Injured with PSG, Dembélé uncertain for next France squad

Ousmane Dembélé suffered a left hamstring injury during Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-2 Champions League victory over FC Barcelona on Tuesday evening. PSG confirmed the diagnosis in a statement released Wednesday, noting that the forward “will remain in care over the coming weeks”.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner was forced to leave the pitch in the 18th minute following an acceleration, injured on his left thigh. Initial assessments from the specialist press indicate an absence of two to three weeks, which would rule him out of the trip to Lyon this weekend, the match at Le Havre, and potentially the Champions League home fixture against Villarreal.

This injury comes at the worst possible time for Zinedine Zidane, who must announce his squad list on November 5 ahead of the November gathering. France will travel to Italy on November 12 before hosting Turkey in Bordeaux on November 15 in the Nations League. After an encouraging start at the helm of the national team — three wins and a draw — the manager will very likely have to do without one of his key attacking players.

Zidane could also be without a second important player: Manu Koné. The Roma midfielder is also suffering from a thigh muscle injury sustained last week during the match against Real Madrid. His fitness status ahead of the squad gathering remains uncertain.