Luis Enrique did not want to take any risks by playing widely against Clermont in the championship on Saturday (1-1). Despite everything, the Parisians lost their defender Nordi Mukiele, victim of a violent head impact at the start of the match. Still in post-concussion protocol, the defender was not selected in the group for the match against Barça, this Wednesday evening, in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League. Presnel Kimpembe, still injured in his Achilles heel and recovering from his new operation in December, is also absent.
The same goes for the right back, Achraf Hakimi, suspended after his yellow card received in the return match against Real Sociedad in the eighth. “Hakimi’s absence is not a problem, but an opportunity. I have made my decision and you will see it tomorrow,” explained the Spanish coach on Tuesday at a press conference the day before the match.
Who will be the lucky one ? The possibility of seeing Marquinhos tenure at the right-back position that he was able to occupy during the Laurent Blanc era is real. Accustomed to evolving in the axis, the Brazilian could shift a notch to bring balance to his lane and further free up Nuno Mendes, expected on the left. The Brazilian defender will, moreover, break the record this evening for the number of matches played with Paris with 436 matches. He will thus surpass Jean-Marc Pilorget’s record.
For the rest, the Parisians will present themselves at the Parc des Princes with all their weapons. With a hamstring injury with the France Espoirs team, Bradley Barcola figures well in the group, but he should start the match on the bench. The young Mayulu and Zague, starting Saturday in Ligue 1, are also there.
