Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique intends to take things one match at a time as his squad prepare for a testing run of fixtures through the start of their Champions League campaign.
Nice head to the Parc des Princes on Friday night before PSG open their Group F schedule at home to Borussia Dortmund and then host arch rivals Marseille.
It is a run of games which looks set to stretch the PSG squad following on the back of an international break, during which Kylian Mbappe suffered an injury scare.
Enrique, though, feels PSG have enough strength in depth to see them through.
“We are focused on one match, the next one against Nice. We don’t think about those who come next,” Enrique told a press conference.
“We are used to having weeks with three matches – we have a squad with two or three players per position at the top level.
“It is vital to manage that well if we want to achieve our goals. Every player is ready, they will all play and will all be important in the season which will be long.”
Mbappe missed France’s defeat against Germany on Tuesday because of a minor knee injury, which PSG said was a patellar tendon problem, but was able to take part in training again on Thursday.
“He felt uncomfortable, we will discuss tomorrow to find out if he will be able to play against Nice, but I think he will be ready,” said former Barcelona and Spain boss Enrique.
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz faces a check on his calf, while forward Marco Asensio also picked up a foot problem while on international duty with Spain and is expected to be out until at least the end of the month.
PSG will climb above leaders Monaco with a victory on Friday night having recorded two wins and two draws from their opening four matches.
Nice are also unbeaten in Ligue 1 so far, having opened the new season with three draws before beating Strasbourg ahead of the international break.
Enrique said: “Nice is a team that works a lot. They take few risks and are courageous with and without the ball.
“They will be a difficult opponent, but we want to start this series of matches with a success.
“We want to impose our style of play, but our next opponents will want to do that too.”
Ahead of Friday’s game, PSG are planning a send off for Marco Verratti, with the veteran Italy midfielder having signed for Qatari side Al-Arabi, ending his 11-year stay with the French club.
Enrique said: “Marco Verratti will be there tomorrow before the match, this is the opportunity for all the supporters to say goodbye.
“He has been a very important player for the club over the last decade. I think it will be a special moment for him and his family.”
Nice boss Francesco Farioli hopes to be able to welcome France midfielder Khephren Thuram back into the side following injury.
“He is one of our possible game changers, someone who can change a match and improve our level in a very important way,” Farioli said at a press conference.
“Our goal is to bring him back to his best level. He is someone important for the club. We give it attention, time and we want to give it everything we can.
“Tomorrow, he will definitely be there and I think that what is more, it will be the ideal stage for him to express his qualities and help us greatly.”
Alexis Claude-Maurice (knee) and Antoine Mendy (calf) are Nice’s only absentees.
Goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has been training with the club, who continue to assess the Italian international’s fitness following a ruptured Achilles tendon last season.
“Salvatore can be a great addition for the club. He has knowledge of Ligue 1,” Fariol said. “We are currently evaluating his physical condition, not how he is as a player.”
Postecoglou: Spurs have a confidence problem to overcome
Ange Postecoglou says that Tottenham need to "overcome" their low confidence after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs slipped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, being left to bemoan their slow start as they found themselves 4-0 down by the hour mark thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott.
Richarlison came off the bench to salvage some pride for Spurs, scoring one before setting up Son Heung-min for a goal on his 300th Premier League appearance.
Spurs had the opportunity to cut the gap to the top four after Aston Villa’s defeat to Brighton, but they remain seven points off a Champions League spot.
Postecoglou’s side still have a game in hand over the Villans, though he was sure that Spurs would be able to put their recent poor run behind them.
Asked if Spurs had a confidence problem, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "Maybe in the front third there is.
"It probably is a bit of a lack of confidence, but again, that's something the guys have to work through.
"You have to find a way to overcome that because, ultimately, if you don't put pressure on the opposition in the front third after you've worked your way up there, they're going to get comfortable with their position."
Spurs have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games, failing to win any of the last five.
Despite that run extending at Anfield, Postecoglou highlighted what he thought was an improvement on their recent performances.
He continued: "Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us but at least we were more like ourselves today in terms of our football.
"Our last two away games at Newcastle and Chelsea, apart from the results which weren't great either, we just didn't try and play our football.
"I thought today, even in the first half, some of our football, our pressing was back to where it should be."
Roma 1-1 Juventus: Juve miss chance to close gap to second after draw with Roma
Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Roma on Sunday, missing the chance to close in on Milan in second place in Serie A.
Roma took the lead after 15 minutes when Romelu Lukaku found himself in the perfect position to tap in the rebound from a Bryan Cristante shot.
Bremer levelled with a header for Juventus just after the half-hour mark when Federico Chiesa picked him out inside the box from a corner.
Both sides had chances to find a winner in the final minutes, with Roma keeper Mile Svilar making a fingertip save to push Manuel Locatelli's volley over the bar.
Third-placed Juventus have 66 points, five fewer than Milan, who drew 3-3 with Genoa earlier on Sunday. Roma are fifth with 60 points.
Data Debrief: Leading from the back
Since scoring his first Serie A goal in the 2019-20 season, Bremer is the defender with the most headed goals in the Big-5 European leagues, netting 13 in total. Each of his last seven goals have been headers.
His goal was enough to earn Juventus a point today, but it means that they have drawn each of their last four in the competition - a first since February-March 2012 under Antonio Conte.
Chelsea 8-0 Bristol City: Blues rout hands Hayes perfect home send off
Guro Reiten starred as Chelsea thrashed already-relegated Bristol City 8-0 to keep their title hopes alive in the Women's Super League on Sunday.
The Norwegian scored four goals, netting the opener from the penalty spot to get Emma Hayes' last home game in charge off to the best start.
She scored the other three in the second half in just over 20 minutes, while teeing up Agnes Beever-Jones for the seventh goal with just two minutes left.
Beever-Jones got two, with Sjoeke Nusken and Niamh Charles also adding to the scoreline to eradicate the goal-difference advantage that Manchester City, who lost to Arsenal earlier on Sunday, had over them.
Chelsea move to within three points of the Citizens, with a game in hand over them, remaining in the fight to lift their fifth-consecutive league title.
Data Debrief:
Chelsea have scored eight goals in a game for the first time since December 2022 against Leicester City, a match they also won 8-0.
The Blues have scored in their last six games in the WSL, though it does not come close to their longest run of games with a goal in the competition - a run of 20 from April 2023 to February 2024.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
