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PSG welcome Tottenham to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday and Luis Enrique has been handed a timely injury boost ahead of the Champions League tie
Luis Enrique has confirmed Ousmane Dembele will be in the PSG squad to face Tottenham in what is a huge boost for the French side.
Ballon d’Or winner Dembele has endured an injury-hit campaign and played only nine times after two separate injury issues. The Frenchman has missed PSG's last two games with a calf injury but trained with his team-mates as normal on Tuesday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Enrique admitted it was likely Dembele would feature against Spurs. “He’s trained well. We’ll see tomorrow. If there’s no problem, he’ll be in the squad,” Enrique told reporters.
It is a timely boost for PSG ahead of an important match after they lost at home to Bayern Munich in their last European fixture at the start of the month. This will be the second meeting between the clubs this season after a dramatic Super Cup contest in August.
Tottenham were two up and set for an historic victory before Dembele inspired a late comeback and PSG subsequently won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Champions League winners PSG had only returned to pre-season the week before that match in Udine and Enrique promised a different game on this occasion.
He added: “Tottenham have had a great start to the season and are still unbeaten in the Champions League. Most of their players are internationals. They’re a strong side.
“The Super Cup? That was the first game of the season; Wednesday’s game will be different. It’s a good memory because it ended well, but a bad memory if I think back to the first 60 minutes when we were struggling.
“We’re more ready to be a dominant team and to win the match. Our goal is the same in every match: to be dominant. It will be difficult, but we’ll be playing at the Parc des Princes and we hope to play a very good match in front of our fans.”
Wednesday could be a memorable evening for PSG captain Marquinhos, if selected. The Brazil defender was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Le Harve, but could make his 500th appearance for the French club if involved against Tottenham.
“If Marquinhos is fit, he will play his 500th match on Wednesday. That’s an incredible number,” Enrique reflected.
“It’s very important for him and all the players. It’s wonderful to see a player with such an impressive track record. He’s a different kind of player, a true leader. He’s important and I hope to have him for many more years to come.”
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