Injuries, suspensions and a losing start in the Champions League will all be weighing on the mind of Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel as his side prepare to host Dijon FCO on Saturday.
Paris Saint-Germain v Dijon FCO Saturday at 21:00 CET (1900 GMT)
PSG welcome struggling Dijon to the Parc des Princes four days after Marcus Rashford’s late goal gave Manchester United a 2-1 win on the same ground in their Champions League Group H opener. It was a result that left Tuchel’s team already up against it in their bid just to qualify from the last 16, two months after their run to the final in Lisbon and their narrow loss to Bayern Munich.
The Parisians are now gearing up for a trip to Turkey to take on Istanbul Basaksehir, an awkward fixture in which they can ill afford to slip up with a double-header against RB Leipzig to follow and a visit to Old Trafford on the horizon too.
The Champions League has come to define Paris just as it does other members of Europe’s elite, and the dream for Tuchel, his players, and the club’s Qatari owners is to go one better than last season.
With that in mind perhaps a return to Ligue 1 Uber Eats action might almost be seen as a nuisance right now, but it is an opportunity for PSG to boost morale and in any case they must not take their eye off the ball domestically given they ended last weekend two points behind leaders LOSC.
Highlights: PSG brush aside Nîmes
“It was a surprise for me because we had just had five consecutive victories,” Tuchel said after the United game. "It was a performance without intensity, without aggression. We struggled to win the ball back, we didn’t counter-press. I don’t know why.”
Tuchel may need to freshen up his side against Dijon in a match which will be played behind closed doors in the capital as the 9pm local time kick-off coincides with the start of the nighttime curfew introduced in Paris and the whole of the Ile-de-France region as part of efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Mbappé to be rested?
Might Kylian Mbappé be rested for example? He toiled in midweek and has now gone six Champions League appearances without scoring. Perhaps he was feeling the effects after playing three games in six days the previous week, two for France in the UEFA Nations league and then one for his club in the 4-0 win at Nîmes Olympique.
Elsewhere Angel di Maria and Layvin Kurzawa are currently serving domestic suspensions, while Idrissa Gana Gueye is missing after coming off in midweek with a hamstring injury. Marco Verratti and Juan Bernat are also sidelined, but Mauro Icardi and Thilo Kehrer are close to comebacks and the hope is that Marquinhos and Julian Draxler can play a part against the men from Burgundy.
“We need to lift our heads. We know we are going to be playing games every three or four days, the games are coming thick and fast, so we need to pick ourselves up and stay focused on our objectives,” said Presnel Kimpembe in the aftermath of the game against United.
Highlights: Baldé earns Dijon draw with Rennes
Not many people will be giving Dijon a chance of pulling off a shock result where they have lost on all six visits in league and cup in the last nine years, conceding 24 goals and scoring none. They infamously went down 8-0 here in January 2018.
Konaté set for Dijon debut
Stéphane Jobard’s side are also bottom of the table with just two points and are one of only two teams still without a win in the league this season. Nevertheless they did hold Stade Rennais FC to a 1-1 draw last time out with Mama Baldé grabbing their goal.
“We are maybe not coming into this game in the best shape, and they will maybe be looking to make amends,” warned Jobard. “I am wary of wounded beasts. We are expecting to suffer on Saturday. Whatever happens we need to be ready for a fight.”
Senegalese forward Moussa Konaté could come straight into the Dijon side following his arrival from second-tier Amiens SC on a three-year deal, but Yassine Benzia, Romain Amalfitano and Roger Assalé are all missing for the visitors.
Probable teams
Paris SG: Rico; Dagba, Marquinhos (c), Diallo, Bakker; Rafinha, Danilo Pereira; Sarabia, Neymar, Draxler; Kean
Dijon: Allagbé; Chafik, Ecuele Manga (c), Panzo, Ngonda; Ndog, Lautoa, Diop; Chouiar; Baldé, Konaté