Dembele and Hakimi Miss PSG Friendly Before Arsenal Final — Paris Saint-germain Fc
Paris Saint-Germain fc went into the final stretch before Saturday's Champions League final against Arsenal with Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi both out of an in-house friendly. The club is still monitoring both players as it tries to get them ready for the biggest match of the season.
Dembele Out, Hakimi Delayed
Dembele was the notable absentee from a session built around 20-minute halves to keep match sharpness high. He has been dealing with a knock since being replaced in the first half of a recent domestic defeat to Paris FC, but he appears confident he will start the final.
Hakimi's situation looks less immediate. According to L'Equipe, he is not expected to be fit to start the final, and he has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich nearly a month ago.
PSG's Tuesday Test
Tuesday's scheduled training session in Paris is the first chance for the squad to be put through their paces in a high-intensity environment since the weekend. That session will be the clearest checkpoint for Luis Enrique as he weighs how much he can ask from two players central to PSG's final preparations.
The timing leaves little margin. PSG have already secured another Ligue 1 title and now face Arsenal while trying to defend their European crown, with every change in the training load carrying more weight because the final is so close.
Wednesday for Hakimi, Saturday for PSG
Hakimi is expected to return to full training on Wednesday, which keeps his path to the final tighter than Dembele's. For PSG, the question is not whether they can line up against Arsenal on Saturday, but whether they can do it with both a winger and a full-back who shape how the team attacks and defends its space.
Dembele's recovery and Hakimi's return schedule now sit at the center of PSG's build-up, and Tuesday's work in Paris should tell Luis Enrique how much of his preferred plan he can keep intact.
