Paris Saint-Germain are facing a race against time to have two of their most influential players fit for the Champions League final against Arsenal.Â
Luis Enriques side are sweating over the availability of Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele as the countdown to the Budapest showdown begins in earnest.
The French club are nervously monitoring the fitness of two key stars ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final against Arsenal.
The Parisian side, who recently secured another Ligue 1 title, are hoping to defend their European crown at the Puskas Arena, but their preparations have been hampered by significant selection concerns.
The holders face an Arsenal side riding a wave of momentum after Mikel Artetas men ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League title. While the Gunners are at peak confidence, PSG are facing the prospect of being far from full strength for the biggest game of the European season in Hungary.
According to L’Equipe, star full-back Hakimi is not expected to be fit to start the final. This news comes as a huge blow to Enriques tactical plans, as the Moroccan international provides a unique attacking threat from the right-hand side of the defense.
Hakimi has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury during the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich nearly a month ago. He is not expected to return to full training until Wednesday, leaving him with just three days to prove his fitness before the squad travels to Budapest for the final.
The fitness issues do not stop at the back for the Les Parisiens. PSG recently hosted an in-house friendly consisting of 20-minute halves to maintain match sharpness, but Ousmane Dembele was a notable absentee. The winger has been struggling with a knock since being replaced during the first half of a recent domestic defeat to Paris FC.
Despite the growing concern among the fanbase, Dembele appears confident he will shake off any niggles to start the final.Â
However, missing the internal friendly suggests that the medical department is taking a cautious approach with the former Barcelona man as the clock ticks down toward Saturday night.
The potential absence of both Hakimi and Dembele would drastically alter the complexion of the match.Â
Arsenals coaching staff will see this as a major boost, particularly as they look to exploit any lack of pace or cohesion in the PSG ranks following these injury layoffs. All eyes now turn to Tuesday’s scheduled training session in Paris.
This will be the first opportunity for the squad to be put through their paces in a high-intensity environment following the weekend.Â
For Enrique, the session will be a definitive litmus test to see whether his two stars can play a part in what promises to be a historic clash against the newly-crowned English champions.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11âJuly 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
