Khaberni - On Wednesday, all eyes turn to the fiery summit between the titleholder Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, the champion of Spain, as Arsenal seeks to confirm its strong presence across various fields this season, as part of the second round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
At the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, and while waiting for the Catalan team to return to Camp Nou, Paris Saint-Germain faces one of its biggest challenges this season amid a major injury crisis burdening the French capital’s team.
Leading the list of injured players is their star, Ousmane Dembélé, who was recently awarded the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world last week, following his outstanding performances last season during which he scored 35 goals.
Dembélé will also miss the game against his former team, which he left in 2023 after spending six years there but struggled to show the desired consistency due to frequent injuries before he revitalized his career notably in Paris Saint-Germain.
His absence also means he will not be present to compete against the young star Lamin Yamal, who had surpassed him in the race for the Ballon d'Or, yet the latter somewhat compensated by winning the Copa award for the best young player for the second consecutive year.
Dembélé continues to strive for recovery from a thigh injury he sustained while playing with his national team at the beginning of this month, and his return is not likely for several more weeks.
Dembélé said to French TV after receiving a warm greeting from his team's fans while he was holding the Ballon d'Or award following the 2-0 victory on Saturday against Auxerre, "Things are going well. I'll be back very soon."
Spanish coach Luis Enrique will also miss the services of young star Desiree Douei, who has also been absent for a while due to a leg muscle injury suffered at the same time as Dembélé, not to mention the defender and captain Brazilian Marquinhos and Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves.
Parisian fans also received another piece of bad news a day before the game with the confirmation of the absence of Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was replaced at halftime during the last Auxerre match.
Doubts also hover over the readiness of Portuguese playmaker Vitinha, who exited the game before the halftime break.
Similarly, Barcelona's squad also has many absences, such as Brazilian Raphinha, Gavi, Fermin Lopes, Juan Garcia, and others.
Former Barcelona coach Enrique said, "It's regrettable that the Barcelona and Paris match is without the participation of five or six important players from both teams. This is unfortunate for me and for Hansi Flick, and for the fans of both teams."
Paris Saint-Germain will face an opponent that managed to take the lead in the Spanish league standings at the end of the week, after Barcelona turned the table on Real Sociedad and defeated them 2-1 in a match that witnessed the return of Yamal after missing the last four matches.
The Catalan giant enters the match on the back of 5 consecutive victories, noting that they have not lost yet this season.
Both teams started the continental competition strongly, as Paris Saint-Germain beat Italian Atalanta, the title-holder of the Europa League, with a clean four goals, while Barcelona overcame English Newcastle 2-1 thanks to a double from English striker Marcus Rashford.
Undoubtedly, Flick's tactic of relying on an advanced defensive line to play offside will be thoroughly tested against the Paris Saint-German attack led by the shining Bradley Parkola.
Enrique explained, "It's really enjoyable to play against a team that has the same mentality and is one of the best teams in the world that plays very offensive football like us, and defends intensely."
The Wednesday matchup also revives many of the epic battles that brought the teams together, the last of which was in the edition before last of the prestigious continental competition when Paris Saint-German turned around a 1-2 deficit in the home leg to secure the match by winning 4-1 in the temporary stronghold of Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium.
- Arsenal to Confirm Their Presence -
Arsenal, the runner-up champion of England, aims to confirm its strong presence this season when it faces Olympiacos in Greece at the Emirates Stadium.
Since its 0-1 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League on August 31, Arsenal has not lost in its last five matches (4 wins and a draw), seizing the opportunity provided by Crystal Palace’s victory over the "Reds" over the weekend, narrowing the gap with them to two points and boosting its competitive standing.
On the continental level, the team led by Spanish coach Mikel Arteta began their journey with a 2-0 victory away against Spanish Athletic Bilbao, with the London team aiming to go far, similar to last season when they reached the semifinals at the expense of Spanish Real Madrid.
Defeating the champion of Greece, which drew in its opening match against Paphos of Cyprus scorelessly, is not out of reach for "the Gunners."
English Manchester City also seeks to extend its unbeaten streak to six matches when it meets host Monaco from the French league.
Coached by Spanish Pep Guardiola, the team started their "Champions League" campaign by winning against Italian champion Napoli with a clean double and also continued to advance locally after a disappointing start, achieving a crushing 5-1 victory against Burnley.
Italian champion Napoli looks to regain its balance after its 1-2 loss to Milan, which cost it the league standings lead in favor of the latter, as well as its fall in the opening round of the continental competition, when it hosts Sporting Portugal.
Meanwhile, fellow Italian Juventus hopes to achieve its first win in four matches when it faces host Spanish Villarreal after drawing three consecutive times, including a dramatic 4-4 with German Borussia Dortmund in the opening round, after being down 2-4 at the start of stoppage time.
The other German team, Bayer Leverkusen, which has declined this season after the departure of Spanish coach Xabi Alonso and a glut of its major stars, seeks to achieve its first win in the continental competition when it hosts Dutch PSV Eindhoven.
Leverkusen drew against Danish FC Copenhagen 2-2 in the first round, while PSV Eindhoven fell to its guest, Belgian Sint-Truiden 3-1.
This season’s revitalized Dortmund, led by Croatian coach Niko Kovac, hopes to achieve its third consecutive victory when it meets Athletic Bilbao.
The German club has not lost in any of its matches this season and occupies the second place in the Bundesliga standings, two points behind the leader Bayern Munich.
