PSG/Aston Villa – Academy youngsters out, Barcola too ?

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·11 August 2026

PSG/Aston Villa – Academy youngsters out, Barcola too ?

This Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain will play the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa (kick-off at 9 p.m., broadcast on Canal+). The match comes just two days after the internationals returned to training with PSG, which leaves some doubt over the availability of Lucas Digne, Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, and Fabian Ruiz. L’Equipe provided an update, specifying that the Titis promoted during preseason have returned to the youth teams, while Barcola appears headed for very limited playing time at best.

“all the young players sent back to the Espoirs or U19 team.”

“The first consequence of this return was all the young players being sent back to the Espoirs or U19 team. Dembélé, Barcola, and Doué came back early from their holidays to return to the French capital and train individually with the aim of being available to the Spanish coach. Dembélé returned to France as early as Wednesday, one week before the first official match. PSG, made aware of its players’ desire to be ready, oversaw their individual return to training. Barcola and Dembélé notably spent time at INSEP.

“Barcola was not able to complete all his sessions”

Some even traveled to the PSG Campus to undergo initial physical tests as early as the end of last week. Ill for a few days, Barcola was not able to complete all his sessions, which suggests he may not be used much in Austria. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, for his part, has already told those around him that he is taking this first week very seriously, with two trophies at stake — the Trophée des Champions will be played on Sunday in Lens.”

Be careful, as with the transfer market, it is always best to remain cautious about media claims regarding the life of the Parisian squad. We will wait for an official update, perhaps during Luis Enrique’s press conference at 4:30 p.m. However, there is no doubt regarding the young players given the training images. There is nothing illogical about it, even if some may have hoped to keep a little space for themselves. Except that the professional training group is already large enough, and that does not prevent them from being called up for matches to make up for any possible absence.

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For now, the feeling is rather that the returning players will be called up. The real question is more about playing time, between starts and appearances off the bench. It depends on each player’s fitness and feeling, and only the staff have all the information. In any case, no one will be at 100%, and we cannot expect to see a Paris side at its very best. But the understanding between the players has not been lost, and there are great players who want to win this first possible trophy of the season.

As for Barcola, this slight delay could well lead to very limited playing time, or even none at all. PSG have more than enough players not to take risks or rely on someone who is not ready. Not to mention the possible move to Liverpool, which still needs to be clarified.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.