• Messi has made just three appearances for his new club since arriving from Barca in early August

Lionel Messi will again be sidelined for Paris Saint-Germain for today’s game against Montpellier as he continues to nurse a knee injury, his club said. PSG said Messi had started running again and that a new update would come tomorrow, raising hope that he will be able to return for the Champions League clash against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Tuesday.
“Hopefully everything will be OK and he will be back with us,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said at a press conference. “We hope he can be there. We need to be cautious and see how things evolve in the coming days.”
Messi was taken off in the 76th minute of last weekend’s 2-1 win over Lyon in Ligue 1. It only emerged later that he was suffering from a knock to a knee and he played no part in Wednesday’s 2-1 league win at Metz.
Messi has made just three appearances for his new club since arriving from Barcelona in early August, and has completed 90 minutes just once, at Club Brugge in the Champions League. PSG are looking to make it eight wins out of eight in Ligue 1 this season when they play Montpellier, with Pochettino insisting that is his focus, not the rematch with a City side who knocked them out of the Champions League in the semi-finals last season.
“The important thing is the Montpellier game, trying to win and improve in the aspects we need to improve. Manchester City doesn’t influence it,” said the Argentine. “We want to keep our run of results going, although of course it can help us prepare for the game on Tuesday.”  
Pochettino said the City match will not affect his selection, with Angel Di Maria expected to play the league game as he remains suspended in the Champions League after his red card in last season’s semis against the Premier League side.  “We will see, there are different options and different systems. We will see who gives the team the right balance. We also have the flexibility to change as we go,” Pochettino added. “Mauro Icardi is a player who contributed a lot up until his injury. He then recovered and has made a big impact. Of course, he offers us an alternative in our attack.”
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti will return to training tomorrow while defender Sergio Ramos, who has yet to make his club debut, continues to train individually as he recovers from a calf injury. Montpellier lost their two main goal scorers from last season – Andy Delort and Gaetan Laborde – in the transfer window but Pochettino said he was still wary of the side who have already scored 15 league goals, second behind PSG’s 20.

Fixtures (GMT)
Today: Saint-Etienne v Nice (1500), Strasbourg v Lille (1700), Lyon v Lorient, Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier (both 1900)
Tomorrow: Bordeaux v Rennes (1100), Brest v Metz, Reims v Nantes, Troyes v Angers (all 1300), Clermont v Monaco (1500), Marseille v Lens (1845)

Lens bans fans for up to 18 months for pitch invasion
Lens yesterday banned a number of identified fans for up to 18 months following the pitch invasion during their home derby with Lille. The club’s general manager Arnaud Pouille told a press conference that the club had also imposed suspended sentences of up to 36 months.
“In some cases, these bans will be accompanied by a complaint to police if violent behaviour is suspected,” said the club. Meanwhile, two groups of Angers ‘ultras’ claimed they had been the victims when fighting broke out with visiting Marseille fans at a Ligue 1 game on Wednesday. They also denied throwing an explosive device at the away supporters. One group, the Kop de la Butte, said in a statement that they had defended themselves and “we admit it without shame”. They promised to find a way to allow their members to attend after the French league ordered the closure of one of the stands at the Stade Raymond Kopa for the home game with Metz on Octber 3.
The violent incidents are among a series at Ligue 1 games as fans have returned to stadiums this season.
Also on Wednesday, stones were thrown at a bus taking Bordeaux fans to their match in Montpellier, with 16 suffering minor injuries.