World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe has been named in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for the first time this season as the French champions go to Guingamp in Ligue 1 today. Mbappe did not play in their league opener, a 3-0 win over Caen last weekend, having only returned to training a few days earlier following a post-World Cup holiday.
The 19-year-old, who scored one of France’s goals in their 4-2 win over Croatia in last month’s final in Moscow, will hope to feature alongside Neymar in the PSG attack in Brittany. However, Edinson Cavani is again missing as he continues his recovery from a calf injury suffered during Uruguay’s run to the quarter-finals in Russia. Also named in PSG’s squad is Thilo Kehrer, the Germany under-21 defender who completed a reported 37mn euro move to the French capital from Schalke on Thursday, signing a five-year deal. Kehrer will hope to quickly break into Thomas Tuchel’s side, but the German coach has left his compatriots Kevin Trapp and Julian Draxler out of his squad for the game.
PSG head to Guingamp already among the pace-setters, yet coach Tuchel said it feels as if the club is still in pre-season. There were some glimpses of innovation under the new manager with Neymar, who scored in his first start for PSG in six months, playing as a false nine in a 3-0 home victory over Caen. “We have to have some sort of second pre-season,” Tuchel said. “But it’s no longer the pre-season, we are playing for points and it’s important to win because we are aiming very high.”
Club captain Thiago Silva agreed that the team was not firing on all cylinders. “Some players arrived late, they are not ready, me for example,” Silva said. The PSG lineup contained three 19-year olds making their first Ligue 1 starts — Stanley Nsoki and Colin Dagba as the full-backs, and Antoine Bernede in midfield. Tuchel also risked ruffling Neymar’s ego by replacing the Brazilian with 18-year-old Timothy Weah with eight minutes left. Weah then scored.
The opening-day victory followed a 4-0 win over Monaco, last season’s runners-up, in the French Champions Trophy in China, and suggests that PSG still have the edge on their domestic rivals. After an opening weekend on which not a single match ended in a draw, PSG are second in the table on goal difference behind Marseille, who thrashed Toulouse, 4-0.
Fixtures (times 1800 GMT unless stated)
Today: Guingamp v Paris Saint-Germain (1500), Amiens v Montpellier, Caen v Nice, Dijon v Nantes, Monaco v Lille, Rennes v Angers
Tomorrow: Strasbourg v
Saint-Etienne (1300) Toulouse v
Bordeaux (1700), Nimes v Marseille (1900)
PSG’s Neymar and Kylian Mbappe during training yesterday. (Reuters)
