Paris St Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the Champions League win over Barcelona.
Kvaratskhelia twisted the knee during PSG’s 4-2 victory on Tuesday and was helped off the pitch just before the hour, with the Georgian winger unable to put any weight on his right leg.
Kvaratskhelia landed awkwardly after sprinting back to make a tackle on Xavi Espart and looked in severe pain as he clutched his right knee. He played a leading role in helping PSG to back-to-back Champions League titles and is one of the contenders for the Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded on Monday.
Ousmane Dembélé had earlier been forced off with a thigh injury and the defender Marquinhos was substituted with a similar injury. PSG said both players would have treatment for the next few weeks.
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The PSG coach, Luis Enrique, used Dembélé sparingly in the French league last season and has rested him twice in Ligue 1 this campaign. The France forward, who scored six goals at the World Cup, struggled with injuries last season and had been beset by leg muscle injuries at his previous club, Barcelona.
In the 2024-25 Dembélé played 50 games in a season for the first time in his career and his performances earned him the men’s Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona have made a complaint to Uefa over a “chainsaw massacre” banner displayed on Tuesday. The banner carried the slogan “Massacre, Parisien style” and depicted a masked man in a PSG shirt cutting through a Barcelona crest with a chainsaw, with pyrotechnics giving the effect of sparks flying as the saw made contact.
Sources close to the Catalan club said the content of the banner, and some offensive chants from the stands, were reported to Uefa’s match delegate.
