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Paris Saint-Germain are facing a race against time to get two of their most influential players ready for the Champions League final against Arsenal.
Luis Enrique’s side are sweating over the availability of Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele as the countdown to the Budapest clash begins in earnest.
Injury worries Mount for Luis Enrique
The French club are nervously monitoring the fitness of two key stars ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Arsenal.
The Parisian side, who recently secured another Ligue 1 title, are hoping to defend their European crown at the Puskas Arena, but their preparations have been hampered by significant selection issues.
The holders 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 supreme in confidence, PSG face the prospect of being far from full strength for the biggest game of the European season in Hungary.
Hakimi remains a major doubt
According to L’Equipestar defender Hakimi is not expected to be ready to start the final. This news comes as a huge blow to Enrique’s tactical plans as the Morocco international provides a unique attacking threat from the right side of defence.
Hakimi has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury during the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich almost a month ago. He is not expected to return to full training until Wednesday, giving him just three days to prove his fitness before the squad travel to Budapest for the final.
Dembele misses crucial warm-up games
The fitness problems do not stop at the back for Les Parisiens. PSG recently hosted an internal friendly consisting of 20-minute halves to keep the game sharp, but Ousmane Dembele was a notable absentee. The winger has struggled with a knock since being substituted in the first half of a recent home defeat to Paris FC.
Despite the growing concern among the fanbase, Dembele appears confident that he will shake off any silence to start the final.
However, missing the internal friendly suggests the medical department are taking a cautious approach to the former Barcelona man as the clock ticks down towards Saturday night.
Arteta and Arsenal gave tactical advantage
The potential absence of both Hakimi and Dembele would drastically change the complexion of the game.
Arsenal’s coaching staff will see this as a big boost, especially as they look to capitalize on any lack of pace or cohesion in the PSG ranks following these injury layoffs. All eyes now turn to Tuesday’s planned training session in Paris.
This will be the first opportunity for the squad to be put through their paces in a high-intensity environment after the weekend.
For Enrique, the session will be a definitive litmus test to see if his two stars can play a part in what promises to be a historic clash against the newly crowned English champions.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread over 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 tournament games will be broadcast live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every game streaming live and on-demand on both FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 games, more than a third of the tournament, are televised in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The June 11 opener between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as will the USA’s June 12 opener against Paraguay (9 p.m. ET).
