PSG keep faith despite injuries, target step up after Christmas | OneFootball

Injury-hit PSG believe the second half will be better. They close the year with three straight away games, starting at Metz on Saturday at 7pm, and will again be without Marquinhos, who has a hip issue, Ousmane Dembélé, after flu, and Achraf Hakimi, with an ankle problem.

According to L'Équipe, Luis Enrique has been impatient to reach the post-Christmas spell he expects to reset resources and, in turn, performance. Across the first four months, the team have averaged three key absentees, and internally there is a sense the worst is now behind them, with a short winter break finally offering recovery time.

Nuno Mendes and Désiré Doué still need minutes after their midweek return. The staff have read the opening half of the campaign through these mitigating factors and expect the level to rise as the squad returns to full availability.

Despite a 0-1 defeat at Monaco on 29 November, PSG have handled Ligue 1 and the Champions League in tandem and appear ahead of last season at this stage, with consistent intensity and control. The hallmarks resurfaced in the 5-0 against Rennes last weekend and at Bilbao, a 0-0, notably in the counter-press and on the wings.

The view persists that the title largely rests on PSG despite a one-point gap to Lens. Confidence is considered higher than last year, aided by the Champions League triumph, and the opening months have reinforced a capacity to ride out setbacks.

Source: L'Équipe