Digne could face Lamine Yamal again in the Champions League
By SportNestra Editorial Team
Lucas Digne knows what to expect from Lamine Yamal. The full-back could come up against the forward again on Tuesday, when PSG meet Barça in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Nuno Mendes’ injury, confirmed by PSG, rules him out of the match. Digne appears to be a natural option to replace him in Luis Enrique Martínez’s team, though his start is not presented as certain.
The pair have already shared a notable meeting. In the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France, with the score 0-0 in the 20th minute, Yamal pressed Digne. The French full-back was preparing to clear an aerial ball inside the area without seeing the forward approach. He struck Yamal’s left thigh with his own left leg. The incident helped set in motion a sequence that shaped the match.
Digne and Yamal had therefore already faced each other in that semi-final. La Roja reached the final, where Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot, netting the first of Spain’s two goals in its victory over Argentina. Didier Deschamps, then France’s coach, substituted Digne with 18 minutes remaining. A few days later, Yamal became a world champion with Spain.
Nuno Mendes’ record provides further context. In the World Cup round-of-16 match against Spain, which Spain won 1-0, the defender asked to be taken off in the second half after the demands of dealing with Yamal. This time, PSG confirmed that the Portuguese full-back would be out for several weeks. He was injured during the trip to Strasbourg and underwent medical tests the following Sunday.
Digne has played 247 minutes across five matches for PSG this season. A former Barça player, he represented the club between 2016 and 2018 before returning to the Paris side after his spell at Aston Villa. After the World Cup semi-final, he expressed his disappointment: «The hardest thing is finding the words to express this immense disappointment. First, I am disappointed in myself.» He also said he remained proud to have represented his country.
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