CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
PSG suffer Marquinhos and Zaïre-Emery injury blows ahead of Newcastle Champions League clash
The Ligue 1 leaders have a crucial fixture against the Premier League side coming up at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday.
Paris Saint-Germain will go into next Tuesday’s crucial Champions League group stage clash against Newcastle United without two of their best players this season. It was revealed earlier this week teenage midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery had suffered a bad ankle sprain and would be out until after Christmas. He has now been joined on the sidelines by captain Marquinhos, whose fitness issues are less serious but who won’t be fit to face the Premier League side.
What injury does Marquinhos have? How long will he be out?
The central defender was substituted at half-time in Brazil’s controversial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Argentina after tweaking a muscle in his thigh. Tests later showed he had suffered a minor injury which will keep him out for 10 days. That will see him miss Friday’s top-of-the-table Ligue 1 clash against Monaco and the Champions League encounter with the Magpies.
Marquinhos’ absence will be a huge blow for PSG head coach Luis Enrique, who will have to shuffle his defence around for two important games. Danilo Pereira may come back in alongside Milan Skriniar, a centre-back partnership that didn’t fare especially well against Nice on 15 September, when the French champions suffered their only league defeat of the season so far. Another alternative could see Lucas Hernández move infield from left-back, with Nordi Mukele, normally a right-back, switching flanks.
Zaïre-Emery cements place in PSG midfield
Zaïre-Emery, meanwhile, made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old in 2022-23 and has started 14 of PSG’s 16 matches in all competitions this season, scoring twice.
As well as recent injury victims Marquinhos and Zaïre-Emery, Nuno Mendes remains sidelined and isn’t expected to be available again until April, while fellow defender Presnel Kimpembe is also still on the mend after suffering a serious Achilles injury last season.
Champions League 2023/2024
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B. Dortmund | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2PSG | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3Milan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Upcoming matches | |
|---|---|
| PSG - Newcastle | T-28/11 15:00 |
| B. Dortmund - PSG | W-13/12 15:00 |
*Data updated to date Nov 23rd, 2023
Champions League “group of death” as it stands
PSG (six points) and Newcastle (four points) and in this year’s Champions League “group of death”, long with Borussia Dortmund (seven points) and AC Milan (five points). With two matches to go, any slip-ups could prove fatal in the race to qualify for the round of 16.