INJURY MYSTERY: INSIDE THE RECURRING CALF ISSUES THREATENING OUSMANE DEMBéLé’S ELITE CAREER
Ousmane Dembélé’s season is in doubt after a calf injury vs Monaco. Discover how Désiré Doué saved PSG with a stunning 3-2 brace.
Ousmane Dembélé’s season keeps getting rough. On Tuesday, he limped off in the first half against Monaco, adding another injury to his already frustrating year with Paris Saint-Germain.
Désiré Doué stepped in for Dembélé and immediately made things happen. He scored twice, helped set up the other goal, and suddenly PSG found themselves heading back to Paris with a 3-2 lead for next Wednesday’s return leg.
Dembélé, already dealing with a leg problem, lasted just 26 minutes at Stade Louis II. The Ballon d'Or winner has basically been fighting injuries all season. Not long before he walked off, cameras caught him rubbing the back of his left calf, then rolling down his sock. He didn’t look comfortable at all.
Coach Luis Enrique insisted he didn’t take any risks starting Dembélé. “We know how each player’s feeling. No risk, he trained like normal,” Enrique said. “We’ll see if there’s really an injury. He took a knock early, then couldn’t keep running.”
PSG actually trailed 2-0 when Dembélé left, but Doué helped turn things around by halftime.
Injuries have haunted Dembélé for a while. He went out early in the season playing for France, then had to leave the pitch early against Bayern Munich back in November. Even in Barcelona, injuries continued to get in the way.
Doué wasted no time after coming on. Two minutes later, he fired a low shot into the bottom right corner to get PSG back in it. When he celebrated, he cupped his hands over his ears, like he was tuning out all the recent criticism.
“The coach makes his choices. It’s always a team effort, win or lose,” Doué said. “The most important thing is just to win games like this.”
Before the match, Luis Enrique had actually criticised some of his star players after PSG dropped out of first place in Ligue 1 with a loss to Rennes.
Just before halftime, Doué played a big part in PSG’s equaliser. His shot was pushed away by Monaco’s keeper Philipp Köhn, but the ball bounced right to Achraf Hakimi in the box. Hakimi buried it in the bottom left corner.
Then, in the 67th minute, Doué got his second. Warren Zaïre-Emery found him at the edge of the box, and Doué slipped another low shot into the right corner.
Earlier, Köhn had kept out Vitinha’s penalty in the 22nd minute. Monaco’s Aleksandr Golovin didn’t help his team’s cause, getting sent off early for a clumsy foul on Vitinha. So, PSG’s comeback had plenty of drama and a lot of Doué.
VITINHA WARNS PSG TEAMMATES: "UNDERESTIMATE LIVERPOOL AT YOUR OWN PERIL" TONIGHT
PSG vs Liverpool preview: Vitinha recalls the 2025 final as PSG looks to repeat their Munich dominance at home.
Vitinha isn’t buying into the hype about PSG being the favourites against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals. Sure, he’s at the heart of the team that lifted the trophy in 2025, but he’s staying grounded. He pointed to Liverpool, fresh off a 4-0 thumping by Manchester City in the FA Cup, as a side you just can’t underestimate.
“Everyone knows how unpredictable these matches are. There’s no favourite,” Vitinha said before the first leg at Parc des Princes. “It’s Liverpool. They’ve got top players, and anything can happen. We’ve got two big games ahead, one in Paris, one at Anfield.”
He made it clear: PSG will go all out. “We’ll give one hundred per cent. We always play to win, and that’s not changing now.”
Last season, PSG knocked Liverpool out in the round of 16 on their way to the final in Munich, where they dominated Inter Milan. Vitinha, alongside Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz, controlled the midfield. In the final, he set up Hakimi’s opener with a smart pass through the Inter defence. Later in the match, he put together a slick move with Dembélé before assisting Doué for PSG’s third. By full time, PSG had put up a five-goal margin, the biggest ever seen in the final since the competition began.
“The feeling in the squad is amazing,” Vitinha said. “Big Champions League games like these are what we live for. We’re focused, but we know Liverpool is dangerous.”
Liverpool bounced back from that European exit by winning the Premier League, but this season they’re fighting to book another Champions League spot. Their manager, Arne Slot, isn’t getting distracted by how their season’s been going. “I don’t pay much attention to the league table right now. This is a huge challenge,” he's said. “City and PSG are very similar in their quality and style. A Champions League quarter-final is never routine, especially not against the defending champions.”
After facing PSG, Liverpool hosts Fulham in the Premier League. Meanwhile, PSG gets a bit more rest: French league officials rescheduled their game against Lens to give them extra time to prep for the second leg at Anfield in mid-April, a move Lens isn’t thrilled about.
Elsewhere, Wednesday’s other quarter-final first leg sees Barcelona play Atletico Madrid. So, the Champions League drama keeps going.
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.
