PSG Handed Double Injury Concern Before Barcelona Game

PSG won in Strasbourg on Saturday (3-1), but two of their players were hurt, with Barcelona arriving at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday. Nuno Mendes and Maghnes Akliouche are uncertain for the match.

PSG's hard-fought win in Strasbourg left a bitter taste in the locker room. After the final whistle, Maghnes Akliouche noticed his left ankle bleeding after Mitchell caught him with a late tackle. The left-footer pushed himself to finish the match as best he could so he wouldn't leave his teammates with nine men, but he could no longer run at the end.

For now, the severity of Akliouche's injury and how long he may be out are unknown. The in-form PSG player could undergo tests this Sunday, two days before PSG vs. Barça. Luis Enrique did not address the issue at his press conference. The right winger was seen leaving the stadium with a gait that suggested he was slightly bothered when walking. But without crutches.

The situation is even less clear around Nuno Mendes. The left-back was hurt late in the match and left the field, leaving his team down to 10 men after Luis Enrique had already made all five substitutions.

After going straight to the locker room, the Portuguese player is presumably suffering from a more serious muscle injury than Akliouche's, even though he wasn't limping as he left La Meinau.

His health will be monitored over the next few hours. Luis Enrique indicated that he had "a little thing, I hope. Tomorrow will be the time to evaluate this little thing with the doctor. I don't know if we can call that an injury." The absence of FC Barcelona and Lamine Yamal would be a very hard blow for Paris Saint-Germain.

After the win in Strasbourg, which he enjoyed despite a long, complicated period, PSG head coach Luis Enrique returned to the Ligue 1+ microphone to discuss the match and rejoiced in how his troops secured the three points.

He said, "When the players who are on the bench come on, they are less tired than the rest. It's usual; they have more space, and the result is negative, so it has to change. We are happy; it was very difficult. We started the match, I think, well. We had big chances, but we didn't score. After that, we conceded one, and it started to shake a little, but in the end we got what we wanted: the win. We are happy."