Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League campaign has taken another setback after the club confirmed that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss Wednesday’s group-stage meeting with Barcelona due to a suspected thigh problem.

The Georgian winger, 24, was forced off during PSG’s Ligue 1 victory over Auxerre at the weekend, adding to Luis Enrique’s growing list of injury concerns.

Kvaratskhelia joins Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and captain Marquinhos on the sidelines. Dembele and Doue have been out since early September, while Marquinhos continues to recover from a separate issue.

Enrique, who faces his former club at the Nou Camp, will be banking on the midfield duo of Vitinha, who recently finished third in the Ballon d’Or race, and Portuguese talent Joao Neves to steady his side against a Barcelona team that has made an unbeaten start to the season.

The injuries have come at an awkward time for PSG, whose momentum has already been dented following their Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea in July.

Meanwhile in Spain, Barcelona have moved to shut down speculation surrounding goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

Reports had suggested the German could be on his way out in January, especially after Joan Garcia’s arrival from city rivals Espanyol.

Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, was quick to dismiss the rumours. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said: “There’s no January plan around Ter Stegen’s exit. If he were fit, he’d probably be playing; he is our captain.”

Deco added that Garcia’s signing was part of long-term planning rather than a signal of a change in goal. “Joan García was about the present and the future. Signing him wasn’t ‘against’ Ter Stegen; it was smart planning,” he stressed.

Ter Stegen, who has been with the Catalan giants for nearly a decade, remains one of the team’s most reliable figures, admired for his reflexes, calmness under pressure and leadership in the dressing room.

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