Rarely has the PSG Campus been so busy during a week of international break. While they could have been, should have been up and down the hills, scattered across the four corners of the globe or Europe scrapping with their respective selections, there are a lot of them, in any case more than expected, to have remained at home or returned from their call-up to the national team in order to get back on their feet.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could have been among those “under house arrest.” » Reduced by discomfort in his hamstrings, the Parisian number 7 was finally able to respond favorably to Willy Sagnol’s summons. Left to rest by Luis Enrique for trips to Barcelona in the Champions League and Lille in the championship, the Georgian joined Tbilisi in full possession of his means and even started the match against Spain on Saturday, as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, before coming off in the 69th minute during his team’s defeat (2-0).
This was not the case for Marquinhos, who saw his compatriot Lucas Beraldo fly to Brazil without him. Victim of pain in his left quadriceps during the last action of the clasico at the Vélodrome, on September 22, the Parisian captain, for the first time since the reception of Newcastle on November 28, 2023, gave up a Champions League match due to a physical problem.
In addition to the trip to Barcelona, the Auriverde defender also missed the clashes against Auxerre and Lille. A rest period which will have given him a little more than three weeks of convalescence when his first international partners begin to return to Campus in the middle of next week.
Nothing allows, for the moment, to ensure that he will be fit for service at that time, just like Ousmane Dembélé, both injured and Ballon d’or. If the demands of an “invalid” are not usually really compatible with the obligations of a “crowned person”, Dembouz nevertheless seems to wear this double hat without hassle. Victim of a right hamstring injury on September 5 against Ukraine, the Parisian number 10 is the most seriously affected player in the squad.
After completing the first part of his convalescence in the capital, he flew to Doha last week to continue his rehabilitation. The few days spent within the walls of the Aspetar clinic allowed him to continue his rehabilitation and undergo a range of reassuring medical examinations regarding his state of health. Back in France this Monday, Dembélé is feeling good again. But after having already been in great demand, the 2025 Ballon d’or will also have to go back to “representation”.
Doué and Barcola on the return
For example, this weekend he will be in Évreux, the town where he grew up, where a tribute will be paid to him on Sunday. At PSG, we welcome the recovery of the player who the most optimistic think is capable of making his return to competition a bit earlier than expected, just after the international break. The Dembélé case being, due to his status, his liabilities and his recent requests, apart, the most cautious do not mention, for the moment, any precise date, arguing that no risk will be taken with regard to him.
The suspense hangs much less over another resident of the Parisian attack. In the pipeline, Désiré Doué’s return to competition, initially planned for the trip to Lille on October 5, has been postponed, with the player still a little short in his preparation. Recovered from his calf injury contracted with the Blues at the beginning of September, the ten days of international break should allow him to refine his condition and claim a return to the group for the reception in Strasbourg next Friday.
Will this also be the case for Bradley Barcola, whose express passage through Clairefontaine will have caused a lot of ink to flow and reignited the discord between PSG and the Blues staff around workforce management? Packaged with the Blues without being seriously injured, the former Lyon player benefits, like all Parisians remaining at the Campus, from an individualized care and fitness program. For him, there is no guarantee yet that he will be operational next Friday, his state of muscular fatigue requiring him not to pull any further on the rope.
On paper, the cases of João Neves and Senny Mayulu, also weakened by the repetition of matches and travel, are significantly comparable. The Portuguese and the Parisian Titi, respectively released by the Seleção and the French hopeful team, should be able to recharge the batteries sufficiently to be present next week for the championship.
Will this also be the case for Fabian Ruiz? Victim of an adductor injury on a strike against Barcelona, the Spanish midfielder, for the second time in a row, missed the gathering of the Spanish national team. Good news only for Luis Enrique who hopes that this rest period will allow him to count on his midfielder when he resumes.
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