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Sports Illustrated

Sport

James Cormack

PSG XI vs. Liverpool—Champions League Quarterfinal: Injury News, Predicted Lineup

Paris Saint-Germain Liverpool Bradley Barcola Fabián Ruiz UEFA Champions League Luis Enrique Achraf Hakimi Désiré Doué João Neves Marquinhos

Paris Saint-Germain have the chance to dash Liverpool’s Champions League dreams in back-to-back seasons when the pair face off in their upcoming quarterfinal.

Luis Enrique’s men weren’t regarded as serious contenders to win the competition for the first time when they faced the Reds in the round of 16 last February and March, but their penalty shootout triumph that followed a gritty 1–0 win at Anfield saw the Parisians come of age.

Half of the Premier League was slain amid PSG’s beautiful conquest, and the defending European champions, in a season that had struggled to catch fire, suddenly appear to have rediscovered a level of performance that could see them go back-to-back.

They’re hosting the first leg on Wednesday before visiting Merseyside next week, and will also benefit from having this weekend off.

Barcola Makes Speedy Recovery But Remains A Doubt

Bradley Barcola is having a tremendous season and was instrumental in PSG’s takedown of Chelsea in the previous round. However, the two-footed French winger suffered an ankle sprain in the second leg of that tie and had been expected to miss both games against Liverpool with “severe ligament damage.”

Barcola, though, has made a swifter-than-expected recovery and has a chance of playing a part on Wednesday. He was involved in Tuesday’s training session, but Enrique has said the 23-year-old is “lacking a little confidence.”

Fabián Ruiz has been out for the long haul with a complicated knee issue, but the silky Spanish midfielder is on the mend and could soon be in action for the Parisians. His continued absence from training means he won’t play the first leg, but there’s hope he could be fit for the trip to Anfield next week.

Barcola and Fabián are two major absences, and the emerging Senny Mayulu, who scored at Stamford Bridge last month, is also a doubt with a calf injury.

⚠️ Key injuries, absentees, doubts: Bradley Barcola, Fabián Ruiz, Senny Mayulu.
🔢 Predicted formation: 4-3-3

PSG Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool (4-3-3)

PSG lineup — PSG’s team picks itself without Barcola and Fabián. | FotMob

GK: Matvey Safonov—PSG certainly don‘t have a Gianluigi Donnarumma-like figure in goal, but Russian shot-stopper Safonov is currently preferred to summer arrival Lucas Chevalier.

RB: Achraf Hakimi—A relentless attacking threat, Hakimi will be getting at a declining Andy Robertson or the impulsive Milos Kerkez across these two legs.

CB: Marquinhos—The most experienced of the group, Marquinhos will be counted upon over the less refined Illia Zabarnyi down the stretch in this competition.

CB: Willian Pacho—Pacho was stellar during PSG’s run to glory last season, but he has produced a few lapses in 2025–26. Such errors must disappear in crunch time.

LB: Nuno Mendes—The dominant fullback earned a breather at the weekend, and will see plenty of Mohamed Salah on his farewell tour over the next week. Mendes locked the Egyptian up last season.

CM: Vitinha—Vitinha will operate at the base of PSG’s midfield, and is primed to exploit a Liverpool press that’s so often been run ragged this season.

CM: João Neves—The dogged and industrious Neves is the unsung hero of Enrique’s team. The diminutive Portuguese starlet is a duel-winning machine who pops up with plenty of clutch moments in the final third.

CM: Warren Zaïre-Emery—Fabián may soon reclaim a starting berth, but the all-action Zaïre-Emery has performed well in his place.

RW: Désiré Doué—One of soccer’s rising stars, Doué played a key role in ensuring the holders navigated a tricky all-Ligue 1 playoff tie with Monaco, scoring twice in the first leg to help PSG fight back from an early 2–0 deficit.

ST: Ousmane Dembélé—While the reigning Ballon d’Or victor hasn’t been able to match his staggering output from 2024–25, Dembélé remains the majestic heartbeat of this PSG team and leads the way with 22 goal contributions in all competitions.