PSG's Bold Bench: Hakimi Omitted as Enrique Lines Up for Lorient
29 October 2025
Hakimi Omitted by Enrique as PSG Prepares for Lorient
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Louis Enrique has left Moroccan winger Achraf Hakimi out of his plans for the Ligue 1 visit to Lorient on Wednesday, the tenth round of the season.
The decision follows Hakimi's two‑goal performance in the 3-0 win over Brest, which came in the ninth round, after which the club announced Hakimi would be rested against Lorient.
The club's sports management and coaching staff agreed Hakimi would resume training on Thursday, with his involvement in the match to be determined.
Besides Hakimi, PSG will also be without Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz due to an incomplete return from a muscle injury sustained around the international break, and Korean playmaker Lee Kang‑in due to fitness concerns.
In better news, young Portuguese midfielder João Neves has rejoined the squad after recovering from a muscle problem.
Enrique has 20 players available for the Lorient game, spread across goal, defense, midfield and attack.
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier, Renato Marin, Matvei Safonov.
Defenders: Beraldo, Marquinhos, Ilya Zabarnyi, Lucas Hernandez, Nuno Mendes and Willian Batshu.
Midfielders: Vitinha, Warren Zaïre-Emery, João Neves, Sinyi Maïolo, Kentin Ngantou.
Attackers: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doi, Ibrahim Mbaye, Gonzalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé.
Paris Saint‑Germain 2025-2026 season results
PSG have won six matches since the start of the current campaign, with a single defeat to rivals Olympique de Marseille (0-1) in the classic clash, a game moved a day due to weather. They have also drawn two successive matches.
Victories over Nantes, Angers, Toulouse, Lens and Brest punctuate the run, while a 1-1 draw away at Lille and a 3-3 home draw with Strasbourg have punctuated the calendar around the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which had been delayed 24 hours because of the weather. The focus remains on securing a fifth consecutive domestic title.
In Europe, PSG have won all four group stage games so far, starting with a win over Atalanta, followed by a 2-1 win at Montjuïc against Barcelona, and a 7-2 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
French Ligue 1 standings 2025-2026
All tenth-round fixtures are scheduled for Wednesday: PSG host Lorient, while Nice face Lille, Metz meet Lens, Le Havre take on Brest, Strasbourg play Auxerre, Paris FC face OL, Nantes meet Monaco, Marseille clash with Angers, and Toulouse play Rennes.
PSG sit top with 20 points, though the race is tight, three points ahead of the chasing pack.
Second place belongs to Lens with 19 points, followed by Marseille and Lyon on 18, while Lille and Monaco sit on 17, Strasbourg 16, and Nice 14. Lorient lie in 16th with eight points ahead of the clash.
Meanwhile, Angers sit seventeenth with seven points and Metz occupy the bottom with two, the only side yet to win this season.
Two punchlines to wrap it up: If Enrique’s plan was a math problem, the solution would read “subtract Hakimi, still multiply chances.” And remember: in football, the bench is just a creative way to say “we’re saving the drama for later—like a good soap opera, but with more goals.”
