Why Ousmane Dembele Isn’t Playing for PSG vs. Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain will have to play their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener against Atlético Madrid without Ousmane Dembélé.

The Frenchman is not in Luis Enrique’s squad for the all-important fixture due to injury. Dembélé suffered a quadriceps injury in his left leg while representing France at the UEFA Nations League back at the beginning of the month.

Although the injury is not expected to be serious, Dembélé did not recover in time to feature against Atlético Madrid at the Rose Bowl. Instead, Gonçalo Ramos, who scored 18 goals across all competitions for PSG this past season, will lead the Parisians’ line.

Losing Dembélé is a huge blow for PSG after the 28-year-old put together a Ballon d’Or-worthy campaign for the French outfit. The France international recorded 33 goals and 13 assists in PSG’s quadruple-winning 2024–25 season that ended with the club’s first-ever Champions League title.

PSG will hope to carry their success into this summer’s newly expanded tournament in the United States. It is no secret Enrique’s men are one of the favorites to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, but they will first have to survive arguably the toughest group in the competition.

The biggest test for PSG in Group B comes against Diego Simeone’s men. After another season without a trophy, Atlético Madrid will be eager to make a statement against the defending European champions, especially without Dembélé in the lineup.

The pressure will be on Ramos, as well as Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, to break down Atlético Madrid’s compact defense and get PSG’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start.

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