According to reports from France, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is stuck in Doha and might not be able to see his team play Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday. The 52-year-old Qatari was in his hometown visiting family when the Middle East conflict broke out on February 28, making it impossible for him to return to France.
The regional crisis got worse when the US and Israel bombed Iran, which led to attacks across the Gulf, including in Qatar. This caused major flight cancellations and airspace closures. Qatari officials said that these problems have left about 8,000 people stuck in the country.
As president, Al-Khelaifi has only missed a few PSG Champions League games in over 130 appearances. This would also be the first time in a long time that he has missed a pre-match training session. Club officials are said to be working on a way for him to safely get to Paris in time for the match by Wednesday.
Luis Campos, the club’s sports advisor, and Luis Enrique, the head coach, have taken over the day-to-day management of the club in his absence. Enrique has kept a calm presence in all of the technical departments. The Spaniard is said to have told his players again that he believes in them before what he sees as a key moment of the season.
The timing is especially important because this is a rematch of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, which Chelsea won 3-0. Everyone will be watching to see if PSG chairman can get back to the Parc des Princes before the game starts on Wednesday night.
Chelsea Prepare to Face PSG in Champions League Blockbuster
On Wednesday, March 11, Chelsea will play the first leg at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The game will start at 8:00 PM UK time. Liam Rosenior’s team will want to take the lead before the second leg at Stamford Bridge the next week.
The Opta supercomputer thinks the defending Champions League champions have a 49.2% chance of winning the first leg, while Chelsea have a 26.4% chance. The Blues, on the other hand, have some recent psychological ammunition after their big win in the Club World Cup final last summer, when Cole Palmer scored twice and set up João Pedro in a dominant performance.
Fabián Ruiz is out for PSG because of an injury, and João Neves is also uncertain, while Ousmane Dembélé is dealing with his own fitness issues. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be missing Estêvão, Levi Colwill, and Jamie Gittens. However, Cole Palmer and Reece James are both available to travel with the team.