Numerous storylines abound as Paris Saint-Germain prepares to host FC Barcelona on Wednesday night. Brazilian central defender Marquinhos is back fit, and the very high-priced forward Ousmane Dembele is set to face his former squad.
And of course there is seemingly always some kind of drama at PSG, especially so this season, with the Kylian Mbappe contract situation, so this midweek continental competition should give us plenty to talk about.
FC Barcelona at Paris Saint-Germain FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. April 10, 20:00 CET, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Competition: UCL Quarterfinal Leg 1/2
Injury Lists/Team News Paris Saint-Germain FC Barcelona
Starting XI Predictions: Paris Saint-Germain FC Barcelona
Result Probability: Paris Saint-Germain 49% Draw 25% FC Barcelona 26%
PSG Team News
Les Parisiens do have some key players absent for this one, so let’s cover that now.
Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), Layvin Kurzawa (back) and Sergio Rico (head trauma) are all definitely ruled out if this one. The polarizing figure that is Achraf Hakimi finds himself suspended for this one, and when you combine that with the Nordi Mukiele situation, now you have a crisis in central defense. He collided with the Clermont goalkeeper, and he is now ruled out of this one, due to a concussion, according to L’Équipe.
We’ll see how the Frenchman progresses through the protocol, before we can really make an estimate about when he might be back.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.