Rabat – Paris Saint-Germain will be without Achraf Hakimi when they travel to face Olympique de Marseille in the Ligue 1 Classique at the Vélodrome on Sunday evening.
PSG head coach Luis Enrique has named a 21-player squad for the highly anticipated encounter, with Hakimi among the notable absentees.
The Moroccan international picked up a thigh injury during PSG’s recent match against Brest and will consequently miss his first game of the season. The right-back has been a regular presence for the Parisian side, making his absence a significant change to Enrique’s defensive options.
Warren Zaïre-Emery is expected to fill in on the right side of the defense against Marseille. PSG have already faced defensive absences earlier in the campaign, with Nuno Mendes also unavailable during the opening stages of the season.
Hakimi’s absence comes ahead of a major Ligue 1 fixture, with PSG facing Marseille away from home in one of the most anticipated games of the French football calendar.
Lucas Hernandez is also absent
Alongside the Moroccan defender, Lucas Hernandez has also been left out of the squad. The French international, who was part of France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup-winning team, has not featured among Enrique’s selections for the first time this season.
The decision is part of the coach’s continued rotation of his squad. Hernandez joins other established players, including Lucas Digne and Illya Zabarnyi, who have also been left out during the early stages of the campaign.
Youngsters Quentin Ndjantou and David Boly will also remain in Paris and will not take part in the clash.
PSG will therefore head to the Vélodrome with several changes to their usual squad, particularly in defense, as they look to deal with Hakimi’s absence against their historic rivals.
