Why are Ousmane Dembele and Joao Neves not playing for PSG in the Trophee des Champions against RC Lens?

Paris Saint-Germain are chasing their second trophy of the 2026-27 season as they take on RC Lens on Sunday, August 16, in the Trophee des Champions. However, when the starting XI was announced, eyebrows were raised over the absence of key stars Ousmane Dembele and Joao Neves from the lineup.

Ousmane Dembele will start on the bench against Lens as part of a tactical and fitness decision by manager Luis Enrique. Since the French winger was among the final group of players to report back to pre-season training following the 2026 World Cup, the Spanish manager opted to limit his workload and manage his minutes to avoid unnecessary injury risks early in the campaign.

Instead, Maghnes Akliouche gets the start in Dembele’s place in the attack. The former AS Monaco winger will occupy the central position, while Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue will be operating down the left and right flank respectively, much like PSG’s lineup was in Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup victory.

Meanwhile, Joao Neves was left out of the squad list entirely for the Trophee des Champions clash. In this instance, Luis Enrique chose to give the Portuguese midfielder a complete rest following his 75-minute workload in the UEFA Super Cup, though the player is not dealing with any structural or serious injury.

With Vitinha serving as the central anchor in midfield, the Portuguese international will be flanked by Warren Zaire-Emery and Brazilian Lucas Beraldo. Fabian Ruiz, who featured in the 2026 World Cup final for Spain, will begin the match on the substitute bench awaiting his opportunity.

Confirmed lineups for PSG and RC Lens

PSG’s confirmed lineup (4-3-3): Matvey Safonovl Achraf hakimi, Ilya Zabarnyi, William Pacho, Lucas Digne; Warren Zaire-Emery, Lucas Beraldo, Vitinha; Desire Doue, Maghnes Akliouche, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Head coach: Luis Enrique.

RC Lens’s confirmed lineup (3-4-2-1): Robin Risser; Kyllian Antonio, Ismaelo Ganiou, Maik Nawrocki; Saud Abdulhamid, Michael Cuisance, Yassine Titraoui, Matthieu Udoi; Florian Thauvin, Franjo Ivanovic; Abdallah Sima.
Head coach: Dino Toppmoller.