PSG vs Barcelona: Who will defend Lamine Yamal in Nuno Mendes' absence?
Following their hard-fought 3-1 away victory over RC Strasbourg this weekend, Paris Saint-Germain are gearing up to face FC Barcelona in the Champions League for one of the biggest clashes of the League Phase.
However, the European Champions will have to face the Blaugrana and Lamine Yamal without one of their best players, Nuno Mendes who suffered a muscular injury in the last minutes of their league win over Le Racing.
The Portuguese is one of the best at his position in the world and has been a reliable option to stop the Spanish prodigy in recent years. This matchup was highly anticipated by football fans around the world but will have to wait for their next clash. Obviously, Nuno Mendes' absence is a massive blow for Luis Enrique and his team and they will need to find solutions to replace him and slow down Lamine Yamal. The best option could be to start with Lucas Digne at this position or with either Warren Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves or Lucas Hernandez.
This choice could be crucial for this game as it could decide the outcome of this game between two sides that remain unbeaten so far in the League Phase.
Which PSG player will be in charge of Lamine Yamal ?
The most obvious option for this game is to start with Lucas Digne at the left-back position. The Frenchman is clearly not at his best level since rejoining the Parisians in the summer from Aston Villa. He has been disappointing as he was signed to be Nuno Mendes' backup this season, which was supposed to help the Portuguese rest this season.
His experience at the highest level and his knowledge of the club were very important, but now seem none existent after his performances. Furthermore, many will remember his last encounter with Spain and Lamine Yamal at the 2026 World Cup which saw France eliminated in the semi-finals with Digne fouling the Spaniard prodigy in the box. Many PSG fans will dread at the possibility of the 32-year-old defending on Yamal.
The second option is Warren Zaire-Emery or Joao Neves, which would be a real bet from Luis Enrique as it would mean an epic midfield battle between the two sides, with the Spaniard tactician declaring that "it was easy" to stop Yamal as his team just needed to stop Barcelona from having the ball.
The last option is Lucas Hernandez, the third option at this position. This solution would be potentially a huge blow for Lucas Digne's status in the team and a show of how much Luis Enrique trust his player.
