Punishment or rest? Paris exclude Dembélé from the Lille clash | Goal.com

Published on 25 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Paris Saint-Germain granted French international forward Ousmane Dembélé a period of rest until the end of this week, the club announced on Tuesday. He will miss Friday's trip to Lille in the opening game of the French league's second round, returning to group training at the start of next week.

The decision follows the champions' stumble in the first round, a 2-2 draw with Rennes after trailing by two unanswered goals. Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d'Or winner, came off at half-time alongside teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The club then chose to rest him for the upcoming match.

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An official statement released on Tuesday evening confirmed the move: "In full agreement with the head coach and the sporting director, Ousmane Dembélé will benefit from a period of rest during the next few days, and will resume his training with the group from next Monday."

Dembélé had been poor in the first half against Rennes, and his exit made way for new signing Ferran Torres. The former Barcelona man made an instant impact, scoring a brace to spare the title holders defeat.

Luis Enrique, the Paris Saint-Germain coach, cut an angry figure afterwards. "Paris have not won anything, nothing at all. If you think about what you have won, you will not win anything. The most important thing for me is that there is no room for complacency. You must prove every day, in every training session, and in every match, that you are ready. Otherwise it is easy to give in to arrogance because of past successes. We are always looking to win, and that is why you must step out of your comfort zone. Is that clear?".

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