More stars out as PSG injury crisis worsens

PSG’s 2-1 home Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night was compounded by injuries to key first teamers Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé, both of whom had to be substituted off. It was the Parisians’ first European defeat of the season, as Luis Diaz scored a brace for Bayern, before eventually being sent off for the lunge on Hakimi that saw the Moroccan have to leave the field.

PSG's injury crisis worsened with several key players sidelined

After a season that has been so injury-hit already, it had seemed as though the French Champions were turning a corner in terms of fitness, as Doué, Marquinhos and Dembélé all had returned to the side following the most recent international break. However, it was actually more of a case of ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’, as both Doué and Dembélé have now been injured once again, with Hakimi also now added to the list of potential long term absentees.

It was only Dembélé’s second start after his return, and the exact nature of the injury that saw him forced to depart early remains unclear, as Luis Enrique clarified that it had nothing to do with the hamstring injury that the Ballon D’or winner had suffered previously this season. An injury update yesterday revealed all: Dembélé suffered a calf injury and will be out several weeks.

As for Hakimi, his injury also initially seemed ambiguous – although the full back’s tears as he excited will have had Parisian supporters fearing the worse. The same update also revealed that Hakimi sprained his left ankle and thus will also be out for a number of weeks.

The icing on the cake for the Parisians is that Nuno Mendes also picked up an injury, spraining his left knee, he will also miss a number of weeks.

This is a concerning situation for Luis Enrique, although he will feel that next week’s international break, the last of the year, has come at the right time. Almost all of his attacking weapons are set for a period out, with both of the club’s fullbacks (who have been so key in PSG’s recent successes) set to be out for some time, as well as two of their star forwards in Doué and Dembélé. Potential options at fullback include Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire Emery, the latter of whom is a midfielder by trade but has filled in at right back on a number of occasions in the past.

Things don’t really get any easier for PSG, as their severely depleted squad will now travel to 6th place Lyon on Sunday, in a game that PSG really will want to win, given their recent poor league form that has seen them draw three out of five games. Whatever team Enrique picks for that clash, it’s going to be one that’s hampered by these injuries, and as he pointed out after the game, he has never had access to a fully fit squad to pick from this season. PSG fans will truly hope that these are the last of the seemingly endless injury woes that have haunted the club this season.