Tottenham this week.
The Ballon d'Or winner hasn't played since he got hurt during PSG's 2-1 home loss to Bayern Munich on Nov. 4. He's been out for three weeks with a calf injury.
Dembele's injury happened in PSG's last Champions League game against Bayern Munich earlier this month.
He missed playing for France during the international break and didn't play in PSG's 3-0 win over Le Havre in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
But Dembele is back in training, and Luis Enrique suggested the 28-year-old will play against Spurs on Wednesday night.
"He trained well," the PSG coach said about Dembele at a press conference on Tuesday. We'll see tomorrow. If he's okay, he'll be in the squad.
He also said PSG will be careful not to rush Dembele back to avoid more injuries.
It's hard to manage when an injured player returns, Enrique said. We're paying extra attention.
Spurs played PSG in the UEFA Super Cup in Italy in August and played great, leading 2-0 until the last five minutes. PSG then scored twice to force a penalty shootout and won.
Enrique's team had just started preseason training after returning late from the Club World Cup. He expects a different game against Spurs this time.
The game against Tottenham brings back good memories because we won, but the first 60 minutes were bad, Enrique said. We're more ready to control the game.
Spurs need a good response after losing to Arsenal on Sunday, which has increased the pressure on Thomas Frank.
They played defensively in that game and didn't have a single shot in the first half. It was the first time they played with five defenders since the Super Cup.
In the Super Cup final, they played with five defenders, Enrique said.
They tried it again against Arsenal last weekend, but it didn't work. I don't know; we're ready to play against Tottenham with four or five defenders.
It won't change much because we know their plan. We need to control the game, keep the ball, and play with it. That's our goal for the game.
PRE-MATCH TRUTH: LUIS ENRIQUE'S HONEST PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM ASSESSMENT
PSG manager Luis Enrique previews the Champions League match against Tottenham, highlighting the challenge of facing a Premier League side.
PSG is gearing up to face Tottenham Hotspur at the Parc des Princes for their fifth Champions League group stage game. It’s a rematch of their UEFA Super Cup clash from August 2025.
PSG has had a good run, winning three of its first four group matches. Their only loss was against Bayern Munich, so Luis Enrique’s team is looking to bounce back with a solid showing against Spurs this Wednesday.
Tottenham is still undefeated in the group stage, with two wins and two draws. The Premier League team hopes to keep that streak going with a win against the Ligue 1 side on their own turf.
Luis Enrique on Playing Premier League Teams
On Tuesday, Luis Enrique chatted about playing another Premier League team this year. Since the start of 2025, PSG has battled Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham twice. Chelsea is the only team to beat them, which happened in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
About the physical style of Premier League teams, Enrique said, It varies with each English team. He told Culture PSG, We know we have to be ready to defend when we don’t have the ball because of how they play. They like to play.
There will also be set pieces. They will play it long for every foul, and they are physically strong. They might be better than us in this area, but we're used to it. We look for players with individual technical skill instead of just physical strength.
But they have technical skills too. They have many international players, almost all of them. They’re a top-level team, of course. I think we need to be ready to compete hard for the whole game.
PSG’s Possible Lineup Against Tottenham Hotspur:
Lucas Chevalier, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, João Neves, Bradley Barcola, Kvara Kvaratskhelia, and Lee Kang-in.
PSG BOSS SAYS NO: LIVERPOOL'S BID FOR BRADLEY BARCOLA COMPLETELY REJECTED
Bradley Barcola was considered for a PSG exit last summer amid Liverpool & Bayern interest. Despite competition from Kvaratskhelia & Doué, no €100m+ offer materialised, and the winger now faces a crucial contract decision with the French giants.
Rumours swirled this summer about Liverpool possibly trying to get PSG's Bradley Barcola after he saw less playing time with the Paris team.
The French forward was a target for the Reds, but the Ligue 1 team quickly turned down their interest.
Before Alexander Isak came along, Anfield leaders saw Bradley Barcola as a priority for the transfer window.
The 23-year-old stayed in Paris, but he almost ended up on Merseyside.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, the club did more than just show interest in Barcola.
Tavolieri posted on X that Liverpool even made a verbal offer to PSG through an agent, but it was immediately rejected.
French journalist Fabrice Hawkins said that the winger thought hard about a move because he was worried about getting playing time in Paris.
The reporter told Canal-Supporters that Bayern Munich and Liverpool made very strong offers, which he seriously considered. His contract is something to keep an eye on.
This shows Barcola was really thinking about moving to the Premier League or the Bundesliga.
With PSG bringing in other attackers, Barcola was concerned about his chances of becoming a key player. This was a big reason why he thought about leaving, making his current contract situation important for teams like Liverpool.
Barcola's style makes him a good fit for a team that presses hard. He could fill the spot if Luis Díaz leaves.
Barcola's stats from the 2024/2025 season with PSG show that he is a great attacker and playmaker, making him an exciting replacement.
In the 2024/2025 season, Barcola scored 14 goals and made 11 assists in Ligue 1, and 21 goals and 21 assists in all competitions, helping his team win the Champions League.
Since joining PSG in 2023, the Frenchman has scored 31 goals and made 33 assists in 119 games in all competitions.
His skills with the ball, along with his scoring numbers, would have given Liverpool's attack the spark and goals it has lacked this season.