<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/psg/">Paris Saint-Germain</a> host Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday, September 9, as their first opponent in the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign. With high expectations surrounding the back-to-back defending champions, the absence of marquee wingers <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/khvicha-kvaratskhelia/">Khvicha Kvaratskhelia</a> and Desire Doue from the starting XI raised immediate questions among supporters.



Kvaratskhelia and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/desire-doue/">Doue</a> begin the match against Slovan Bratislava on the substitutes’ bench due to tactical squad management by manager Luis Enrique. Neither forward is dealing with an injury and both are 100 percent fit to feature, but the Spanish head coach opted to manage their workload for the European opener.



Both the Georgian star and the young French international featured during weekend domestic action against AS Monaco, exiting in the 68th and 63rd minutes respectively as part of planned substitutions.



In their absence, Ousmane Dembele occupies his usual central role in the attacking line, while Ferran Torres starts on the left wing and Maghnes Akliouche features on the right. Both Kvaratskhelia and Doue are expected to be deployed as second-half substitutes to maintain match rhythm.



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Le onze de départ pour notre première soirée de la saison en <a href="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChampionsLeague</a> ! <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/PSGSLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSGSLB</a> I <a href="https://x.com/easportsfcfr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@easportsfcfr</a> <a href="https://t.co/VsmAGuQUUm">pic.twitter.com/VsmAGuQUUm</a>— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) <a href="https://x.com/PSG_inside/status/2097748369334468786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2026</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Kvaratskhelia and Doue, key for PSG in recent UCL wins</h2>



PSG enter the 2026-27 campaign with an opportunity to replicate a feat previously achieved only by Real Madrid: capturing three consecutive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/champions-league/">Champions League</a> titles. Over the past two seasons, both Doue and Kvaratskhelia served as tactical cornerstones of Luis Enrique’s championship system.



In the 2024-25 Champions League final against Inter Milan, Doue scored twice in a 5-0 victory, an outing that earned him the award as the competition’s best young player. During the 2025-26 campaign, Kvaratskhelia was named tournament player of the season after generating 10 goals and six assists.



<h2>Confirmed lineups for PSG and Slovan Bratislava</h2>



PSG’s confirmed lineup (4-3-3): Matvey Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Ilyan Zabarnyi, William Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Dro Fernandez, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Maghnes Akliouche, Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres. Head coach: Luis Enrique.



Slovan Bratislava’s confirmed lineup (4-3-3): Dominik Takac; Cesar Blackman, Kenan Bajric, Svetozar Markovic, Sandro Cruz; Cristian Martinez, Peter Pokorny, Rahim Ibrahim; Tigran Barseghyan, Andraz Sporar, Suleiman Camara. Head coach: Yaya Toure

Why are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue not starting for PSG in UCL debut vs Slovan Bratislava?

Why are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue not starting for PSG in UCL debut vs Slovan Bratislava? - World Soccer Talk

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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/france/">France</a> faces Spain on Tuesday, July 15th, in the 2026 World Cup semifinals at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, looking to reach a third consecutive final. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/desire-doue/">Desire Doue</a> is one of the more notable absences from the starting lineup, and the reason behind the decision is tactical.



Doue has been left out by head coach Didier Deschamps in favor of a profile better suited to exploiting <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/spain/">Spain</a>‘s right side. While Doue has been a regular starter for France throughout the tournament, Deschamps has opted for a more direct threat down the left flank to target Pedro Porro.



In his place, Bradley Barcola gets the nod on the left wing. His PSG teammate brings a more explosive, pace-driven profile to that position compared to Doue, whose strengths lie more in technical ability and creativity in tight spaces.



With Lamine Yamal typically cutting inside for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup/">Spain</a>, Porro pushes forward aggressively with constant overlapping runs and has even appeared in advanced positions, as evidenced by his goal against Austria in the Round of 32. While both Doué and Barcola offer defensive tracking, it is the former Olympique Lyonnais forward who poses the greater threat in transition and gives Porro more to think about defensively.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1924" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/07/14130138/desire-doue-bradley-barcola-france-1924x1080.webp" alt="Bradley Barcola #12 of France celebrates with Desire Doue #20 after scoring." class="wp-image-665589"><figcaption>Bradley Barcola #12 of France celebrates with Desire Doue #20 after scoring.</figcaption></figure>



Barcola has featured in all six of France’s games at this World Cup, averaging 47 minutes per appearance and contributing two goals and one assist. His pace and directness fit Deschamps’ plan of sitting back and exploiting the space Spain tends to leave in behind their high defensive line.


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<h2>Tchouameni also returns to France’s starting lineup</h2>



A persistent hamstring issue has kept Aurelien Tchouameni out of the lineup since the Round of 32 against Sweden. Manu Kone stepped in admirably during his absence alongside Adrien Rabiot and delivered convincing performances, but Deschamps has opted to restore the Real Madrid midfielder now that he is fit.



Tchouameni serves as vice-captain for Les Bleus and brings a defensive balance to the midfield that has been a constant for France since the 2022 World Cup. With the biggest match of the tournament so far on the horizon, Deschamps is wasting no time reintegrating him into the starting eleven.

Why isn’t Desire Doue starting for France against Spain at the 2026 World Cup?

Why isn't Desire Doue starting for France against Spain at the 2026 World Cup? - World Soccer Talk

With a place in the semifinals of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2026 World Cup</a> at stake, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/france/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">France</a> are playing against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/morocco/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Morocco</a> in a rematch of the previous edition, but <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/bradley-barcola/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bradley Barcola</a> is not in the starting lineup.



The reason Barcola isn’t starting against Morocco is because Didier Deschamps has chosen Désiré Doué instead. This has been the only spot in doubt during the competition for the manager, as Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise are certain starters.



Even though the talented Paris Saint-Germain winger has been the winger for France, his teammate Doué has rotated with him and has often replaced him during matches.



<h2>The replacement</h2>



While the attack has been France’s main strength, they didn’t display their best performance against Paraguay. It was precisely Barcola who struggled to make an impact before being substituted.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/07/09152040/doue-1920x1080.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-664525"><figcaption>Doue was important a few days ago (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



That substitution proved to be crucial in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay because Doué entered the field with much better pace on a day when he looked very difficult to stop whenever he had the ball on the left flank.


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It was such an important impact that Doué was the player who changed the match when he dribbled into the penalty area from the left before being brought down for a penalty. After the referee reviewed the play on the monitor, the penalty was confirmed and Mbappé converted it.



<h2>Doué’s minutes</h2>



That position has been the one Deschamps has rotated the most during the competition. Doué will make his third start after previously starting the victories over Senegal and Norway, scoring one goal. He then came off the bench in the other three matches against Iraq, Sweden and Paraguay.

Why isn’t Bradley Barcola starting for France against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup?

Why isn't Bradley Barcola starting for France against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup? - World Soccer Talk

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Why are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue not starting for PSG in UCL debut vs Slovan Bratislava?

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Why isn’t Desire Doue starting for France against Spain at the 2026 World Cup?

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Why isn’t Bradley Barcola starting for France against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup?