Photo: Wikimedia Commons (free licence), cropped and styled by SportNestra — author and licence
Ousmane Dembélé was rested for PSG’s 3-1 victory over Le Mans in Ligue 1 on Saturday, and has been managed particularly carefully since the start of the season. The precaution comes on the eve of PSG’s trip to Manchester City on Wednesday, October 14, for the second round of the Champions League, with kick-off at 9 p.m.
An otherwise unsurprising group includes Dembélé’s return after he was rested against Le Mans. Paris Saint-Germain can also expect a sizeable travelling support: 3,000 supporters are expected at the Etihad, including 750 ultras who are expected to make the trip.
The careful handling of the forward comes during a busy run of fixtures for PSG. After opening the league phase with a 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava on matchday one, the club went on to win three Ligue 1 matches against Brest, OM and then Le Mans. The game against Le Mans also illustrated what consultant Walid Acherchour sees as a significant gap between PSG’s starters and substitutes.
On the eve of the match, Luis Enrique, Ousmane Dembélé and Enzo Maresca are expected at a press conference, each accompanied by a player. PSG’s trip will bring them up against Manchester City in the second round of the league phase.
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