Villarreal bank on Saliba's comeback to test PSG in Champions League

Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba missed two matches with a muscle injury. He is set to return to the Villarreal squad for the biggest match of the season so far. The Yellow Submarine host back‑to‑back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain at Estadio de la Cerámica for their fourth match of the 2026/27 Group Phase. Head coach Iñigo Pérez said in his pre‑game press conference on Tuesday that Saliba has returned to training and will be available against PSG.

Group dynamics and knockout hopes

How much he can play remains to be seen, but when fellow Canadian Tajon Buchanan missed a few weeks recently with a muscle problem he was thrust right back into the starting lineup. Saliba’s return is also good news for fans hoping to see him in the Canadian national team’s midfield in a couple of weeks when Canada plays Guatemala in a two‑legged Nations League quarter‑final on Nov. 13 and Nov. 16, with the second leg at BMO Field. Jesse Marsch’s squad for those games will be announced on Tuesday.

Villarreal want a win to keep pace with other teams chasing a spot in the knockout rounds. PSG are one of five teams to start with three wins from three. Villarreal are 1‑0‑2 having lost to both Liverpool (also 3‑0‑0) and Borussia Dortmund.

PSG inflicts the worst home defeat on a Spanish side in Europe

Canadian players and PSG challenge

They did beat Napoli 3‑1 after failing to win in last year’s Group Phase. After losing at home to Espanyol on Friday, Villarreal will be keen to put their best foot forward, even if they enter Tuesday’s match as big underdogs. Villarreal’s third Canadian, Tani Oluwaseyi, scored in both the Napoli and Liverpool games, finding good form in Europe despite an up‑and‑down LaLiga season. Oluwaseyi has struggled to carve out a spot in the lineup, but those goals off the bench, and another in the Copa del Rey recently, could reward him with more playing time — though PSG doesn’t seem like the chance to try him out.

Oluwaseyi will also likely be in Canada’s November squad, as he often has under Marsch. PSG have been one of Europe’s dominant forces lately, winning back‑to‑back Champions League crowns and five straight Ligue 1 titles. Under Spanish manager Luis Enrique, the club could take something special to deny them a third in a row, a rare feat.