PSG rest Neymar for Nimes clash

French champions Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to continue their resurgence on Friday night at Nimes without 222-million euro striker Neymar.

The 28-year-old will sit out the game at the Stade des Costieres after arriving back on Thursday from 2022 World Cup qualifying duties with Brazil.

Neymar hit a hat trick in his country's 4-2 victory in Peru to take him second behind Pele in Brazil's all-time scoring charts.

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel will also be without the suspended duo Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos while midfield general Marco Verratti is injured along with striker Mauro Icardi.

Ander Herrera, who tested positive for coronavirus, is in isolation so too the new signing Danilo Pereira. The 29-year-old is a “contact case” after he was in the Portugal squad alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who has tested positive for coronavirus.

Bad luck
"We have a bit of bad luck with players," said Tuchel on the eve of the game.

PSG lost their opening two matches of the season against Lens and Marseille. But they won their next four to rise to fourth behind Rennes, Lille and Lens.

On Tuesday they begin their Champions League campaign at the Parc des Princes against Manchester United.

Choices
With that game in mind, Tuchel said he could call on new arrivals Rafinha and Moise Kean.

"Rafinha has been training with us for 10 days,” said Tuchel. “He's a very technical player, very humble and very easy to get on with. I know he'll be able to adapt quickly and of course he'll be able to play. Kean could also play his first match for us.”

Kean, 20, was drafted in from Everton on loan just before the closure of the transfer window. The former Juventus starlet appeared as a substitute for Italy in their Nations League draw with the Netherlands on Wednesday

He is likely to be fresher than PSG's other star striker Kylian Mbappé, who played throughout France's 2-1 win in Croatia on Wednesday night.

Around 5,000 fans will attend the game in Nimes, which does not feature in the French government's list of cities included in a curfew.

Residents where the restrictions are in force will not be allowed to be outside between 9pm and 6am for a month from Saturday.

The limitations announced by the French president Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday night mean that Marseille's home game with Bordeaux on Saturday and the derby between Lille and Lens on Sunday, will be behind closed doors.