Arriving on Sunday evening in Qatar, the PSG players wasted no time in fully throwing themselves into preparation for the Intercontinental Cup played on Wednesday (6 p.m.) against the Brazilians of Flamengo. If their stay in the stronghold of the owners of the capital club promises to be short and intense with a return to France planned immediately after the match, Luis Enrique’s players trained this Monday noon behind closed doors at the Al Ersaal Training Site in Doha.
Under a slightly overcast sky but temperatures close to 25 degrees, Parisians were almost all gathered during the day’s session. Only Senny Mayulu, who remained in Paris on Sunday due to a viral syndrome, was missing. The Parisian titi is doing better and will rejoin the group in the coming hours.
Captain Marquinhos, who is recovering from a muscle strain in his right hip that occurred against Bilbao (0-0), was well on the pitch. The Brazilian defender was able to test his sensations with or without the ball and perform some exercises. Enough to hold his place against his compatriots? Luis Enrique will not take any risks with the oldest player in the squad (31 years old).
Also absent during the victory in Metz (3-2), Ousmane Dembélé was also able to make his mark in Qatar and get back on his feet. The Ballon d’Or notably participated in ball conservation exercises in small spaces. Reassuring news for the 2018 world champion who should, normally, appear on the scoresheet against Flamengo after missing the two previous meetings.
Dembélé could, moreover, be in the spotlight on Tuesday evening during Fifa’s “The Best” ceremony which is also being held in Doha. The Frenchman is one of the big favorites for the best player trophy.
1000 Parisian supporters expected
The European champions will have one last session on their program on Tuesday (4 p.m.) on the pitch of the Ahmad ben-Ali stadium in Al-Rayyan where the Intercontinental Cup final is taking place. The 44,000-seat enclosure was not yet full this Monday evening and a few tickets were still on sale (from 12 euros). Around 1,000 PSG supporters are expected to take their seats in the stands.
The second part of this day was devoted to multiple marketing operations to satisfy both local sponsors linked to PSG and Fifa, organizer of the competition. Different workshops were planned for players divided into small groups. A mandatory visit for the Parisian club which had not visited Qatar since its victory in the Champions League.
