PSG dealt massive injury blow after thrilling Champions League win over Barcelona
Last night, Paris Saint-Germain showed once again that they were the best team in Europe as they took down Lamine Yamal's FC Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes in their third League Phase game. Luis Enrique started this Champions League campaign with a bang with convincing performances against Slavia Bratislava and Manchester City last week.
Désiré Doué, Lucas Hernandez, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz scored for Paris while Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal gave some hope to Hansi Flick's side in the second half. This team is spectacular and always finds a way to rise up to the occasion to deliver incredble performances. However, this wonderful night was unfortunately spoiled by the numerous injuries on PSG's side with Ousmane Dembélé exiting the game in the first half with an apparent muscular injury. In the second half, both Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia suffered injuries, the Brazilian with another muscular injury while the Georgian's knee injury seemed much more serious.
Now these players will likely miss an extended period of time with the club, which might impact the performances of the club at least in Europe. To the three latest injuries against Barcelona, we must add the one from Nuno Mendes that happened against Strasbourg last weekend.
PSG facing questions following Champions League clash against Barcelona
As stated before, Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos and Ousmane Dembélé suffered muscular injuries and should remain on the sideline for several weeks. They will therefore likely miss the next few games and will be replaced within the team. Illia Zabarnyi will be the first option to step as a centre-back alongside Willian Pacho. The Ukraine international scored against Strasbourg but has struggled to maintain a top level consistently since joining the club last year.
As for the striker position, the most obvious option is Ferran Torres who started his Parisians adventure with a streak of goals in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League. He should be perfectly able to replace the 2025 Ballon d'Or without a significant drop in performance for the team.
The left-back position is much more open for debate, Lucas Digne was signed this summer from Aston Villa to be Mendes' backup, but his abysmal performances led to him bein demoted behind Lucas Hernandez as Paris had to defend against Lamine Yamal. The 2018 World Cup winner delivered a great performance, putting the 19-year-old in his pocket all night before scoring Paris' second goal. He should be the one starting in the next few weeks if Digne doesn't regain Luis Enrique's trust.
In the case of Kvaratskhelia, he suffered an ACL injury and his season is likely over, the Georgian was just slowly regaining confidence after a rocky start this season and was not always a starter in recent weeks with Maghnes Akliouche getting the nod due to his great performances, which should earn him a spot in the starting lineup this season in the Georgian's absence.
Furthermore, this could be a massive blow for their chances to secure a three-peat in the Champions League. This injury could push the club to consider turning to the transfer market to recruit a replacement this winter, though, Luis Enrique could entrust Mika Godts more in the coming weeks.
