Good in their heads and good in their bodies. At the end of a mini-training in Qatar, punctuated by a victory against Monaco in the Champions Trophy (1-0), which helped unite the squad, Luis Enrique and his players achieved, in good humor, a consistent training week.
This Friday morning again, the entire Parisian group met at the PSG Campus in Poissy for a working session to prepare the reception of AS Saint-Étienne scheduled for Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.) at the Parc des Princes. Victim of a collision with a Monegasque player during a duel played last Sunday, Bradley Barcola reassured the Parisian staff.
The French international had already trained normally on Thursday and was able to participate in the mini-oppositions. This Friday, he was also on the pitch alongside his partners and didn’t let anything show. Unless there is a last minute contraindication, number 29 should therefore hold its place for this meeting against the 15th in the French Championship. On the other hand, young Ibrahim Mbaye injured his ankle and is expected to miss at least four weeks of competition. Marquinhos’ partners will benefit from one last training session this Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to test themselves before this opposition against the Greens. Luis Enrique will speak at a press conference two hours later.
With or without Kimpembe in the group?
If the majority of the group should therefore be at the disposal of the Spanish coach, it will however be necessary to carefully monitor the identity of the players who will not be called up for this match on the 17th day of Ligue 1. We are thinking in particular of Milan Skriniar, Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio, all three awaiting departure.
The first two were, for example, not present on the scoresheet against Monaco. What about, also, Presnel Kimpembe, still waiting for a second call-up this season with PSG? After almost two years away from the field, the French defender was not at the level of his partners during the last training sessions of 2024, according to Luis Enrique and his staff. What about at the start of 2025? The decision taken by the Spanish technician will provide a first element of answer.
