PSG fears impact of injuries, as it prepares for CL defense

For Paris Saint-Germain, there is the sense that the new season gets up and running for real this week, as it begins its defense of its Champions League title amid doubts about how much longer its squad can handle being pushed to the limit by a crowded calendar.

PSG hosts Atalanta on Wednesday for its first game in Europe, just three-and-a-half months after its stunning 5-0 destruction of Inter Milan in last season's final in Munich.

Luis Enrique's team will also entertain Bayern, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the league phase, with trips to Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Athletic Bilbao and Lisbon to face Sporting on the horizon.

Those are tough games, although PSG's poor start in last season's Champions League has shown that it might not need to be at its very best immediately.

The French champion lost three of eight league phase games last time around, but still won Europe's elite club competition for the first time, following a dazzling run of form from the turn of the year.

The concern now, however, is that last season's exertions could catch up with the club and seriously jeopardize its chances of retaining the trophy.

The Parisians played 65 games during 2024-25, in a season spanning 11 months. That included 17 matches in the Champions League and seven in the Club World Cup, where their marathon campaign concluded with a 3-0 loss to Chelsea in mid-July.

Three weeks later, they were back for preseason training, and a week after that, they started the new campaign against Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup.

Fast-forward a month, and PSG — which won the Super Cup on penalties — has won its first four games in Ligue 1, but it looks like the recent efforts are beginning to catch up with it.

Ballon d'Or favorite Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue are out for several weeks with muscle injuries sustained while on national duty with France, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lee Kang-in and Lucas Beraldo came off hurt in Sunday's 2-0 victory over Lens.

"It happens to everyone. It is a bit of a difficult time for us, because we have a lot of players injured," said Enrique, with his own arm in a sling after fracturing a collarbone in a cycling accident.

"I am calm about it, and I hope we will manage to overcome it."

It is not solely luck that PSG avoided serious injuries last season, owing much to the coach's management of the squad.

Hakimi's heavy workload

Nineteen PSG players played more than 1,000 minutes in 2024-25, the same number as Real Madrid and Barcelona for example.

But, the Club World Cup, often played in searing heat and involving numerous long journeys across the United States, has to have taken a toll.

PSG used 19 players in that competition, while Chelsea fielded 27 — the French side looked rinsed in the final and was torn apart.

If it does go to the latter stages of the Champions League again, PSG is looking at playing at least 55 games this season, including the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December.

And, then, there is a World Cup coming at the end of the season, where a large bulk of PSG's players will be present.

The year is set to be even more intense for Achraf Hakimi, who played more minutes than anyone else for PSG last season — he will also feature heavily for Morocco, as it hosts the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January.

Hakimi has no natural understudy at right-back at PSG, which surprisingly opted not to add significant depth to its squad in the transfer window, signing only one new centerback in Illia Zabarnyi, while Lucas Chevalier replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.

"Injuries to high-profile players are only one visible part of the workload crisis facing professional football, and are not surprising," said global players' union FIFPro last week.

"The impact is not felt just by the players, but increasingly also by clubs, national teams, fans and national competitions."

Yet, despite the concerns, there is huge excitement at PSG as it prepares to put its title on the line in Europe.

"It is a special moment. We know how difficult this competition is, but we are relaxed about it, and we are hoping to put in a good performance in our first game," said Enrique.

AFP