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Paris Saint-Germain faces a race against time to have two of its most influential players ready for the Champions League final against Arsenal.
Luis Enrique’s team is sweating over the availability of Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé as the countdown to the showdown in Budapest begins in earnest.
Concern increases over Luis Enrique’s injuries
The French club is nervously monitoring the fitness of two key stars ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Arsenal.
The Parisian side, who recently claimed another Ligue 1 title, are hoping to defend their European crown at the Puskas Arena, but their preparations have been hampered by major national team concerns.
The champions face an Arsenal side riding a wave of momentum after Mikel Arteta’s men ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League title. While the Gunners are full of confidence, PSG face the prospect of being far from being at full strength for the biggest match of the European season in Hungary.
Hakimi remains a big doubt
According L’EquipeStar full-back Hakimi is not expected to be fit to start the final. This news is a blow to Enrique’s tactical plans, with the Moroccan international representing a unique attacking threat from the right side of the defence.
Hakimi has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich almost a month ago. He is not expected to return to full training until Wednesday, leaving him just three days to prove his fitness before the team travels to Budapest for the final.
Dembélé misses a crucial preparation match
The physical problems are not limited to the Les Parisiens defense. PSG recently organized an internal friendly that consisted of 20-minute halves to keep the match sharp, but Ousmane Dembélé was noticeably absent. The winger has been battling a knock since being substituted during the first half of a recent home defeat to Paris FC.
Despite growing concern among fans, Dembélé appears confident that he will clear himself of any problems to start the final.
However, missing the internal friendly suggests the medical department is taking a cautious approach to the former Barcelona player as Saturday night approaches.
Arteta and Arsenal gave tactical advantage
The possible absence of both Hakimi and Dembélé would drastically alter the tone of the match.
Arsenal’s coaching staff will see this as a huge boost, particularly as they look to exploit any lack of pace or cohesion in the PSG ranks following these injury layoffs. All eyes are now focused on the training scheduled for Tuesday in Paris.
This will be the first opportunity for the team to test itself in a high-intensity environment after the weekend.
For Enrique, the session will be a definitive test to see if his two stars can take part in what promises to be a historic clash against the newly crowned English champions.
FIFA World Cup 2026: How to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 matches of the tournament will be broadcast live on FOX (70) and FS1 (34) and each match will be streamed live and on-demand on both FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than a third of the tournament, will be broadcast in prime time on FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The June 11 opening match between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will be streamed for free on Tubi, as will the United States’ opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
