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Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique’s decision to rest key players ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal may have backfired, as the French champions were dealt another injury scare in their 2-1 defeat to RC Strasbourg on Saturday.
With the tie finely poised following PSG’s narrow 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium last week, Enrique opted to rotate heavily, making ten changes to his starting lineup. Only Joao Neves retained his place from the midweek clash against Arsenal. While the domestic title has already been secured, the loss marked PSG’s second straight Ligue 1 defeat — a run of form Enrique would have preferred to avoid ahead of a season-defining European fixture.
More concerning, however, was an apparent injury to midfielder Lee Kang-in. The South Korean, who started Saturday’s game after being on the bench for the first leg against Arsenal, was involved in a heavy collision with Strasbourg’s Valentin Barco late in the first half. Lee limped off for treatment and did not return after the break, replaced by Désiré Doué.
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This latest setback comes on top of mounting fitness concerns for PSG. On Friday, the club confirmed that first-leg hero Ousmane Dembélé is nursing a hamstring strain, though his condition is said to be “progressing well” with further tests planned. Meanwhile, long-term absentee Presnel Kimpembe remains sidelined with bone edema in his right foot and is expected to be out for several more weeks.
Lee Kang-in (Image credit: Getty Images)Arsenal are not also without their injury concerns with manager Mikel Arteta admitting that Jurrien Timber is unlikely to feature in the club’s crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
The Dutch defender was forced off late in the first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday, a match that saw Ousmane Dembele’s strike hand PSG a 1-0 advantage going into the return fixture in Paris. Timber was subsequently left out of the squad for Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday night, despite having taken an early lead in the game.
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Speaking ahead of the Bournemouth clash, Arteta confirmed Timber had suffered a knock. Asked post-match whether the 22-year-old would be fit in time for the trip to France, the Arsenal boss struck a pessimistic tone.
“Confident? No,” Arteta told reporters. “At the moment, no, because he wasn’t able to play here and we play again in four days.”
Arsenal’s injury concerns continue to mount ahead of their season-defining fixture. Key players including Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhães, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus, Jorginho, and Riccardo Calafiori all remain sidelined. There was also a fresh concern on Saturday when captain Martin Ødegaard appeared to kick the ground awkwardly while attempting a shot late in the game.
“I haven’t had a chance yet to speak to the doctor giving me an update on that, so I don’t know,” Arteta said when asked about Ødegaard’s condition.
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