The Champions League will soon make its comeback. Indeed, the clubs involved in the most beautiful European competitions will be on deck from Tuesday. This will also be the case for Paris Saint-Germain, who will face Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes. Before launching, Luis Enrique had to make strong choices. Like the other coaches, he had to establish a list of a maximum of 25 players who could participate in the C1. It therefore made people happy but also disappointed. Among them, Hugo Ekitike.
Players missing
The striker, pushed out all summer, was not included on the list given to UEFA. Same thing for Julian Draxler and Layvin Kurzawa. There were also doubts about Cher Ndour. Arriving this summer, the former Benfica player was not placed in list A. He is not in list B either, where only Ethan Mbappé appears if we rely on the information on the UEFA website. But it is not only in the French capital that certain absences were surprising or noticed. This is also the case for PSG’s first opponent: Borussia Dortmund.
Indeed, Edin Terzic has decided to do without Thomas Meunier. The Belgian has not been part of the plans of his club and his coach for a while. So no surprise that it is set aside. He was also sent to the reserve team, although his contract ends in a year. BVB’s new decision shows him once again that he is no longer welcome. Also present in the PSG group, AC Milan did not select Luka Romero, Marco Pellegrino and Ismaël Bennacer. Concerning the Algerian, it is a logical absence since he is recovering from a major injury.
There are many disappointed
Among the other clubs competing in the C1, we can note that at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag decided to leave Donny van de Beek aside. So it’s not so surprising since the Dutchman doesn’t enter into his plans. Despite everything, he had a hope of being there. Especially since Jadon Sancho, in conflict with ETG, or Antony, who is multiplying scandals, are present. The Mancunian coach is counting on them. Galatasaray, which has recruited massively, will not count on Léo Dubois. The former OL player is not on the list. A disappointment for him, especially since he had participated in the matches during the preliminary rounds.
As for Seville, Adnan Januzaj and Marcao are missing. Same thing in Leipzig for Ilaix Moriba and rookie El Chadaille Bitshiabu. The player who joined Germany to achieve a milestone will not play in C1. Arriving at Arsenal during the summer, Jurriën Timber, injured, was logically sidelined. Demme (Naples), Sensi (Inter) and Manquillo (Newcastle) are also absent. On the other hand, we can note that certain clubs called on players who were rarely used or not at all. This is the case of Bayern Munich for example who selected Bouna Sarr, who has not played this season and who only spent 3 minutes on the field last year.
