Paris Saint-Germain duo Presnel Kimpembe and Marco Verratti will not be available for Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash with Nice at the Parc des Princes.
The two players received one-match bans for accumulating yellow cards, but both are still dealing with injuries, with Kimpembe out for the next couple of weeks with his hamstrings.
Meanwhile, Verratti picked up a calf problem in the 1-0 win over Lyon before the international break, forcing him to miss Italy’s Nations League games and taking a place in the medical bay alongside Renato Sanches (adductor).
Keylor Navas has now recovered from a back problem, but Gianluigi Donnarumma is Christophe Galtiero’s best player and will be protected by Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos.
It wouldn’t be a total shock to see Nordi Mukiele on the right of the back three, as Danilo Pereira could be moved further upfield to deputize for Verratti in the middle.
Pereira has filled in at centre-back during Kimpembe’s absence, but Galtier can appreciate his defensive qualities in the engine room alongside Vitinha, who is set to return for Fabian Ruiz.
Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are set to fill their usual full-back roles as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar form an unchanged forward line for the league leaders. Mbappe trained individually earlier this week but is not reported to have any injuries and should be fine.
Paris Saint-Germain’s possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Mukiele, Marquinhos, Ramos; Hakimi, Pereira, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Lotomba, Viti, Dante, Bard; Boudaoui, Thuram, Lemina, Diop; Delort, Laborde
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Nice
PSG may be without a couple of first-team regulars in Kimpembe and Verratti, but with all due respect to Nice, breaking down a backline comprising 38-year-old Dante and 20-year-old newcomer Viti should not be a problem for Messi and co.
Nice have been able to keep things tight in defence throughout the season, but a lack of attacking ingenuity should be their downfall once again, as Galtier gets the last laugh over his former club.
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