Jean Canesse, Media365, published on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 12:45
In addition to Dembélé, injured and unavailable this Saturday, Luis Enrique could do without many key players at kickoff, when Metz visits (9:05 p.m.).
There is a gap between PSG, second in Ligue 1, and Metz, rock bottom. As they prepare to host the last-placed team on Saturday night at the Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique’s team is 38 points ahead in the standings, but the coach is not taking this match lightly. The former Barça coach believes that despite having beaten Metz 3-2 in the first leg, the Grenats caused problems for the Parisians, and this second leg falls right in the middle of the two clashes with Monaco in the Champions League playoffs.
After fielding his best XI on Tuesday night in Monaco (a 3-2 win) and seeing Ousmane Dembélé suffer a setback, Luis Enrique will also be without his 2025 Ballon d’Or winner at the end of the week. The Parisian coach laments the absence of three other players – Fabian Ruiz, Senny Mayulu, and Quentin Ndjantou, but he may still opt for significant changes in the lineup when Metz visit.
Will Vitinha, Hakimi, and “WZE” remain starters?
According to Le Parisien and L’Equipe, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, and Marquinhos could all be benched on Saturday night, in favor of Ibrahim Mbaye, Gonçalo Ramos, Kang-In Lee, Lucas Hernandez, Lucas Beraldo, and Illya Zabarnyi. Matvei Safonov, Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, and Warren Zaïre-Emery might be the only players from Monaco starting again, along with Désiré Doué, who came on as early as the 27th minute in the Principality and delivered one of his best performances this season.
In the win against Saint-Symphorien (3-2) in mid-December, Luis Enrique had already presented a “B team” with “only” four starters. A trip to Moselle was scheduled at that time, three days after the game in Bilbao (0-0 in the Champions League) and four days before the match in Qatar (1-1, TAB: 2-1 against Flamengo, in the Intercontinental Cup).
PSG’s possible lineup: Safonov – Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Beraldo, Hernandez – Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Lee – Mbaye, Ramos, Doué.
