Golden Sparks Set Enrique's PSG Alight for Barcelona Showdown
29 septembre 2025
Golden Sparks for Enrique Ahead of Barcelona Clash
A French press report brings upbeat news for Spanish coach Luis Enrique, manager of Paris Saint‑Germain, as he gears up for the highly anticipated Champions League clash against Barcelona in Round 2 of the group stage.
PSG, the defending champions, will visit the Catalan giants on Wednesday evening, with the match set to be played at Camp Nou in Montjuïc.
The Parisians opened their continental title defense with a commanding 4-0 win over Atalanta at Parc des Princes, while Barcelona, under German coach Hans Flick, collected three valuable points by defeating Newcastle United 2-1 at St James' Park in England.
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, Portuguese midfielder Vitinha will be ready to face Barcelona, and his midfield teammates, Spaniard Fabian Ruiz and the other Portuguese, Joao Neves, will also be available for the Catalan showdown.
The French outlet adds that emerging Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is racing the clock to join PSG's squad traveling to Spain.
Neves and Ruiz were absent from PSG’s recent Ligue 1 win over Auxerre, while Vitinha was substituted after 37 minutes, with Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi coming on in his place.
Meanwhile, Kvaratskhelia was withdrawn at halftime to allow teenage French winger Bradley Barcola to get minutes on the bench as a precaution for lingering muscle discomfort.
These four players remain among PSG’s star figures and were considered contenders for the 2025 Ballon d’Or before the current season’s injuries complicated the squad.
Beyond these names, captain Marquinhos was sidelined by a muscular issue, and attackers Dembélé and Desire Doy missed the Auxerre match; the Ballon d’Or winner in Europe, as cited in the article, was noted with Lamine Yamal finishing in second and Vitinha third in the year’s rankings. Dembélé and Doy are gradually returning from muscular injuries that cropped up during France duties against Ukraine in early September, fueling friction between PSG and Didier Deschamps over selection decisions.
PSG’s injury woes have plagued them since the season’s start, partly due to a truncated pre-season caused by the Club World Cup in the United States, where PSG ended their campaign in mid-July with a final defeat to Chelsea, earning silver rather than gold, and leaving the door open for the FIFA Club World Cup Intercontinental showdown in Qatar on December 17.
Before the Montjuïc encounter, Barcelona arrive buoyed by a league lead after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, while Real Madrid’s 2-5 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby boosted Barça’s position at the top. PSG, meanwhile, bounced back from a domestic setback by beating Auxerre and sit level on points with Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1, edging ahead on goal difference after six rounds.
In short, a blockbuster duel awaits: a combination of tactical intrigue, star power, and the nagging question of fitness that could tilt the balance in either direction. Punchlines incoming, because football loves a good plot twist and a crowd that never forgives a sloppy back-pass. Punchline 1: If this match were a dating app, these two would already be swiping right on glory and swiping left on injuries. Punchline 2: In football, the only thing heavier than a trophy is the medical bill, so let’s hope the squad’s shoulders stay healthy and the goals stay in the net.
