UCL Preview: Dembélé back in the squad as PSG face Bayer
Three weeks on from a stunning win over FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain are back in Champions League action. As they travel to face Bayer Leverkusen, manager Luis Enrique can once again call on star forward Ousmane Dembélé -- read on for our match preview:
A rejigged midfield for PSG
Given he's missed more than a month of action after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for France, Dembélé isn't expected to be included from the off. Rather, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola -- the latter of whom was sensational against RC Strasbourg will play on the flanks, with Enrique making a decision between the similarly decisive Gonçalo Ramos or youngster Senny Mayulu to lead the line.
Midfield presents more of a question mark for the visitors, though, as both of Fabián Ruiz and João Neves are unavailable. Warren Zaïre-Emery is a natural replacement as one of the Parisian trio, but the other spot will come down to how prosaic Enrique desires to be, with Désiré Doué and Lee Kang-In both in the frame.
Despite these absences, Enrique averred that his belief in his young players is of utmost importance, saying, "I think that a lot of our young players have grown in confidence and have shown that they've got quality. It's been a tricky and very different start to the season because we've faced difficulties that we don't usually face at this point in the campaign, but we've managed to show resilience."
👋😄 Destination: Leverkusen! ✈️#B04PSG I #UCL pic.twitter.com/IdaUKMq6nf
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 20, 2025
Bayer look to get their bearings
It's still October, and it's already been a tumultuous campaign for the club who won the Bundesliga and Europa League a season ago. First, the club sold a raft of key players including Florian Wirtz, Jérémie Frimpong and veteran goalkeeper Lucas Hradecky (who joined AS Monaco). Then, they appointed manager Erik ten Hag, who was promptly sacked after just two Bundesliga matches, replacing him with Kasper Hjulmand.
With little experience in Europe's biggest competitions save a single aborted campaign in charge of Mainz a decade ago, Hjulmand has represented a gamble, but his side have won four of five domestically. In the Champions League, however, they've looked far more shaky, only able to draw against PSV Eindhoven and FC Copenhagen, a pair of results that leaves the Germans on the outside looking in when it comes to advancing.
Predicted lineups:
Bayer Leverkusen (3-2-4-1): Flekken; Andrich, Badé, Tapsoba; Garcia, Fernandez; Soares, Maza, Grimaldo, Poku; Kofane
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Chevalier; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Doué (or Lee); Kvaratskhelia, Mayulu, Barcola
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