From our special correspondent at Anfield,
Coming off injured in the 28th minute of the Champions League return match between Liverpool and PSG, Hugo Ekitike reminded everyone – despite himself – that the World Cup was fast approaching and that any serious injury could mean forfeiting the American summer.
No official report has yet been communicated, but the French striker seems affected in the Achilles tendon area, and Arne Slot’s wet finger diagnosis does not give cause for optimism. “Ekitiké was very hurt, it’s a pretty serious injury. I don’t know if he will play again this season,” said the Dutchman after his team’s elimination. The images do not leave much room for doubt. In other words: a place has surely become available in the “attackers” category of Didier Deschamps’ list for the World Cup.
Just “one blow” for Désiré Doué
Only one, and not two, because unlike Slot, Luis Enrique was able to be reassuring when discussing the case of Désiré Doué, pushed cowardly into the setting by Dominik Szoboszlai at the start of the second half and visibly hit in the knee. The former Rennais would suffer from a simple “blow” without major consequences for the rest of the events.
DD can breathe. But he also knows that he will have to, like many French people, live with the fear of injuries until the end of the international season with their clubs. And something tells us that if there was the possibility of drawing up a list of players to put in the fridge and only come out in the States, it would look like this.
Bradley Barcola
29 days to recover from a sprained ankle seems fair. But Luis Enrique perhaps had in mind to restart it reasonably for a shorter time for his recovery, moreover on the battlefield of Anfield. His risky game exposes him to tackles from the biggest European butchers. If Bayern pass, all you have to do is make a phone call to Upamecano to urge him to be gentle with Bradley. If it’s Real, we’ll have to pray to all the gods of all religions for Rudiger to spare him. Trouillometer: 70%.
Michael Olise
No concrete reason to worry for the man with 25 assists, whose last recorded injury dates back to February 2024, and the previous one to June 2023. The problem? In both cases it was a hamstring injury. The kind of weak point allergic to extended seasons, and Olise’s is particularly busy: the French international played 3,331 minutes in 2025-26.
Deschamps probably has a text ready to send to Vincent Kompany the moment Bayern have won the Bundesliga: “put Olise on the bench in the league until the end of the season”. Trouillometer: 15%.
Ousmane Dembélé
Just the same as Michael Olise, except that Dembouz is 100 times more fragile and that in addition to the hamstrings, you also have to watch your calves. We saw it in Liverpool, the Ballon d’Or abandoned energy saving mode to resume his big pressures on the goalkeeper and his sprinter’s deep calls. Soft calves all the same. Trouillometer: 80%.
Kylian Mbappé
As we no longer really know whether we should be worried about the right or left knee of the Blues star, that’s twice as much worry. And to think that all this would not have happened if, at the end of 2025, the Real Madrid striker had not burned himself while wanting at all costs to beat the record for goals scored by a Merengue player in a calendar year. Fortunately, Kyks’ season with Real will come to an end tonight at the Allianz Arena. Just in time to take a breather before meeting Didier in Clairefontaine. Trouillometer: 40%.
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