Key players are sidelined as PSG and Tottenham face a depleted squad for their Champions League showdown.
While Paris Saint-Germain is expected to have four key absences against Tottenham Hotspur, the London club will be missing numerous players and also has several players uncertain, plus a potential masked avenger.
The PSG vs. Tottenham clash on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the Parc des Princes, and Luis Enrique will certainly be without Desire Doue and Achraf Hakimi, whose return is not expected imminently.
Ousmane Dembele and Nuno Mendes, injured in the calf and knee against Bayern Munich on Nov. 4, are very doubtful.
PSG announced an absence of several weeks for the two, but without giving more details. It was initially reported that they could return at the end of November, potentially for this game, but this remains to be confirmed, and according to Le Parisien, Luis Enrique intends to be very cautious with his injured players to avoid any relapse.
While awaiting more clarity on the Parisian injury situation, Tottenham's is also quite full since the start of the season. English striker Dominic Solanke injured his ankle last summer and has not played since. A return against Arsenal this Sunday or against PSG next Wednesday was considered unlikely, and the international confirmed in a recent interview with The Athletic that he will not be at the Parc des Princes as his return schedule is still not set.
Victim of an ACL rupture last summer during pre-season and already absent for the European Super Cup against PSG on Aug. 13, James Maddison will not return before next summer and will therefore miss the trip to Paris on Nov. 26. The English attacking midfielder is not on Tottenham's List A for the Champions League anyway.
Several other well-known names from the Spurs squad are in the same situation, such as Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai, Yves Bissouma, and young Frenchman Mathys Tel, who nevertheless plays regularly for Spurs in the Premier League (two goals in eight appearances this season in the competition). For these players, a long-term absence of a List A player would have needed to be integrated in their place, as is now possible, but this is not the case.
Finally, an eighth absence must be added on Tottenham's side in the person of the unfortunate hero of Spurs' last Champions League match. After scoring the opening goal against Copenhagen (4-0), winger Brennan Johnson was sent off and is therefore suspended for the match in Paris. The Welsh winger is in great form, however, with a very nice goal on Tuesday during the international break with his country.
In addition to these eight certain absences against PSG, Tottenham also has several uncertain players. Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr took a knock against Brazil last Saturday at Emirates Stadium, and Senegal exempted him from its second friendly against Kenya.
"We left him in London. He took a knock. We therefore thought it would be difficult for him to recover in just two days. Since we were in his city, we preferred to leave him at his club's disposal so he could receive treatment there," said his coach, Pape Thiaw, sounding rather reassuring.
Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall has been unavailable since the concussion he suffered against Chelsea on Nov. 1, and after joining the Swedish national team during the break, he was quickly sent back to Tottenham.
"We had agreed with Tottenham's doctor to do some tests during the week, then run at full speed so Lucas could get a proper feel for things. When there was a reaction, we didn't hesitate. We don't want to take any risks," explained the Swedish Football Federation's general manager last week.
Another uncertain player is young English midfielder Archie Gray, who has now missed three Spurs matches since injuring his calf in training in late October. No return date has been confirmed yet, but he could also be absent against PSG next Wednesday.
A starter on Aug. 13 against PSG, the lively Mohammed Kudus missed the matches against Copenhagen and Manchester United before the international break after taking a knock, and Ghana did not call him up for the international break. His coach, Thomas Frank, was reassuring, however, and expects to have him available for Sunday's match against Arsenal. He will therefore probably be fit for this match.
Finally, the last London uncertainty is none other than Randal Kolo Muani, who fractured his jaw against Manchester United before the break and had to withdraw from the two French national team matches. But according to the latest reports from the Daily Telegraph, the forward on loan from PSG has been training in recent days with a special mask.
Encouraging for him, although the English daily remains cautious about his potential participation in the derby against Arsenal and the clash against PSG, as Tottenham has not communicated his health status in recent days.
For reference, UEFA prohibits clauses preventing loaned players from playing against the clubs to which they are contractually tied. In other words, Kolo Muani can only be kept out of this PSG vs. Tottenham match for reasons specific to Spurs; Paris cannot prevent him from playing.