Ligue 1

Dembele, Marquinhos return to PSG for Leverkusen clash

Ousmane Dembele and Marquinhos are back in the Paris Saint-Germain squad for their Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen.

Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, has been out for six weeks with a hamstring injury, while Marquinhos has recovered from a thigh issue. Their return is a boost for PSG, who are third in the 36-team league and looking to make it three wins from three in the Champions League.

The freshly crowned Ballon d’Or winner had been recovering at a Qatar specialist clinic and came back to training last week.

He was out of PSG’s 3‑3 thriller with Strasbourg on Friday, but he could feature in Germany as the European champions aim for a third straight Champions League win this season.

“It’s always good when you get players back in the squad,” PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery told reporters.

“Especially key ones who are there to push us,” the midfielder added.

“I would say he (Dembele) is a leader, even if he doesn’t speak up much,” Emery added.

Leverkusen centre‑back, Loïc Bade, Dembele’s France teammate, said there’s “no secret recipe” for stopping the PSG forward, describing him as “a complete player with multiple qualities.”

“He won the Ballon d’Or — of course, he’s got a lot of quality. He’s good with both feet. I don’t think he’s got a weak side.

“You need to think as a team, defend as a team and be as compact with your teammates as possible.”

For the Strasbourg match, PSG welcomed back forwards Désiré Doué and substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Midfielders Fabián Ruiz and João Neves remain sidelined, but centre‑back Marquinhos, who missed time with a thigh injury and last played on September 22 has travelled to Germany with the squad.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand, who took over after Erik ten Hag was dismissed in September, called PSG’s high‑energy press “a weapon” that also “carries risk.”

PSG Squad vs Bayer Leverkusen: