Paris Saint-Germain hope to overcome the absences of Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Marquinhos to win the most exciting duel of the start of the season against Lamine Yamal's FC Barcelona, on Wednesday at the Montjuic Stadium in the Champions League.

It was supposed to be the big battle of the fall: European champions PSG versus FC Barcelona, a formidable force last year. Two teams with strong attacking principles, brought to life by virtuosos, with Ousmane Dembélé, the recent winner of the Ballon d'Or, on one side, and Yamine Lamal, his runner-up, on the other.

First disappointment: the match that should have sealed Europe's reunion with the Camp Nou after years of renovations will finally take place at the Olympic stadium in Montjuic. Just like two years ago when PSG reversed the trend in the Champions League quarter-finals (2-3, 4-1).

Even more damaging, Ousmane Dembélé will not be in the game. The brilliant winger, celebrated by his fans on Saturday at the Parc des Princes, will be busy treating a thigh injury at Aspetar, a well-equipped clinic in Doha.

There were also long-standing fears that his rival Lamine Yamal would be out, but the 18-year-old prodigy is expected to be present on Wednesday evening. He only had half an hour to recover this weekend after a pubic injury, which was enough to land a loving ball on Robert Lewandowski's head. His second-place finish in the Ballon d'Or, when he was hoping to lift the trophy, will serve as "motivation," according to his coach Hansi Flick.

Curse

Beyond their star players, both teams will each be without key players, which could jeopardize the much-anticipated spectacle. "It's a shame, a Barcelona-Paris match with five or six important players for Barça and PSG who won't play. For me and Hansi Flick, and for the fans of both teams," explained Luis Enrique, the Parisian coach, who also sat on the Catalan bench.

After a long and tiring season that ended in mid-July, PSG have suffered a blow in recent weeks with successive injuries to Désiré Doué (calf), Joao Neves (thigh) and Marquinhos (thigh). Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are also doubtful for Wednesday after their premature exit on Saturday.

For the moment, Luis Enrique's troops have managed to maintain a certain standard, with five wins in Ligue 1 and just one defeat (1-0 against OM last week) and a convincing evening against Atalanta to open their campaign to regain the Champions League (4-0).

In the game, the good reflexes quickly returned: ball circulation, stifling domination of the opponent and danger coming from everywhere, like the goals of the two central defenders Illya Zabarnyi and Lucas Beraldo on Saturday against Auxerre (2-0).

But Barça is another matter. The club has just reclaimed first place in La Liga from Real Madrid by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 for the third time on Sunday.

Risks

In the Champions League, the Blaugranas got their campaign off to a good start against Newcastle (2-1). But at home too, the injury list is long: Raphinha, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Ter Stegen, Joan Garcia...

Hansi Flick's men, led by a Pedri-Frenkie de Jong duo at the helm in midfield, still take a lot of defensive risks with their very high line to play offside.

A weakness that could be exploited by Bradley Barcola, who has been in great form since the restart and is shining in the open spaces. To support him and compensate for the absences of the usual starters, Luis Enrique will have to rely on Lee Kang-in, Senny Mayulu, and Gonçalo Ramos, among others.

"It's a real pleasure to play against a team that has the same mentality (...) one of the best teams in the world that plays very attacking football like us, that defends with intensity," said Luis Enrique.

He hopes, and the football fans with him, that this pleasure will be palpable on both sides and will allow sparks to fly on Wednesday, against all odds.