PARIS (AP) — Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier will both miss Paris Saint-Germain's trip to Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Wednesday.
PSG said Dembélé is sick while Chevalier is still recovering from a right ankle injury.
It's another setback for Dembélé, who returned from a left calf injury against Tottenham at the end of November and only made two more appearances in the French league.
Before that, Dembélé had been sidelined several weeks by a right hamstring injury sustained while playing for France in September.
PSG will also still be without Morocco right back Achraf Hakimi, who has a sprained left ankle and faces a race against time to recover before the Africa Cup of Nations in his home country from Dec. 21. Désiré Doué, however, makes his return to Luis Enrique's squad, having recovered from a muscle strain in his right thigh.
Matvei Safonov is expected to start in goal in the absence of Chevalier, who was injured in a loss against Monaco after a violent tackle from Lamine Camara on Nov. 29.
PSG won the Champions League last season and currently sits second in the league phase after five games, three points behind leader Arsenal.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's Ousmane Dembele heads the ball during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele waits to kick a corner during the French League One soccer match between Paris and Rennes in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele walks to kick a corner during the French League One soccer match between Paris and Rennes in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.
Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.
Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.
Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.
However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.
Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”
The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.
“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”
Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.
“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."
Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.
All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
