Soccer
Luis Enrique was worried about a “complicated” injury to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United that condemned Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League play-off round again.
Victory at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday would have taken PSG into the top eight, and they made a bright start as Ousmane Dembele saw a penalty saved even before Vitinha’s eighth-minute opener.
But PSG were rocked by an injury to star winger Kvaratskhelia, who stayed down after his ankle became awkwardly tangled as he fouled Anthony Elanga.
Kvaratskhelia, who assisted Vitinha’s goal, had to be helped off the pitch, and PSG seemed to suffer from that setback as Newcastle gained a foothold and then a point through Joe Willock’s equaliser.
This injury comes just as PSG looked to be recovering their squad to full fitness, with Fabian Ruiz their most notable remaining absentee on Wednesday.
Coach Luis Enrique said after the match: “We’ve lost another important player to injury; we’ll have to see the tests on Thursday. It’s his ankle, and it’s complicated.”
We’ll face Qarabag FK or AS Monaco in the Champions League KO play-offs.
First leg away (17-18 February)
Second leg at home (25-25 February) pic.twitter.com/uQMogpN13c— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 28, 2026
PSG breezed through the play-offs last year, thrashing Brest 10-0 on aggregate en route to winning the competition for the first time in their history.
Memories of that run perhaps contributed to Luis Enrique’s open-minded reaction to facing the additional round once more, while he defended PSG’s inability to secure a top-eight finish following a three-match winless run in Europe.
Newcastle are now the only team to have played PSG three or more times in the Champions League and never lost, and Luis Enrique pointed to their opponents’ quality.
“Newcastle is a Pot Four team… are they a small team?” he asked.
“We could have had better results, but we’re here, we’re ready, and we’ll see who we play against. I’m very demanding of my team, but we have to analyse and look at our schedule.
“What’s positive for me is that when you consistently play against top teams, you’re ready for the upcoming matches.”
As with Brest last year, PSG could again face Ligue 1 opposition in the next phase, as, after finishing 11th, they will be drawn against either Monaco or Qarabag.
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