PSG could recover key forward in time for Barcelona clash – report | OneFootball

Barcelona’s game against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, in many ways, is seen as the deserving final of last year’s edition that never took place.

The Catalans, needless to say, will have a huge mission to get the better of the reigning European champions and prove that they could well have been the victors had it not been for the heartbreak at San Siro.

Ahead of the game, however, PSG were dealt a double injury blow when both Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue suffered setbacks on international duty, rendering their participation against Barcelona in doubt.

One could return

As relayed in a recent update by Le Parisien, there is growing hope that Doue can return earlier than expected from his setback, given that he is making good progress on that front.

In the best-case scenario, the young winger could return as early as PSG’s game against Auxerre on September 27 and thus in time for the game against Barcelona on October 1, possibly even as a starter.

Desire Doue could return for PSG against Barcelona. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

At the moment, the report is nothing more than mere speculation, and the player’s participation is still far from confirmed.

Furthermore, Luis Enrique may well opt against rushing the player in a high-intensity game for 90 minutes just after returning from surgery.

Despite being just 20 years of age, Doue has made himself a regular for PSG and one of the team’s single-biggest creative outlets out wide. He was, in fact, instrumental in helping his side win the UCL final last season and is a strong contender for this year’s Kopa Trophy.

His setback was a calf injury that he sustained in France’s game against Ukraine, the same game in which Dembele left with a hamstring injury. The latter, however, is ruled out of the Barcelona clash with certainty.