Preparing for the Champions League Showdown
Paris Saint-Germain recently held an inter-squad friendly match as part of their preparation for the upcoming Champions League showdown with Arsenal. This event took place a week before the final, which is set to be held in Budapest. The head coach, Luis Enrique, arranged a special training match on Saturday, where the squad was divided into two starting XIs. The game was witnessed by around 1,000 fans at the club’s training base in Poissy.
The match was described by Le Parisien as a ‘full-scale rehearsal’ for their meeting with the Gunners. The two teams played for just over an hour in a high-intensity session, simulating the conditions they might face in the actual competition.
Enrique decided to split what would typically be his first-choice team. Players such as Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Desire Doue were pitted against Marquinhos, Vitinha, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, there were two notable absences from the game: Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi.
Both players trained individually, and while their absence was not a cause for concern, Enrique and his coaching staff opted to take no risks. Dembele had to come off during the second half of PSG’s final league match of the season against Paris FC due to a muscle issue in his right calf. Speaking at a media day ahead of the Champions League final, he assured everyone that it was just a ‘slight scare’ and that he has ‘no doubts’ about being fit for the match against Arsenal.
‘I’m doing very well. I had a slight scare against Paris FC, but I’m fine and I’ll be ready for the final,’ he told RMC Sport. ‘Will I be 100% for the final? Yes, yes, I think so, yes, I’ll be ready. I have no doubt about it, I hope to be on the pitch on May 30th.’
Hakimi has not played since suffering a muscle injury in the semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, but it is hoped that he will be available for the final.
Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho also missed the game against Paris FC but were present in the training match.
Meanwhile, Arsenal has one more game left in their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Manager Mikel Arteta could use this as an opportunity to rest some players. Similarly, Oliver Glasner could do the same with Palace as they prepare for their own European final against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
