Lee Kang-In’s name is nowhere to be found in the predicted starting lineup for Paris Saint-Germain’s match against Dortmund, as predicted by various media outlets.
PSG will face Dortmund in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first leg of the 2023/24 season at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. ET.
PSG has been drawn in one of the toughest groups in recent Champions League history and will be looking to make the most of the first leg. PSG has been drawn in the same group as Borussia Dortmund (Germany), AC Milan (Italy), and Newcastle United (England), making it the ‘Group of Death’. While it’s hard to say that all three clubs are better than PSG, it’s also hard to say that they are far off.
Dortmund proved their dominance last season in 2022/23, when they fought a hard-fought title race with Bayern Munich and reached the round of 16 in the Champions League. AC Milan only finished fourth in Serie A last season, but they did have some notable successes, including reaching the last four of the Champions League, and they have a number of players who can excel in both attack and defense, such as Hafa and Theo Hernandez.
Newcastle’s fortunes have skyrocketed in the last two seasons following their Saudi Arabian capital takeover. They finished fourth in the Premier League last season, and with quality players in key positions like Alexander Isaacs and Sandro Tonali, they were able to hold their own against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Drawn in a group with these teams, PSG will have their work cut out for them as they look to improve on their Champions League performance, which has seen them reach the round of 16 in each of the last two seasons.
Lee Kang-woo has also been named to PSG’s Champions League roster to join them on their arduous journey. On July 7, PSG announced Squad A for the UEFA Champions League group stage of the 2023/24 season on the club’s official website, stating, “Luis Enrique has selected the players who will play in the Champions League group stage,” and Lee Kang-in was included in the list.
Lee’s inclusion marks his return to the Champions League after a four-year absence, having played in the competition with Valencia during the 2019/20 season.
However, there were doubts about his immediate availability. Lee has been dealing with a number of injuries recently that have kept him out of action.
Lee is currently rehabbing a hamstring injury that he picked up against Toulouse. Initially, it was announced by PSG themselves that Lee had suffered a left quadriceps injury and would be out until the A-match break.
This is his second injury since joining PSG. PSG fans are worried that Lee will become a “glass house” after his injury. This is because he’s competing for a starting spot with world-class players, so he has to be cautious about his recovery.
There were no problems during the match. Lee played until the beginning of the second half before being replaced by Kylian Mbappe to finish the game. However, PSG announced the injury on their website after the game, saying, “Lee Kang-in injured his left quadriceps. He will receive treatment until the end of the next A-match break,” the club announced on its website. As a result, Lee was unable to join Jürgen Klinsmann’s Korean national team during the A-Match in September and has been working on his rehabilitation.
However, he returned to the team sooner than expected and recently participated in team training, according to the club’s website.
Initially, there were speculations that Lee could make his comeback against Nice, but he was not included in the roster and his chances of making the squad disappeared. However, PSG decided to wait until after the Dortmund game to decide when to send him to the Asian Games, so there was still a chance that he could make his comeback against Dortmund and be part of the Asian Games squad.
However, Lee hasn’t been named in the predicted starting lineup for the Dortmund game, with some even considering him a possible absentee, so it’s possible he could leave the team to join the Asian Games squad without playing for PSG.
Earlier, UEFA released the “Predicted lineups for the first day of the Champions League” on its official website on the 18th, revealing the expected lineups for each match, as well as an outlook on players who will be absent, and also predicted PSG’s expected starting lineup.
UEFA pointed out that PSG will start Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, while the defense will consist of Ashraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Milan Skriniar, and Luca Hernandez. Manuel Ugarte, Weren Zaire-Emericka, and Vitinha in midfield, and Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, and Leroy Sane in attack. The list did not include Lee Kang-in.
Instead of starting, Lee was listed as a probable absentee. UEFA predicted that he would miss out, along with Fresnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Marco Asensio and Nordy Moukiele. However, the reason for Lee’s absence was listed as “absence” rather than an injury, suggesting that the team may have realized that his absence from the last game could affect the upcoming match, so it is not expected that the injury problem has reoccurred.
Following UEFA, French media outlets also predicted Lee’s exclusion. L’Equipe predicted a midfield of Vitinha, Ukarte, and Zaire-Emery, and an attacking lineup of Mbappe, Kolo-Mbappe, and Dembele, with RMC Sport and Le Parisien also weighing in on Lee’s exclusion.
A replacement remains a possibility. Lee was spotted in the PSG training photos released during the pre-match press conference and joined the rest of his teammates in training against Dortmund. He didn’t appear to have any problems in the video, so if he’s fit, it’s possible he could make a brief appearance late in the game after being left out of the starting lineup.
From a PSG perspective, if Lee does not play and joins the Asian Games squad, PSG will not be able to use him in the Champions League until the second leg of the Champions League group stage on October 5, so Luis Enrique will have to think hard about whether to use him as a substitute against Dortmund.바카라사이트
It will also be important for Lee to play. A return to the Champions League would be a great motivator for the player, as he will have a chance to really show what he can do to compete for a starting spot after the Asian Games. PSG have also recently solidified their midfield with Vitinha, Ugarte, and Zaire-Emery, and if Lee leaves for the Asian Games without playing, it could cement their positions even further.
With Lee set to play his first Champions League game of the season after a four-season absence, much attention will be paid to whether his return from injury will be against Dortmund before the Asian Games or against AC Milan afterward.