PSG, Barcelona Get Bad News Before Champions League Game | OneFootball

PSG will meet Barcelona on October 1 in the UEFA Champions League league phase, with both sides carrying strong early-season form into the clash.

The capital club opened its campaign in dominant fashion, cruising past Atalanta 4-0 with two goals in each half, even without Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé.

Barcelona responded with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Newcastle United, powered by a Marcus Rashford brace. With both teams considered serious contenders for the trophy, this showdown could set the tone for their Champions League campaign.

PSG, Barcelona Continue to Lose Players Before UCL Game

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Marquinhos is sidelined with a quadriceps injury and is expected to miss the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Doué, Dembélé, and João Neves are continuing their recovery, PSG’s medical team confirmed.

“Marquinhos felt pain in the later stages of the game vs Marseille,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said. “It’s nothing serious, but we need to be cautious, we don’t want to take any risks. It’s a shame because he’s our captain.”

Meanwhile, Barça goalkeeper Joan García will be sidelined for four to six weeks as he undergoes arthroscopy, ruling him out of the upcoming clash with PSG, per Fabrizio Romano.

Injuries continue to mount for both sides ahead of their upcoming clash. Romano also reported that Raphinha suffered a new injury on Thursday and is expected to be out for roughly three weeks, ruling him out of Barcelona’s match against PSG.

Furthermore, PSG are carefully managing its squads. Le Parisien notes that Bradley Barcola and João Neves will travel to Barcelona and could see playing time against Auxerre.

The report also highlights positive news for Doué, who is making strong progress in his recovery. He has resumed running on a specialized machine, raising hopes that he might at least be available on the bench at Montjuïc next week.