Nuno Mendes Injured, Zaïre-Emery to Start on Left Against Barcelona on Tuesday

Nuno Mendes was forced off with a thigh injury during PSG’s 3-1 victory at Strasbourg on Saturday and will be absent for several weeks, depriving Luis Enrique of his first-choice left-back on the eve of a decisive Champions League showdown against FC Barcelona.

The Portuguese defender came on around the hour mark alongside Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha and Désiré Doué when PSG were struggling. His injury, sustained in the final quarter of an hour, cast a shadow over a win that nonetheless allowed the Parisians to draw level with the top teams in Ligue 1.

Nuno Mendes’ absence is all the more concerning given that the defender appeared to have gained the upper hand over Lamine Yamal in their recent encounters. His natural replacement, Lucas Digne, recruited this summer specifically to serve as his backup, inspires little confidence. The former Barcelona player has delivered disappointing performances since his arrival, and memories of his ordeal against Yamal during the World Cup semi-final between France and Spain remain fresh.

“Paris Saint-Germain made a recruitment error at left-back,” Jean-Michel Larqué said bluntly. “The worst part is that we knew before this transfer window that Nuno Mendes’ replacement, who was Lucas Hernandez, wasn’t up to the task. While PSG got it right on some signings, they made a mistake on the backup left-back position.”

Larqué had advocated for a makeshift solution: “I would put Zaïre-Emery on the left. He’s a player with above-average physical qualities, in top form and has delivered wherever he’s played.” Luis Enrique appears to have followed this reasoning: according to available information, the Spanish coach has decided to start Warren Zaïre-Emery on the left wing. The French midfielder had already filled a similar role on the right side, deputising for Achraf Hakimi.