Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier will be sidelined for Paris Saint-Germain‘s upcoming match against Athletic Club in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
According to PSG, Dembélé is experiencing illness, while Chevalier is recovering from a right ankle injury.
This is yet another setback for Dembélé, who had only recently returned from a left calf injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur in late November, making just two appearances in Ligue 1 since then.
Prior to this, Dembélé had missed several weeks due to a right hamstring injury incurred while representing France in September.
Additionally, PSG will still be without Morocco right back Achraf Hakimi, who is dealing with a sprained left ankle and is racing against time to recover ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations starting Dec. 21 in his home country. However, Désiré Doué has returned to Luis Enrique’s squad after recovering from a muscle strain in his right thigh.
In Chevalier’s absence, Matvei Safonov is anticipated to start as goalkeeper, following Chevalier’s injury incurred during a match against AS Monaco due to a harsh tackle from Lamine Camara on Nov. 29.
PSG, last season’s Champions League winners, currently sit in second place in the league phase after five matches, trailing three points behind leaders Arsenal.