Edinson Cavani and captain Thiago Silva are injured and will not feature for Paris Saint-Germain when the champions travel to Bastia in their Ligue 1 season opener on Friday.
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Both players had already missed last weekend’s 4-1 win against Lyon in the Champions Trophy in Austria.
The Brazilian defender has a hip injury and Uruguayan striker Cavani is sidelined with a thigh problem, coach Unai Emery confirmed on Thursday.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery wants midfielder Blaise Matuidi to stay at the club amid reports linking the France global with a €30 million move to Juventus.
France midfielder Matuidi has been linked with a move to Juventus, with speculation intensifying on the back of his worldwide team-mate Paul Pogba’s world-record switch to Manchester United.
“I want the best players with me, Blaise Matuidi is one of them”, Emery told a news conference.
However, Emery did admit that Matuidi’s future is not exclusively up to him, and that PSG and the player must want to continue together past this summer as well. I want him to stay here.
“He’s a good player, he’s part of the identity of the club”.
“The decision [over Matuidi’s future] comes down to three elements: the club, the player and the team”, Emery said at the Ooredoo Training Centre facility.
It might have lost Ibrahimovic’s scoring prowess, but it secured the services of French prodigy Hatem Ben Arfa, as well as Real Madrid grown Jese. He is in the 19 players who will leave.
Emery would not be drawn on which goalkeeper will start the match at the Stade de Furiani, with regular number one Kevin Trapp facing competition from Alphonse Areola, who impressed on loan at Villarreal last season and is pushing for inclusion against his former club. “My opinion is clear, I want him to stay”.
Bastia finished 10th last season but are usually strong at home, and Emery has rejected suggestions Ligue 1 will be easy despite PSG winning the title by a 31-point margin from runners-up Lyon last season under Laurent Blanc.
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Unai Emery says PSG have to play like favourites, ahead of their Trophee des Champions encounter against Lyon.
