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.”
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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