ESPN also classified Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain) as out of the plans.
Paris Saint-Germain will compete against Inter Milan for the championship trophy in the UEFA Champions League final of the 2024-25 season, which will be held at 4 a.m. (Korea time) on June 1 at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Having already claimed the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles, Paris Saint-Germain is challenging for a treble. This marks the club's first challenge for the Champions League title. Paris Saint-Germain finished as runners-up in 2020 but has yet to win the Champions League.
This season, unfortunate forecasts suggest that Lee Kang-in may not participate in the most important match. According to WhoScored.com, Lee Kang-in's name was missing from the predicted starting lineup for the Champions League final for Paris Saint-Germain. The 4-3-3 formation for Paris Saint-Germain is expected to feature Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Dou, Luis, Vitinha, Neves, Mendes, Pacheco, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
ESPN also excluded Lee Kang-in from the plans. ESPN announced on the 31st a list of '30 players who could impact the Champions League final.' Unfortunately, Lee Kang-in's name was mentioned nowhere.
ESPN ranked Ousmane Dembélé, Lautaro Martínez, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Alessandro Bastoni as positions 1-5. The goalkeepers of both teams, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Yann Sommer, were tied for 11th place.
In addition to the best 11 of each team, names of Lee Kang-in's teammates who could feature from the bench, such as Warren Zaïre-Emery (25th), Gonçalo Ramos (27th), and Lucas Hernández (30th), were also mentioned. However, Lee Kang-in's name was nowhere to be found. This implies that Lee Kang-in is not even among the key bench players.
Even if Paris Saint-Germain wins, it could be a bittersweet victory if Lee Kang-in does not play. Lee Kang-in also did not get a chance to play in the final match of Ligue 1 this season. Throughout the season, Lee Kang-in contributed with 6 goals and 5 assists, but he could not smile.
Manager Luis Enrique does not trust Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in was once again excluded from the starting lineup in the crucial Coupe de France final. Although Lee Kang-in was on the bench, he did not play for even a second.
Manager Luis Enrique did not even consider Lee Kang-in, who could have contributed in a situation where three goals were scored in the first half to lead 3-0, substituting Hernández, Beauvue, Gonçalo Ramos, Mayulu, and Zaïre-Emery in the second half. This is the reason why rumors about Lee Kang-in's transfer have arisen.
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