Luis Enrique’s squad issues with Ousmane Dembele status revealed ahead of Chelsea vs PSG
· Yahoo Sports
After narrowly defeating Wrexham, Chelsea’s focus now shifts to replicating their Club World Cup triumph against Luis Enrique’s reigning Champions League champions, PSG.
In that previous meeting, a brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from Joao Pedro were enough to pull off an upset and hand Chelsea the trophy. Liam Rosenior would love nothing more than a repeat performance this time around.
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The injury situation has not improved much for Chelsea ahead of the trip. Jamie Gittens, Levi Colwill, and Estevao are still expected to miss out, though both Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia featured in the win over Wrexham.
Reece James and Cole Palmer sat out that match but should return fresh for the journey to Paris. As for PSG, Luis Enrique might be without two key midfielders, while there is also an update on Ousmane Dembele’s availability.
PSG’s injury situation before Chelsea match
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty ImagesPSG suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Monaco on Friday night, narrowing their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to just one point over Lens. But ahead of their match against Chelsea, the Spanish manager did get some positive updates.
Dembele, who had missed the last three games, came off the bench and played nearly half an hour. Goncalo Ramos also continued his return from injury. However, PSG were missing three players for that match.
Quentin Ndjantou remains out until the summer, and Fabian Ruiz has been unavailable since mid-January. However, there is better news concerning midfielder Joao Neves.
The young playmaker has missed the last two matches with an ankle issue but is said to be making good progress. According to Le Parisien, a decision on his availability could come after Monday’s training session. He is expected to be at least on the bench.
Key areas to watch as Chelsea try to take control in Paris
Rosenior will want a result on Wednesday night that keeps Chelsea in the tie ahead of their return to Stamford Bridge. A draw would be considered a strong result, and even a narrow defeat would not be disastrous.
The midfield could play a major role, especially with Neves expected to start on the bench and Ruiz still out. With James fresh, Chelsea have an opportunity to take control in that area.
If Dembele starts, containing him along with players like Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be important. They will face a Chelsea backline that has kept just three clean sheets in 15 games under Rosenior.
However, the most significant factor could be how much freedom Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro get in attack. If Chelsea can give them space to work in the final third, they’ll have a real opportunity to make an impact.
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