Rival watch: PSG confirm star defender has been ruled out for Barcelona after fresh injury

Rival watch: PSG confirm star defender has been ruled out for Barcelona after fresh injury Barcelona will gear up for their biggest challenge of the new season as they take on Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. The Catalans are already going through a mini crisis of sorts heading into this game, with Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia both doubtful after fresh knocks vs Real Betis. However, it appears Barça have handed a slight boost as PSG themselves will miss out on of their top defenders for this crucial battle. Nuno Mendes ruled out against Barcelona PSG will have to make do without Mendes. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) PSG has confirmed that Nuno Mendes won’t be available at the disposal of Luis Enrique when the French champions meet Barcelona this Tuesday. This is after a fresh injury suffered by the left-back in PSG’s latest league win over FC Strasbourg. “Having suffered a left thigh injury during last night’s match against RC Strasbourg Alsace, Nuno Mendes will be unavailable for the next few weeks,” the club confirmed in a statement . Nuno’s absence could be a massive boost for Barcelona as the Portuguese international usually provides a lot of threat on the flanks with his marauding runs forward. The right-back, area, is a particular weakness for the Catalans. Who will replace Mendes? Lucas Digne is primed to replace Mendes at left-back. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images) With Nuno Mendes ruled out, Luis Enrique is likely to favour former Barcelona man Lucas Digne to occupy his position in the left-back slot. Digne has shown mixed form since joining PSG in the summer and his occassional drop in focus could be a major boost for Barcelona. Lamine Yamal, in particular, could provide serious threat for the PSG defence on the flanks, though Enrique also has the option of deploying Lucas Hernandez, a much more defensive option. As far as Barcelona are concerned, the trouble of coping with both Mendes and another winger out wide could have proven to be tricky. But Flick can breath a sigh of relief now that Mendes will no longer a problem, though the Barcelona defence will still be tested heavily against a PSG attack that possesses talents such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Maghnes Akliouche and Ousmane Dembele.