Image Credits: Imago Images
PSG manager Luis Enrique has discussed Bradley Barcola’s availability ahead of the first leg Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool
Barcola suffered an ankle sprain in the second leg of PSG’s big 8-2 aggregate win over Chelsea in the round of 16. He had been in the form of his life, scoring in both legs against Chelsea to take his tally to 12 goals for the season, and had been one of the most dangerous wide players in Europe.
However, Enrique is unsure if the Frenchman will be fit to face the Reds in either leg, but has refused to rule him out completely either:
“Will he be fit for the second leg against Liverpool? I don’t know, I can’t give you that information,” Enrique said as quoted by GFFN. “You can’t ask Bradley Barcola that question.”
“When I speak to him, I ask him how he’s feeling. But there’s no rush. The most important thing is that he recovers well. When will he be ready? I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see how he progresses.”
The good news for Enrique is that his alternatives are far from shabby. Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all offer elite quality across the front line, and it was Doue who came on to replace Barcola against Chelsea and barely missed a beat
Meanwhile, the reigning Ligue 1 champions were successful in their request for the postponement of their top-of-the-table clash against RC Lens, originally scheduled for April 11, after the draw pitted them against Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Lens, who sit just one point behind PSG in Ligue 1 with a game in hand, were furious. The club issued a strongly worded statement, accusing the LFP of relegating French football to a “mere variable to accommodate the European ambitions of certain parties”.
Their objections fell on deaf ears. The Ligue de Football Professionnel’s board voted unanimously to postpone the fixture to May 13.
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