Kimpembe, Danilo, and Nuno Mendes ruled out Wednesday

Unsurprising but still impactful news when it comes to the return of PSG to Ligue 1 competition next Wednesday: Portugal internationals Nuno Mendes and Danilo, as well as French defender Presnel Kimpembe, have been ruled out for next the game against Strasbourg on Dec. 28.

According to the French newspaper L'Equipe, none of Danilo, Nuno Mendes, and Presnel Kimpembe will be on the pitch next week with PSG against Strasbourg.

The three defenders have already been ruled out for the Ligue 1 matchday 16 clash at the Parc des Princes, as L'Equipe states in its printed edition on Thursday, Dec. 22, six days in advance of the return of competitive football to Paris.

Two weeks ago, with the World Cup still in its early stages, both Portugal internationals Danilo and Nuno Mendes left Qatar nursing injuries and returned home to heal them. They have not recovered in time for the Ligue 1 comeback.

Danilo played against Ghana in the 3-2 win over the African nation still part of the group stage but never appeared again for Portugal in the World Cup after suffering a rib injury.

Nuno Mendes, same as Danilo, only enjoyed the group-stage play as he started in the 2-0 win over Uruguay before getting forced out of the pitch on that game with a thigh problem. He didn't even make it past halftime back then.

Danilo, Nuno Mendes, and Kimpembe got called up for the World Cup but all ended up withdrawing

Presnel Kimpembe is experiencing continuous discomfort in his injured right Achilles, which has yet to heal properly. The PSG center-back was part of the inial list crafted by Didier Deschamps to feature in Qatar but he ended up withdrawing from the competition.

The 27-year-old defender, still treating the injury and dealing with pain, has yet to join the rest of the PSG players on the training ground at Camp des Loges.

The most optimistic staffers at PSG dream of having Kimpembe back no sooner than January, most probably missing the game against RC Lens on Jan. 1 on top of next Wednesday's matchup against Strasbourg.

Danilo (ribs) and Nuno Mendes (thigh) are still recovering and not training yet. With six days left on the schedule between now and the return of Ligue 1, and only three days of training/rest after that one and before the clash against Lens, neither of the two Portuguese is expected to play until mid-January.