PSG’s Quartet Comeback, Quartet Absences: A Bold PSG Strikes Back at Strasbourg

PSG lineup for Strasbourg clash

Luis Enrique, the Paris Saint-Germain head coach, named his squad for today’s clash with Strasbourg, kicking off the eighth round of Ligue 1.

Defending champions PSG host at the Parc des Princes with 16 points, while Strasbourg sit second on 15, level with Lyon and Marseille.

Four players remain unavailable due to muscular injuries: captain Marquinhos, French winger Ousmane Dembélé, Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz, and Portuguese Joao Neves.

On the flip side, four players return as they shake off setbacks: French forward Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, rising midfielder Seni Mayulo, and Georgian winger Khvicha Kvartatskhelia.

Enrique cautioned about the injury situation in his pre-match press conference, saying only one or two sessions separate the squad from a full return and that he hopes the absences shrink.

He did not put a precise timeline on Dembélé’s fitness, stressing daily checks and a refusal to gamble with players; the objective is steady progress.

Enrique noted that returning internationals give PSG a stronger squad, but the next game after the break will always be tough.

He recalled his Barcelona and Spain days, saying tight schedules breed injuries and stressing careful preparation and recovery ahead of Tuesday’s match at Leverkusen.

The coach also argued that injuries are a multi-factor issue in elite football and must be managed, not wished away.

In PSG TV remarks, he added that the squad is finally built around the internationals, and the first match after the break is always challenging.

Enrique warned that Strasbourg is among the league’s best and predicted a balanced, tough test, a real kick-off after the stoppage.

The 19-man squad includes: Goalkeepers – Lucas Chevalier, Matvei Safonov, Renato Marin; Defenders – Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Peraldo, Ilya Zabarny, Lucas Hernandez, Nuno Mendes, William Pacho; Midfielders – Vitinha, Lee Kang-in, Seni Mayulo, Quentin Ngantou, Warren Zaïre-Emery; Forwards – Khvicha Kvartatskhelia, Gonçalo Ramos, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Ibrahim Mbaye.

Enrique had previously spoken about the injury issues since the start of the season and about the team’s training schedule, training once and relying on recovery sessions.

A PSG TV interview added that the squad is now fully built around internationals, and the first match after the break is always hard.

Enrique warned that Strasbourg is one of the league’s best and predicted a balanced, tough test, a real challenge after the stoppage.

Rankings and results snapshot

PSG sit top of the Ligue 1 table with 16 points after seven rounds; behind them, Marseille, Strasbourg and Lyon are all on 15, followed by Monaco and Lens on 13.

Relegation-battle zones see Brest and Nice on 8, Lorient on 7, Le Havre and Nantes on 6, and Angers on 5; Metz occupy the bottom with 2 points.

Recent results show PSG with five wins and one defeat to their arch-rivals Marseille (a 0-1 defeat) in the classic, plus a 1-1 draw with Lille—the first of the season for PSG.

They beat Nantes and Angers 1-0, routed Toulouse 6-3, and edged Lorient 2-0 in the most recent outings.

The 105th meeting with Lille isn’t kind to PSG historically, with Paris claiming 45 wins to Lille’s 33 and 27 draws across all competitions.

PSG have scored 153 goals against Lille’s 112 in those duels, according to Transfermarkt statistics.

In short: A refreshed PSG, a resilient Strasbourg, and a fixture that promises a battle for control of Ligue 1’s early-season top spot.

Punchline time: If injuries were a sport, PSG would have a full roster by mid-season—and the calendar would still be heavier than their squad.

Punchline 2: The only thing heavier than PSG’s injury list is their calendar—some days even a striker needs a calendar to keep track of all the misses and matches.